Converting History into Hard Power: A Polish-German Reckoning Beneath the surface of Polish-German alignment within NATO lies an unresolved problem with growing strategic weight: Almost 70 percent of the Polish

Poland and Germany are key partners in NATO today. Yet the memory of wartime destruction continues to shadow their relationship.

Now that the Iran war distraction from the Epstein files kinda worked after Venezuela didn’t, here’s the attempt to distract from the failing Iran war. I fear this circle of distraction-attempts is never ending…

Secret EU files at risk of AfD leaks to Kremlin, diplomats warn Lawmakers fear Germany’s far right could be abusing its ability to view a database of thousands of internal EU documents.

Access to confidential EU documents by the Russia-friendly Alternative for Germany party is raising concerns that sensitive deliberations are being exposed to Moscow, three EU diplomats and four German lawmakers have said.

EU and Australia strengthen relations with Security and Defence Partnership and Trade Agreement The EU and Australia have today announced the adoption of a groundbreaking Security and Defence Partnership.

EU and Australia 🇦🇺 agree free trade deal, security and defence partnership
ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

„Unsicherheit bleibt immer“: USA sind mit dem Iran-Krieg beschäftigt – greift Putin jetzt Nato-Gebiet an? Der Iran-Krieg füllt Russlands Kassen. Die USA sind abgelenkt. In Estland ploppt die Volksrepublik Narva auf. Greift Putin jetzt Nato-Gebiet an?

Der Iran-Krieg füllt Russlands Kassen. Die USA sind abgelenkt. In Estland ploppt die „Volksrepublik Narva“ auf. Droht jetzt Putins Angriff auf NATO-Gebiet?www.fr.de/politik/an-iran-krieg-us...

When the epitaph of this war is written it will read:

America sought to project its power. Instead, it demonstrated its weakness. China watched.

Tide turning against the far right? French local elections, Meloni defeat, Orban in trouble. Any Trump association deeply unpopular.

„Unsere Außenpolitik wird nicht überzeugender dadurch, dass wir Völkerrechtsbruch nicht Völkerrechtsbruch nennen.“

Beim 75sten Jahrestag der Wiedergründung des Auswärtigen Amts kritisiert Bundespräsident Steinmeier den Iran-Krieg - und den Umgang der Bundesregierung damit.

Calling the opposition party “the greatest enemy” of a country is exactly what wannabe dictators do to justify seizing power.

Great threat. Knocking out power would eliminate the population’s ability to communicate and organize, which is what people need to coordinate an uprising.

donald trump speaking into a microphone with the words many people are saying this above him Alt: donald trump speaking into a microphone with the words many people are saying this below him

Your reminder that threatening to destroy the civilian energy infrastructure of a country is a threat to conduct a war crime. That's it, that's the post.

Realism-pun intended

Even the policy choices of the Trump administration are confined to geopolitical competition alone, while it is actually contradicting many realist assumptions due to domestic, ideological and leadership factors. Don’t get me wrong, realism has a lot to offer but alternative perspectives are vital.

but it’s appeal for short, persuasive claims in an increasingly uncertain world. Suddenly all foreign policy follows a clear-cut great power strategy. Students seem to think that realism is the only IR theory which takes material and security claims seriously (a lot to cover in our teachings…)

Such a smart observation. After Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, I have witnessed a turn to realism, especially among causal observers & my IR students, which stems less from the actual analytical arguments of realism (which have not changed)

Everyone but Trump Understands What He’s Done Allied leaders know that any positive gesture they make will count for nothing.

Trump does not think strategically, historically, geographically, or even rationally. He does not connect actions he takes on one day to events that occur weeks later. Allied leaders know that if they help him in the Gulf, he won't be grateful, or even remember
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

Just a reminder that the Washington Treaty defines the geography of NATO’s mutual defense pledge — at U.S. insistence in 1949 — to prevent allies from committing us to their wars outside of Europe.

Trump asks for help with Iran, but others can’t trust the US to help them when they need. They can’t trust that he’ll tell the truth about their contribution. They can’t even trust that the US will coordinate actions, share information, and not screw them over.

That is entirely Trump’s fault.

That White House National Security Strategy document sure was useful. It said the Middle East was no longer a central theater of U.S. strategy, and Iran was not on the same strategic level as China or Russia. The U.S. would avoid American military commitments in the region, letting others lead.

Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he feared the alliance could collapse during the Trump years, describing moments when tensions within NATO were extremely high.

Fantastic 🧵 explaining the the evolution of today’s Republican Party 🇺🇸

NATO leaders call on Trump to reverse Russian oil sanctions suspension The leaders of Canada, Germany and Norway are urging Trump to rethink his suspendion of Russian oil sanctions. In comments to Euronews, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said he is "concerned" at the potential impact on Ukraine.

NATO leaders call on Trump to reverse Russian oil sanctions suspension

Trump Orders New Federal Strategy on Cybercrime — and Expands Executive Authority in the Process President Trump signed an executive order launching a new federal strategy against cybercrime and global scam networks. The directive expands coordination across agencies while raising questions about...

Trump Orders New Federal Strategy on Cybercrime — and Expands Executive Authority in the Process

www.onestnetwork.com/trump-orders...

Lithuania’s intelligence says its security depends on Russia’s war in Ukraine: as long as Moscow focuses resources there, its ability to directly threaten Lithuania and NATO stays limited, per the annual national security threat report: www.vsd.lt/en/reports/n... 1/3

Exclusive: NATO's Rutte does not see need to invoke Art. 5 after missile incident The shooting down of a ballistic missile headed for Turkey by NATO ​air defences does not provide immediate reason to trigger ‌the alliance's Article 5 mutual defence clause, its Secretary General Mar...

Spoke to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte today. First story below, more to come.

BREAKING: NATO intercepts Iranian missile heading toward Turkey in first such incident "We reserve the right to respond to any hostile attitude towards our country," Turkey's Defense Ministry said.

⚡️ NATO reiterates collective defense as alliance shoots down Iranian missile heading toward Turkey.

"Our deterrence and defense posture remains strong across all domains," NATO spokesperson Allison Hart told the Kyiv Independent.

France to boost nuclear arsenal and extend deterrence to European allies Emmanuel Macron said eight countries could enjoy protection from France's nuclear umbrella - but that Paris would retain sole decision-making power.

The UK, Germany, Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden & Denmark “would also share in the development of ‘auxiliary’ capacities under the new nuclear doctrine: space-based alarm systems; air defence to shoot down incoming drones and missiles; and long-range missiles.”

bbc.com/news/article...

This is how the Republicans will frame it for the MAGA movement:

For Trump, everything is personal and only personal. All traditional drivers of military or foreign policy strategy or decision making are irrelevant in the case of the US today except the mood, impulses, ego and greed of the president.

A United States senator from the president's own party, one who serves on the Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, has no idea what's going on as America goes to war with Iran.