From arms to orbit: Rheinmetall’s expansion unsettles rivals
German group’s outspoken boss Armin Papperger wants to ‘catch’ €300bn in European deals by 2030
Nothing to see here, just a German military mega-contractor with cartel appetite (and a big male energy CEO who loves to hunt) ditching civilian manufacture and monopolizing earth-to-space production and building its factories all over (mostly Eastern) Europe www.ft.com/content/a326...
04.02.2026 12:02
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Much like the Biden administration built scenarios for the war in Ukraine but forgot it was “the bread basket of the world.” Somehow food GVCs are low on the list of the Nat Sec/ CIA priorities.
05.03.2026 15:20
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The room was almost empty when BN delivered his defiant speech at the UN in September 2024. But this photo grabbed my attention. It should have been taken seriously. He has been working on the realization of “the blessing” persistently, by all means available, come hell or high water.
04.03.2026 19:28
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He knows it improves his ratings.
04.03.2026 00:23
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The Oracle has spoken:
“You go through this and then in five years, you realise you put somebody in who was no better. So we’d like to see somebody in there that’s going to bring it back for the people.”
03.03.2026 23:49
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Presdent Trump as the reliable source of war information.
03.03.2026 18:00
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If I support wars + say appropriate things about dehumanized enemies + celebrate masculinity, can I get an island too?
02.03.2026 19:20
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Perhaps, removing the journalists at WaPo who *might* know something about the Middle East was a part of the war preparations?
02.03.2026 15:38
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Those of us who older than you are so used to the exact same media coverage of every war. Like obituary writers, these teams of journalists sit prepared, briefed by the Nat Sec teams in advance, and churn the noise to drown the screams.
01.03.2026 21:28
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Oh, Lindsey Graham just sees the future of warfare actualized for our viewing pleasure. In the militarized elite perspective, it’s “shock and awe” for the adversaries, the aftermath is someone else’s afterthought.
01.03.2026 19:37
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Regime change is a bipartisan addiction. And … DJT has made peace with the Deep State. So all is well and back to normal in Washington DC.
01.03.2026 17:22
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Triumph of evil
Dailymotion video by Liamand
Today, thanks to my academic colleagues, I was once again reminded of the world’s callous response to the Rwandan genocide, brilliantly captured in this PBS Frontline documentary.
26.02.2026 04:01
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ECRs in IPE, who are applying to the Political Economy Beyond Boundaries (PEBB) section of the @europeanisa.bsky.social for the PEC in Lisbon, September 1-4, 2026, may also be considered for the two RIPE-sponsored panels. See the call below for details.
18.02.2026 12:18
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Tomorrow at 1:30 pm UK time, at Pembroke College, Oxford - “Italy as Bellwether” in the shifting European and transatlantic relations. The event is hybrid, offering both in-person and online attendance. To join online, contact Kate McKee, ISO events coordinator, at italianstudies@area.ox.ac.uk.
18.02.2026 11:31
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In fact, counterintuitive. And not discussed in the report analysis.
14.02.2026 20:19
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For the full survey results see table.media/assets/docum...
14.02.2026 05:25
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The latest Eurobarometer before Munich Sec Conference. French feel most threatened yet have low trust in the EU to protect them. Finns and Czechs less afraid than 🇫🇷🇩🇪🇳🇱. One must wonder: what/who is the threat?
14.02.2026 05:24
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Thanks to all three of you for a brilliant contribution, and inspiration for the work on war economy.
09.02.2026 00:59
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Never gets old.
31.01.2026 19:24
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Slovakia adviser Lajčák resigns amid Epstein revelations
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s national security adviser stepped down after his name appeared in newly released documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein.
When it comes to Eastern Europe/the Balkans, Epstein could not have found a better play pal. The disastrous trail of Lajčák’s ambition and mediocrity set back BiH and Kosovo in particular; his jokes about Ukrainian and Russian women in Epstein files speak volumes about his democratic credentials.
31.01.2026 19:05
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Scrolling through @financialtimes.com headlines: the fiction is so transparent that it seems surreal. DB profits - its offices were raided just yesterday for money laundering? Venezuela paid for its own oil through Qatar? Iran bombing imminent? Cuba screwed? Blackstone’s IPOs through the roof?
29.01.2026 15:10
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It should be possible to oppose aggression without rewriting history, n’est-ce pas @nytimes.com?
20.01.2026 14:08
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If anyone wants the unpublished second draft @hozic.bsky.social @dorobohle.bsky.social and me paper on this, DM or email me at my official UVa email. Also see @steffenmurau.bsky.social and me papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... free download.
19.01.2026 13:28
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Such an inspiring piece of writing.
16.01.2026 03:12
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a little girl is sitting on a couch with her hands in her pockets
ALT: a little girl is sitting on a couch with her hands in her pockets
It never ceases to amaze me how the category of “ordinary people” is deployed in political analyses, even critical ones, as if to underscore the extra-ordinariness, exception and/or elite membership of those who are doing the analysis (journalists, pundits, academics).
12.01.2026 18:08
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