So I suppose we only believe some women some of the time….?
Ben Tonra
@bentonra.bsky.social
Professor of International Relations at UCD Dublin; Dundrum Methodist Church; Royal Irish Academy; Azure Forum, IDSA and Gym Dad. Mix of Mayo, Kerry, West Virginia and suburban Maryland.
Good conference coming up from @ria.ie www.ria.ie/events/trans...
Transformation in Global Politics: power, positionalities, the Global South - Royal Irish Academy
Half-day conference exploring transformation in global politics through perspectives from the Global South. Co-organised by the RIA’s Ethics, Politics, Law and Philosophy Committee and Standing Commit...
ria.ie
Viva Espana
Andy Scollick@andyscollick.bsky.social · 3d agoHundreds of residents in Spain’s North African enclave of #Ceuta gathered to oppose a planned far-right anti-migrant rally, forcing organisers to cancel the event amid heightened tensions following a temporary influx of migrants crossing from Morocco.
One can only trust that lessons have been learned by those that so quickly danced to to the tune of Europe’s enemies Next step is forensically to identify those enemies and the precise roles they each played… whether in Europe or to the East or the West.
Manuel Müller@manuelmueller.foederalist.eu · 5d agoBy now, it seems that #Spain has been very able to manage the crisis, and no other member states were negatively affected in any way. The reactions from Italy & Co. have been truly shameful. This is how you destroy trust and solidarity in the EU.
Never want to hear any of these tech companies talking about their ethics again. This has zero use cases outside of generating disinformation, and they pushed it out there anyway
Joseph Cox@josephcox.bsky.social · 5d agoNew from 404 Media: Google Earth has introduced an AI feature that lets anyone fabricate completely bullshit satellite images. In our own tests, we added a “bomb blast and crater” to an area of Los Angeles. This is a misinformation time bomb, will 100% be abused www.404media.co/google-earth...
‘This is where democracy beats totalitarianism’: Ukraine’s drone strike force takes the fight to Russia
‘This is where democracy beats totalitarianism’: Ukraine’s drone strike force takes the fight to Russia
Exclusive: at a launch site in the Ukrainian countryside, members of the elite ‘Magyar’s Birds’ brigade are turning Russia’s vast size into a weakness
theguardian.com
Which should include the excellent Irish Studies in International Affairs, Ireland’s own and only IR journal, edited by the inestimable Dr Mervyn O’Driscoll for the @ria.ie Standing Committee for International Affairs.
Royal Irish Academy@ria.ie · 4d agoAll research papers published in the Academy’s journals during 2026 will be freely available online, with no APCs charged. This development was made possible by @projectmuse.bsky.social’s Subscribe to Open initiative and ongoing support from @irelibrary.bsky.social, the Irish Research eLibrary.
Hitting the right note: apolitical animals or European heroes for new euro designs?
Hitting the right note: apolitical animals or European heroes for new euro designs?
The EU is using a currency redesign as an opportunity to be less neutral and try some finely balanced identity-building
theguardian.com
It was a complete farce. Nobody on the European side took control of the messaging, so every rightwing troll/government official seized the opportunity to hurl abuse at a fellow member state government that was facing a crisis. A terrible day for European foreign policy and for the Union as a whole.
Ulrike Franke@rikefranke.bsky.social · 4d ago“Zusammenfassung: Die Europäer haben auf eine Bedrohung von außen nicht gemeinsam reagiert, sondern sind übereinander hergefallen. Der gestrige Tag war ein schwarzer Tag für Europa und ein Fest für seine Feinde.” www.zeit.de/politik/2026...
🇱🇹🇺🇦 "This is another reminder that Russian terror knows no bounds. And that Ukraine is defending not only its own people, but also the security of all of Europe," — Naūseda ‼️ In turn, Lithuanian Foreign Minister said that Lithuanian Foreign Ministry would summon a Russian representative in Vilnius.
"To America’s allies, President Trump’s war in Iran, now in its sixth month, seems headed for a strategic defeat." www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/w...
Die Hard John Mc Clane
ALT: Die Hard John Mc Clane
static.klipy.com
Looking forward to it! www.linkedin.com/posts/our-fu...
Our full 2026 programme is now on our website, and we're delighted that the Festival will be opened on the afternoon of Friday 7 August by the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin. Our opening event will a...
Our full 2026 programme is now on our website, and we're delighted that the Festival will be opened on the afternoon of Friday 7 August by the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin. Our opening event will a pan...
linkedin.com
The MAGA Media Machine Is Fracturing www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/u...
