Mert Kartal

Ukraine rejects major elements of Trump’s proposed peace plan at the UN: territorial concessions, ban on NATO membership, and limits on the size of Ukraine’s military forces.

I think it is always safe to assume that no human (no matter how promising they may appear today) will avoid corrupt behavior when effective checks and balances are not in place.

Any political/policy decision must be build on this simple but amazingly useful assumption.

I think so. Grades used to help disadvantaged but hardworking students rise later in life.
We as faculty play a big role in making grades redundant. (I'm aware of the collective action problem we face.)
Ironically, we’re the ones who (I'd like to think) care most about equity in students’ lives.

I think grade inflation has turned college transcripts into a “course checklist” instead of a report card. Grad schools, employers, etc. need new ways to see what students actually achieved in the classroom. Grades today do not mean what they used to not so long ago.

🚨🚨 I am very delighted to peer over my proofs to a new quite comprehensive article analysing the European Public Prosecutor's Office ( #EPPO) to be published in the December issue of #europeanlawreview. 🧵

As expected, PM Fico announced that “ #Slovakia won’t take part in any legal or financial schemes to seize frozen [Russian] assets if those funds would be spent on military costs in #Ukraine.”

Any decision to send EU-level aid to Ukraine requires unanimity.

www.politico.eu/article/slov...

Looks like I was wrong about “exemption from US sanctions”—for now: bbc.com/news/article...

Orban asks for an exemption from US sanctions on Russian energy. Trump likely refuses, offers US LNG instead and urges Orban not to block future EU aid for Ukraine. In return, Orban requests Trump’s support ahead of next year’s elections.

My best guess is that the push on EU membership is really a push on more realistic goals - SAFE cooperation and a revised customs union - that are both, in themselves, hard to achieve but at least in the ballpark of reality.

EU accession is not and the Turks are no dummies.

Germany’s centre-right leader in 🇪🇺 Parliament (EP) is under investigation for alleged misuse of EU funds.

This follows Marine Le Pen’s embezzlement case earlier this year (www.npr.org/2025/03/31/g...) and a 2023 report showing 140 members of EPs misused allowances (www.ftm.eu/articles/eur...)

The #EU just released its annual review of potential members: tinyurl.com/24u3kxze

Here is a table summarizing where each country stands: #Albania and #Montenegro are the closest to eventual membership. #Georgia, #Serbia, and #Turkiye appear the furthest. The others fall somewhere in between.

Any party that wants to win the next election must avoid the far-right trap Catherine Connolly garnered 914,000 first preference votes, the highest number ever recorded for any presidential candidate in Irish history, by explicitly rejecting far-right narratives throughout th...

“if you want to win the next election focus on the bread and butter issues, repeat what exactly you are for, not against. Build an inclusive ‘we’ and speak to the things that make people’s lives better.”

Not sure on strength of evidence, but I do know voters prefer far-right original over copy!

AI makes it even harder to know what is real and what is not. And when we cannot agree on basic facts, democracy suffers. Ultimately, we all pay the price.

I’m not optimistic about Georgia’s EU membership prospects (or those of most other candidate countries). I explained why in this @goodauth.bsky.social article: tinyurl.com/2wjzb5s5

What we are seeing in Georgia now ⬇️ is just the latest sign of more authoritarianism.

I Tried the Robot That’s Coming to Live With You. It’s Still Part Human. 1X’s Neo wants to be your housekeeper. First, it needs to be controlled by a human in your home. Cool with you?

As someone who grew up watching Terminator 1 (and, even better, Terminator 2) way too many times, this humanoid thing feels very sketchy.

www.wsj.com/tech/persona...

Turkey to discipline referees after uncovering mass betting Turkey's football federation (TFF) will launch disciplinary action against referees found to have bet on football matches after discovering that hundreds of them had betting accounts, its president said on Monday.

🇹🇷 Football Federation just revealed a shocking(!) fact: Of 571 referees, 371 have betting accounts; 152 actively bet: tinyurl.com/ypywjww4

Believing no insider info leaks to staff, clubs, players, associates is naive.

That’s the legal side. The illegal betting is the iceberg’s hidden half.

