Last weekend, Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared that Ukraine would continue not to recognize Kosovo’s independence. That drew a sharp response from Pristina.
Zelenskyy’s Balkan fumble
The Ukrainian president found out the hard way that there is no such thing as an offhand remark about Kosovo.
politico.eu
Last weekend, Volodymyr Zelenskyy went to Serbia and declared that Kyiv would continue not to recognize Kosovo’s independence. Why would he wade into the intractable Balkan issue at all? It likely comes down to weaponry. 🔗 politi.co/4qcOKRG
Albanians don’t want their islands sold off to Trump and Kushner ft.trib.al/V7JQvGO | opinion
Albanians don’t want their islands sold off to Trump and Kushner
Ivanka and Jared won’t let snakes, landmines or the region’s tortured past get in the way of Balkan real estate deals
ft.trib.al
Anytime a potential new political officeholder acknowledges the difficulty of being the unifying figure in a country (esp one in desperate need of unifying like post-Orban Hungary) and thus declines the role, I immediately think “yup that makes you perfect for the role.”
Szabolcs Panyi@szabolcspanyi.bsky.social · 3w agoJudit Polgár thanked PM Péter Magyar for the gesture but declined the nomination for President of Hungary following attacks on social media, some of them antisemitic: “I do not feel that I have the strength to assume the historic responsibility of uniting a divided nation.”
3 years ago, Prigozhin’s Wagner Group rebelled against Moscow. Hungary’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, quickly called his Russian friend in concern. Here is a previously unpublished Szijjártó-Lavrov phone call from our Kremlin Hotline investigation.
As Wagner Marched Toward Moscow, Szijjártó Offered Help. Lavrov Laughed - VSquare.org
Three years ago, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s mercenary army rose up against Moscow. Hungary’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, quickly called his Russian friend in concern. Here is a previously unpublished Szijjártó-Lavrov phone call from VSquare’s Kremlin Hotline investigation.
vsquare.org
I used to get really upset about this stuff but now I’m letting them sun their cojones and shove animal antiparasitics in their nose. Evolution exists to spare us from these people long-term.
Shawna Gawreluck@shawnagawreluck.bsky.social · 4w agoThe same people who think Canada can just rake leaves to end forest fires & filter air at the border to eliminate smoke also believed ivermectin cured covid, ectopic pregnancies are transferable & the prolonged sunning of one’s testicles is a great idea.
Subscribe to this excellent Substack, I’m very objective and totally not personally involved in this! ❤️
Aleksandar Brezar@brezaleksandar.bsky.social · 4w agoIn case you thought the uproar over Las Malvinas was limited to UK-Argentinian relations, here's a look back at another World Cup — the one in 1982 — and how it was nearly overshadowed by a complicated web of geopolitical maneuvers involving Spain, France and the European Community. Read more:
In case you thought the uproar over Las Malvinas was limited to UK-Argentinian relations, here's a look back at another World Cup — the one in 1982 — and how it was nearly overshadowed by a complicated web of geopolitical maneuvers involving Spain, France and the European Community. Read more:
Two World Cups and One Falklands War
On Wednesday night after Argentina beat England in the World Cup semifinal in Atlanta, the team’s attacking midfielder Giovani Lo Celso was handed a banner from the elated fans in stands with the insc...
whobroketheworld.substack.com
Croatia may now be out of the World Cup but the fondness of a good chunk of their supporters for singing Ustaše songs remains, as ever, unchanged @unawrites.bsky.social
Politico@politico.com · last mo.The Croatian team’s favorite singer is a fascist salute away from the mainstream
“Croatia has spent three decades declining to reckon with the Ustashe past, treating the fascist puppet state’s symbols as heritage rather than crime.” Strong stuff from @unawrites.bsky.social on Croatia’s ‘beloved’ neo-Nazi balladeer. www.politico.com/live-updates...
The Croatian team’s favorite singer is a fascist salute away from the mainstream
Fans across two continents regularly belted out Marko Perković Thompson’s “Čavoglave” this summer — a song that salutes a WWII Nazi puppet state.
politico.com
Fantastic piece on Trump's architectural traumas and desires. Fun fact, I'm Spanish "Triomf Arch" is an euphemism for men's groin, frequently used to express one's disdain for others' rules: "I walk their opinion across my Triomf's Arch". Perfect from Trump,if I may add...
Una Hajdari@unawrites.bsky.social · last mo.Trump’s construction mania is not unprecedented in history — and especially when you factor in the neoclassical elements and the grasping for “ancient” or past glory, it reminds us of Italy’s most (in)famous son of the past century… My piece for @newrepublic.com: newrepublic.com/article/2101...