How the Pro-Trump Media Ecosystem Is Splintering Ahead of the Midterms
Once united in support of President Trump, right-wing influencers are embroiled in feuds and losing viewers, creating a problem for Republicans in the midterm elections.
nytimes.com
In Belfast, Some Protestants Worry Their Community Is Changing Around Them www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/w...
In Belfast, Some Protestants Worry Their Community Is Changing Around Them
Northern Ireland’s Protestant loyalists have long felt their identity was under siege. Now anti-immigrant ideology has found a new toehold here.
nytimes.com
The war (…) has been “a strategic loss and an embarrassment,” said Robin Niblett, a former director of Chatham House, “For U.S. allies and those who rely on the U.S. for security, this is confirmation that you can’t trust the United States.” www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/w...
In Iran, the U.S. Appears Headed for a Strategic Defeat, Allies Fear
With none of President Trump’s aims accomplished and the Strait of Hormuz closed, U.S. allies see dysfunction and vulnerability from the war.
nytimes.com
Ukraine Foreign Affairs Minister: "We have detected intensive Russian propaganda campaign across Europe using pictures from Ceuta to sow destabilisation." Far-right from EU (& US!) falls with open eyes for hybrid threats from the weaponisation of migration, even fan the flames. #unity #solidarity
In this short paper, I reflect on the demise of citizens' assemblies in Ireland and propose a new role for deliberative mini-publics in working with the Electoral Commission to 'support' the referendum process in Ireland publications-prairial.fr/droit-public...
Ireland: Back to the deliberative drawing board? – Droit Public Comparé
This paper examines Ireland’s decade of deliberative democracy (2013-2023), during which six deliberative mini-publics (DMPs) produced 335 recommendations leading to landmark reforms including the leg...
publications-prairial.fr
“… but if they could destroy the world and increase their company share value, hell yeah!!”
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 5d agoBARTIROMO: It feels like we're moving into a Terminator-type world HASSETT: I hope not and I think not. AI companies definitely have an incentive not to destroy the world. That would destroy their companies too.
📢 WE'RE HIRING! Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow 💼 Part-Time (0.6 FTE) | Fixed-Term through March 2030 📚 Focus: Defence industrial policy, procurement & security governance ⏰ Deadline: 18 August at 12:00 Apply here👇 my.corehr.com/pls/coreport...
Common EU debt, user fees to service it. The author has just taken over the helm at the Europe department of the IMF. www.ft.com/content/804a...
One answer to EU strategic autonomy is orbiting overhead
The Galileo satellite programme offers a model for funding joint defence projects and creating joint revenues
ft.com
Wouldn’t want to look too hard eh? “Aughinish investigators did not obtain Swedish document available for €25 fee” www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...
Aughinish investigators did not obtain Swedish document available for €25 fee
Authorities said they were unable to obtain specific information – but judgment is publicly accessible
irishtimes.com
🇫🇷🇪🇺🇺🇦 The European Union Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine) is approaching the milestone of training 100,000 Ukrainian troops since February 2022. As of 1 May 2026, over 93,000 troops had been trained, including more than 22,000 by France (approximately 24%).
“Compounding this is a failure to grasp that the post-war rules-based order is fracturing. Legacy multilateral assumptions are being applied to a hard-power landscape, and they do not fit it.” Well written Steve
Ben Tonra@bentonra.bsky.social · 2w agoRecommended read www.linkedin.com/posts/steven...
We now need to double down on our support for brave Ukraine 🇺🇦 . The EU & Member States will continue our support, as we have done till now, being the biggest supporter worldwide of Ukraine, with more than €180 billion since the Russian invasion. #EUDefenseNight
The NATO Summit made clear: Russia is the biggest long term threat for Europe & for NATO. To deter Russia we need a stronger Europe. We need NATO 3.0. Americans are asking Europe to take primary responsibility for its own conventional defence. And this is what we are doing.
putin could end russia's war on Tuesday morning. Fire a few generals. Declare victory. Hold a parade on Wednesday. Nobody inside Russia could stop him. putin's predicament and the only obstacle to peace is the colonizer's appetite for warmaking www.realclearworld.com/articles/202...
In the European view, the fact that Donald Trump could be elected president twice and still command over 35% popular support after engaging in depraved, reckless and corrupt conduct is stark evidence of long-term institutional disintegration inside the US. The country is no longer a desirable ally.
Recommended read www.linkedin.com/posts/steven...
Irish Defence Strategy Statement 2026 Analysis Review | Steven C.
Ireland has published its Department of Defence and Defence Forces Strategy Statement 2026–2029. As someone who has contributed to the consultations on the National Cybersecurity Strategy, the Commi...
linkedin.com