Briefly, the EU has to address several legal issues (re: state immunity) and economic concerns (re: the 💶’s status). Also, there is the problem of possible vetoes from members like Hungary or Slovakia. The Commission is working on solutions: tinyurl.com/5atezk2u. But it will take time.

As expected, #EU leaders have postponed the decision on whether to use frozen Russian assets to support #Ukraine. But they agreed to financially support Ukraine via other means: bbc.com/news/article...

In my @goodauth.bsky.social piece below, I explain why seizing these assets is so challenging.

And this: bsky.app/profile/npr....

And there is this: bsky.app/profile/robe...

What a Sunday it’s been so far:

🇮🇱 suspends aid and strikes Gaza after accusing Hamas of violating truce: tinyurl.com/4dt2bsfe

Trump urged 🇺🇦 to accept 🇷🇺’s terms or be destroyed: tinyurl.com/4cbwzebr

Turkish leader says Northern Cyprus should unite with 🇹🇷 following elections:
tinyurl.com/yhm5em6u

Breaking news: Donald Trump urged Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept Russia’s terms for ending its war in a volatile White House meeting on Friday, warning that Vladimir Putin had said he would 'destroy' Ukraine if it did not agree on.ft.com/4ou5h1A

Kuzey Kıbrıs'ta 777 sandıktan 735'i açıldı: Tufan Erhürman oyların yüzde 63,28’ini aldı Cumhurbaşkanı seçimine giden Kuzey Kıbrıs'ta 777 sandıktan 735’i açılırken, CTP Genel Başkanı Tufan Erhürman oyların yüzde 62,80’ini, Cumhurbaşkanı Ersin Tatar oyların yüzde 35,77’sini aldı.

Northern Cypriot Turks have today elected pro-federation candidate Tufan Erhürman for their new president by landslide victory. Erdoğan-backed Ersin Tatar, who promoted two-state solution for the divided island, has lost. Turkey still holds the key to any future talks. www.birgun.net/haber/kuzey-...

Israel Suspends Aid and Strikes Gaza After Accusing Hamas of Violating Truce: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/19/w...

Brussels eyes loophole to isolate Hungary, send billions in Russian assets to Ukraine EU legal experts are studying a way to get round the need for unanimity to send €140 billion to Kyiv.

Using frozen Russian assets risks legal issues around state immunity, which could also weaken 💶 as a global reserve currency.

Politically, any 🇪🇺 member (🇭🇺🇸🇰) could veto sanctions or asset-use decisions. The Commission is working on these challenges: tinyurl.com/5atezk2u

Still, it will take time.

This is a step in the right direction: Helping 🇺🇦 without asking 🇪🇺 voters for more money is tempting. ~$190B would strengthen 🇺🇦's defense (as well as the European defense industry) significantly.

But there are legal/economic/political issues 🇪🇺 must address before using the assets. It will take time.

Using frozen 🇷🇺 assets could aid 🇺🇦, but seizing them would likely violate international law, which requires asset freezes to be temporary measures.

To help 🇺🇦 without breaking the law, 🇪🇺 is exploring a reparations loan. But it must navigate possible vetoes from 🇭🇺, 🇸🇰, or even 🇨🇿. It will take time!

🇫🇷 Conseil d’État has rejected Marine Le Pen’s appeal to halt the enforcement of her penalty for misclassifying National Rally staff as European Parliament assistants. As I explain in my @goodauth.bsky.social piece, this bars her from running in the next presidential election: tinyurl.com/2mseb2ad

One risk is that any 🇪🇺 member could veto the renewal of sanctions on 🇷🇺 as early as Feb 1. Lifting them after 🇪🇺 has seized Russian assets would cause big legal problems.

🇪🇺 is working to change it so a majority (not unanimity) is needed to renew sanctions. But it will take time. tinyurl.com/5atezk2u

If Varhelyi resigns, the Council could (threaten to) name a replacement and ask an existing Commissioner to take over.

This would leave Hungary without a seat at the Commission.

The EU could use this as leverage over Orbán on key issues like sanctions on Russia and aid to Ukraine. 👀 5/5