The Croatian team’s favorite singer is a fascist salute away from the mainstream
The Croatian team’s favorite singer is a fascist salute away from the mainstream
Fans across two continents belted out Marko Perković Thompson’s “Lijepa Li Si” this summer — a song that salutes a WWII puppet state convicted of war crimes.
dlvr.it
“Rather than accepting his place in a long line of leaders who had shaped the city before him, Mussolini wanted to eclipse them entirely by moving Rome’s center of gravity away from the legacy of everyone who had come before him and anchor it to himself instead. Trump is doing the exact same in DC”
Una Hajdari@unawrites.bsky.social · last mo.Trump’s construction mania is not unprecedented in history — and especially when you factor in the neoclassical elements and the grasping for “ancient” or past glory, it reminds us of Italy’s most (in)famous son of the past century… My piece for @newrepublic.com: newrepublic.com/article/2101...
Trump’s construction mania is not unprecedented in history — and especially when you factor in the neoclassical elements and the grasping for “ancient” or past glory, it reminds us of Italy’s most (in)famous son of the past century… My piece for @newrepublic.com: newrepublic.com/article/2101...
Trump Has the Same Huge Obsession That Mussolini Had
The fascist Italian dictator sought to remake Rome in his image. The fascist American president is trying to do likewise in Washington, D.C.
newrepublic.com
Part of a series of breakout pieces I worked on tonight’s USA-Bosnia game for @politico.com
Politico@politico.com · last mo.Bosnia vs. America, on and off the pitch
Bosnia's starting lineup is also a map of its war
Bosnia's starting lineup is also a map of its war
From Austria to Wisconsin, the squad's roster traces the paths refugees took fleeing genocide in the 1990s.
dlvr.it
Active Club founder Rob Rundo decides to positively post a photo of football ‘ultras’ before a match in LA Problem for the wannabe Serbian nationalist Rundo: it’s the BH Fanaticos from Bosnia, ie one of three (nominally) Muslim-majority countries in Europe. He probably should have this through.
Bosnia’s storied World Cup qualification and opener against Canada are a reminder that this competition ultimately belongs to the players and the fans — and the fairytales they produce along the way. My latest for @euronews: www.euronews.com/2026/06/13/t...
'Take me to America': Bosnia unites behind viral anthem at World Cup
As the Western Balkan country celebrates its second-ever appearance at the tournament despite its underdog status, a 15-year-old song about life abroad by a much-beloved band has become an unofficial ...
euronews.com
Recordatorio de @unawrites.bsky.social en @newlinesmag.bsky.social sobre los miembros arabófonos del llamado festival de la canción europea y por qué brillan por su ausencia. Esta curiosidad muy olvidada merece 🧶 newlinesmag.com/reportage/eu...
Eurovision’s Missing Arab Entries
Seven countries in North Africa and the Middle East are full members of the body that runs the contest, yet in 70 years, only one has competed — exactly once
newlinesmag.com
In Colombia, a candidate in recent elections for right-wing Centro Democrático featured a man with heavy blurring in a campaign video — but I still ID’d this blurry guy as leader of the Hitler-loving, B&H/C18-linked Active Club Bogotá. My @bellingcat.com latest www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/05...
A Colombian Politician’s Links to Neo-Nazi Group Active Club
Jorge Rodriguez, who stood in Colombia’s March 2026 parliamentary elections, follows Active Club Bogota’s Instagram account and has “liked” an image featuring a neo-Nazi flag.
bellingcat.com
Oh wow, Hungary’s Peter Magyar has just invoked the Beneš Decrees in a call with Slovakia’s Robert Fico — a set of WWII-related decisions that imposed collective guilt on ethnic Nazi collaborators (mainly targeting Germans but heavily affecting Hungarians in Slovakia):🧵
In these terrible times, I choose to focus on rare awesome victories: Spain FINALLY ordered the removal of the Ustaša plaque honoring Vjekoslav “Maks” Luburić — the single biggest war criminal of the Croatian Nazi regime during WWII — and will add another plaque describing his crimes!
Thrilled to share my first piece for @thenerve.news—an incredible woman-led team reporting on tech, politics, and culture, founded by the inimitable @carolecadwalla.bsky.social —on why Iran is winning the information war www.thenerve.news/p/nina-janko...
Iran is winning the propaganda war against Trump – brick by brick
Tehran’s viral videos satirising a Lego-style president have harnessed the power of AI – and Maga’s debasing of political discourse – and turned it against the US, writes disinformation expert Nina Ja...
thenerve.news
It does sound like allies are pretty skeptical. But it will only take a couple countries designating small far-left factions on their soil as terrorists for the administration to have a pretext to start charging people in the US with material support for engaging with them
Jess Davis@jessmarindavis.bsky.social · 4mo agoThe US is hosting a workshop in May to inform allies about the threat of far-left terrorism. "So far, U.S. officials have received less interest than they had hoped for" 🤣🤣🤣 www.nytimes.com/2026/04/09/u...
For all the “but if he’s really authoritarian why did he concede” people out there
Nicholas Grossman@nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 4mo agoIn competitive authoritarianism, leaders abuse state power to tilt the electoral playing field in their favor, manipulate the media environment and minimize opposition voices, maybe even steal close elections by lying about fraud. But they usually can't overcome a large majority voting against them.
Siri, show me what getting crushed at the ballot box looks like
Michael Colborne@colborne.bsky.social · 4mo agooof.
