How Hard Do You Have to Push Yourself to Get Stronger? Here’s how to find the right effort level for a strength workout.

Many trainers and athletes have long believed that lifting to failure is the best way to build muscle. But recent research has challenged that idea.

The Best Advice I’ve Ever Heard for How to Be Happy Tips from experts, astronauts and Cher on finding bliss.

Over the years, our reporter has gathered useful, surprising kernels of advice from all sorts of people — including scientists, professors, nurses, astronauts and even Cher — about how to be happy. Here are the best takeaways about how to live a good, fulfilling life.

Ukraine Rejects Russian Call for a Three-Day Cease-Fire President Volodymyr Zelensky called the proposal a “theatrical show” and said such a short truce would not bolster negotiations for a lasting peace.

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday said Ukraine will not adhere to a three-day cease-fire proposed by Russia, saying such a short truce would not help in negotiations for a lasting peace.

✍️Energy Security in the Baltics: Perceptions in the Midst of the Russia-Ukraine War

Read the latest Research Report by @leonhartwell.bsky.social and Agne Rakstyte on perceptions on energy in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania amidst the Russia-Ukraine war.

⬇️Read Here
www.lse.ac.uk/ideas/public...

How the EU Can Help Serbia’s Protesters As student-led protests continue to rock Serbia, President Aleksandar Vučić’s authoritarian grip is facing its most serious challenge yet.

“So long as the protests continue [in Serbia] and this momentum grows, the EU has a unique opportunity to repair its institutional legitimacy in the Balkans.” Alba Alizoti & @leonhartwell.bsky.social

How the EU Can Help Serbia’s Protesters As student-led protests continue to rock Serbia, President Aleksandar Vučić’s authoritarian grip is facing its most serious challenge yet.

How the EU Can Help Serbia’s Protesters | "As student-led protests continue to rock Serbia, President Aleksandar Vučić’s authoritarian grip is facing its most serious challenge yet." Alba Alizoti and @leonhartwell.bsky.social

How the EU Can Help Serbia’s Protesters As student-led protests continue to rock Serbia, President Aleksandar Vučić’s authoritarian grip is facing its most serious challenge yet.

✊ Student-led protests in Serbia are challenging Vučić’s grip on power. In our latest piece, Alba Alizoti and I argue it’s time for the EU to stand with them — and show it means what it says on democracy.

📖 Read here: cepa.org/article/how-...

#Serbia #EU #Protests #Democracy

@cepa.org

Energy Security in the Baltics: Perceptions in the Midst of the Russia-Ukraine War research report

Together with Agnė Rakštytė, I explore how Baltic people perceive energy security amidst the Russia-Ukraine war.

Key insights: strong support for renewables, but scepticism toward gov’t energy plans.

📝 Read more: www.lse.ac.uk/ideas/public...

#EnergySecurity @lseideas.bsky.social @cepa.org

The death of fact-checking is a global crisis | The Citizen The far-right’s campaign against fact-checking has global consequences. If South Africa doesn’t act, disinformation will undermine democracy.

“Fact-checking is not about censorship – it’s about protecting the integrity of public discourse. Without it, propaganda and misinformation will thrive, science will suffer, and democracies will weaken.” @leonhartwell.bsky.social

The death of fact-checking is a global crisis | The Citizen The far-right’s campaign against fact-checking has global consequences. If South Africa doesn’t act, disinformation will undermine democracy.

My latest article: The far-right’s war on fact-checking in the U.S. has global consequences. As Silicon Valley retreats & AI fuels #disinformation, democracy—including in South Africa—is at risk. The fight for truth has never been more urgent.

🔗 Read here: www.citizen.co.za/news/opinion...

Stagnimi në dialog sprovon BE-në  

🎙️ I spoke with Radio Free Europe about the new EU envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, Peter Sørensen, and the mediation process.

🔑 Mutual recognition must be the cornerstone of this dialogue. ‘Normalization’ is too vague—clear goals drive real progress. www.evropaelire.org/a/stagnimi-i...

"It was a deliberate signal to both domestic and international audiences that he was not taking orders from the United States,” @leonhartwell.bsky.social on Putin’s questions regarding the ceasefire.

Ukraine Ceasefire Deal — What Does it Mean? CEPA Fellows explain the US-Ukraine agreement on a ceasefire. The Trump administration says, “the ball is in Moscow’s court.”

“Putin has shown time and again that Russia does not truly want peace with Ukraine, and history is littered with broken promises toward that country.” @leonhartwell.bsky.social

Putin dons military uniform, demands "buffer zone" ahead of peace talks Vladimir Putin was dressed in military camouflage as he visited a command post in Russia's Kursk region, which borders Ukraine.

“Putin has shown time and again that Russia does not truly want peace with Ukraine, and history is littered with broken promises toward that country.” @leonhartwell.bsky.social

Эксперты : «Кремль хочет максимально затянуть урегулирование» На пресс-конференции 13 марта в Москве Владимир Путин заявил о своей позиции по поводу прекращения огня. Российский президент сказал, что одобряет такой подход, но «есть нюанс»: по его словам, перемир...

#VOA interviewed me about Trump’s mediation efforts in the Russia-Ukraine war. This could be among the last articles published by VOA, as Trump issued an order to scale back the federally funded news org, labeling it "anti-Trump" and "radical." www.golosameriki.com/a/american-e...

@cepa.org

On narratives and fairytales: Serbia’s authoritarian leader’s playbook - New Eastern Europe The student protests that have shaken Serbian society in the wake of the Novi Sad disaster have led to symbolic government changes.

