I wrote about how Germany's hard-line support for Israel's war in Gaza has severely damaged its image in Arab countries, where until recently it enjoyed a very favourable reputation. And what effects this is having on its soft power in the region.

foreignpolicy.com/2024/05/24/ger…

This video of a group of rich kids chanting the quintessential radical right „Deutschland den Deutschen. Ausländer raus“ is currently dominating the German news cycle. It tells us a lot about (mis)perceptions of who the radical right is. Short thread:

South Africa v. Israel
and why lawyering is about words and wording

Two short comments on what is said on social media on today's ICJ Provisional Measures Order:

1. The Court did NOT say that Israel must immediately halt its military operation in Rafah

What the Court said is

Normalize academics talking about their failures. I'll go first: We got rejected at Berghain on Saturday night.

Awkward, short and delayed EU statement, and even so for some this comes across as too sympathetic given Iran's arming of Russia in Ukraine and its 2-year hostage keeping of Johan Floderus, an EU official (and more besides)

Just a reminder that the president in #Iran doesn’t set foreign policy, that’s with the Supreme Leader and the IRGC. So no reason to see any change in the country’s foreign policy.

How do we explain fact that a regional power on the cusp of developing nuclear weapons can’t locate a downed helo carrying its president and foreign minister without outside help a half day after it crashed?

I've done live fact-checking during breaking news events for years.

But the sheer volume of viral misinformation today regarding Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter crash posted by fake osint accounts and blue tick grifters for engagement has been something to behold.

Yesterday I received a letter from the Finanzamt that told me I need to reply within seven days. It was sent 2 weeks ago.

Germany, I am begging you, just use email. Can there be an opt-in for those of us not at the crazy end of the Datenschutz cult?

The AfD has dropped by 6 points in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, while Sahra Wagenknecht's BSW are on 10 points. BSW could be an effective spoiler for the far-right, but unclear which coalitions they'd enter.

Dieter Riefling wurde in 3 Instanzen zu einer Bewährungsstrafe wegen der Verwendung der SA-Kampflosung 'Alles für Deutschland' in Münster verurteilt.
Drei Unterschiede zwischen Dieter Riefling und Björn #Höcke :
1/4

After a close second reading of the PM Order in Nicaragua v. Germany and especially the declarations, as well as the separate and dissenting opinions by individual judges I have revised my first assessment.
The Order is by by far not as 'unspectecular' as I initially thought -

Finde nur ich es abstoßend und fragwürdig, dass u.a. der Chef der Atlantik-Brücke Sigmar Gabriel eine Party mit Gas-Gerd und WARNIG feiert? Wie finden das die Mitglieder der Atlantik-Brücke ? Irre, was in Deutschland als völlig normal hingenommen wird: Erst mit Nato-Chef

Rare piece coauthored by an Iranian expert in #Iran (Hassan Ahmadian حسن احمدیان) and a #Saudi expert in KSA (@HeshamAlghannam) about broader shifts unleashed by #GazaWar :

'Non-western countries are less open to adhering to Washington’s rules for the game'

amwaj.media/article/how-ga…

„Das IFA ist staatsnah, wir arbeiten staatsfern.“

Gut, die ersten Medien greifen den Skandal um QantaraDE auf.
Wenn Auswärtiges Amt so zufrieden ist, mit dem Magazin, wie es sich nun zitieren lässt, warum ändert man dann die Struktur. Ein Schelm.....

fr.de/politik/straff…

This urging is, unfortunately, little more than pious hope, and has been for a long time.

Strong warning by Jordanian Foreign Minister to Iran:

Tehran's attack on Israel on Sunday was 'repelled' by Jordanian forces 'because these attacks also directly endanger Jordan,' Ayman Safadi said in Berlin.

'We will not accept being turned into another theater of war.'

English translation: Thuringia is diversity: mince, Thuringian mince, mince, mince, mince, raw mince, mince and of course for the last 620 years MINCE IN A SAUSAGE CASING

'Surely this city ought to have learned by now that directing culture toward political ends rarely ends well.' - nytimes.com/2024/04/06/art…