Weekend read: On narratives and fairytales: #Serbia’s authoritarian leader’s playbook neweasterneurope.eu/2025/02/13/o...

#Balkans #disinformation

@neweasterneurope.eu
@lseideas.bsky.social
@cepa.org

Putin dons military uniform, demands "buffer zone" ahead of peace talks Vladimir Putin was dressed in military camouflage as he visited a command post in Russia's Kursk region, which borders Ukraine.

“Putin has shown time and again that Russia does not truly want peace with Ukraine, and history is littered with broken promises toward that country." @leonhartwell.bsky.social

Happening today! Make sure to register and join the discussion.

Ukraine Ceasefire Deal — What Does it Mean? CEPA Fellows explain the US-Ukraine agreement on a ceasefire. The Trump administration says, “the ball is in Moscow’s court.”

#Ukraine is under immense pressure to appease the Trump administration—hence its acceptance of the ceasefire. But diplomacy is not The Apprentice —it is not a reality show where deals can be made on impulse and consequences are mere afterthoughts. cepa.org/article/ukra...

@cepa.org

Ukraine readies for make-or-break Saudi showdown with Trump team A Ukrainian official told Newsweek that there is hope for an improvement in ties between Kyiv and Washington.

Trump’s team wields sticks against Ukraine, the victim, while offering carrots to #Russia, the aggressor. Meanwhile, a durable peace remains elusive.

What happens next could reshape the war.

Read more: www.newsweek.com/ukraine-russ...

@newsweek.com @lseideas.bsky.social

Between East and West: Navigating alliances in the Western Balkans The Western Balkans, shaped by conflict and shifting alliances, remain geopolitically significant in a fast-changing world. A survey conducted by the International Republican Institute (IRI) highlight...

✍️Between East and West: Navigating alliances in the Western Balkans | European Leadership Network

Discover @leonhartwell.bsky.social's latest paper on the Western Balkans.

⬇️Read Here
europeanleadershipnetwork.org/commentary/b...

"If Zelenskyy makes a deal under current conditions and where he gives away all these territories to Russia, he will not be able to go back to Ukraine and sell this deal because the Ukrainian public will be against it." @leonhartwell.bsky.social

Can Peace Prevail | Ukraine's Roadmap For Peace ? YouTube video by THE GEOSTRATA

Honored to join the Geostrata panel, Can Peace Prevail: #Ukraine’s Roadmap for Peace? I argued that while an agreement is theoretically possible, no mediator can currently broker a deal that will lead to sustainable peace.

Watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xokd...

@lseideas.bsky.social
@cepa.org

Three Decades of Democracy in South Africa and Lithuania - Part 2 YouTube video by Intersections of Oppression

I had the privilege of joining a panel at the University of Johannesburg, co-organized with the Embassy of Lithuania, to discuss how false narratives & digital manipulation undermine democracy & security.

🎥 Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyHS...

@lseideas.bsky.social @lithuaniamfa.bsky.social

Ukraine needs more than bangers and mash: Envisioning a strategic goal for NATO On NATO's 75th anniversary, and as Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its third year, Dr Leon Hartwell calls on NATO member states with larger economies to match the economic contributions...

The late Christopher Coker: If we don’t defeat Putin now, we’re going to have to defeat him on another occasion when we’re going to be less united and when we won’t have Ukraine doing most of the fighting and doing it very effectively europeanleadershipnetwork.org/commentary/u... @theeln.bsky.social

On narratives and fairytales: Serbia’s authoritarian leader’s playbook - New Eastern Europe The student protests that have shaken Serbian society in the wake of the Novi Sad disaster have led to symbolic government changes.

“In Vučić’s playbook, the truth is malleable, and reality is something to be authored and performed. To understand his strategy, one must first turn to the tools of fiction—characters, plots, and, above all, the power of a compelling story.” @leonhartwell.bsky.social

Between East and West: Navigating alliances in the Western Balkans The Western Balkans, shaped by conflict and shifting alliances, remain geopolitically significant in a fast-changing world. A survey conducted by the International Republican Institute (IRI) highlight...

A recent survey conducted by the International Republican Institute highlighted the fragmented nature of public opinion on allies and adversaries across the Western Balkans. ELN Visiting Fellow @leonhartwell.bsky.social notes that while some states...
europeanleadershipnetwork.org/commentary/b...

Montenegro’s fight for EU membership amid Serbian revanchism - New Eastern Europe The small Balkan state of Montenegro has been an official European Union candidate for many years. In spite of widespread support for integration, the political situation in the country has made acces...

Here is my take on the situation in #Montenegro in the latest issue of @neweasterneurope.eu: neweasterneurope.eu/2024/11/21/m...

#Balkans #Serbia #EU

@cepa.bsky.social
@lseideas.bsky.social

On narratives and fairytales: Serbia’s authoritarian leader’s playbook - New Eastern Europe The student protests that have shaken Serbian society in the wake of the Novi Sad disaster have led to symbolic government changes.

On narratives and fairytales: #Serbia’s authoritarian leader’s playbook neweasterneurope.eu/2025/02/13/o...

@neweasterneurope.eu @lseideas.bsky.social

Between East and West: Navigating alliances in the Western Balkans The Western Balkans, shaped by conflict and shifting alliances, remain geopolitically significant in a fast-changing world. A survey conducted by the International Republican Institute (IRI) highlight...

Despite official EU aspirations throughout the Western #Balkans, public opinion across the region remains deeply fragmented. europeanleadershipnetwork.org/commentary/b...

@theeln.bsky.social