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Desperate Measures

International affairs and the defence of Western liberal values

  • Desperate Measures
  • Rationale
  • Interludes
    • A new and stronger Europe in the making 
    • On the changing nature of the Western democratic landscape
    • Envisaging the likely scenarios post-hard right populism collapse in the West 
    • Understanding the key features and developments of our new world 
    • Stressing the irrationality and damage of Trump’s tariff policies 
    • What is Russia and where is it going today?
    • Understanding why the centre is failing 
    • The multiple conundrum of the Israeli-Iranian conflict 
    • The sad slide of America and its impact on the world 
    • About Trump’s unwitting impacts on world affairs and a great damage to America 
    • Incompetence as the defining feature of Trump 2.0
    • Trying to understand and cure the rise of populism across the West
    • Assessing the impact and potential scenarios of Trump’s policies after two months
    • Understanding why Trump won last November and would lose today 
    • Getting the right take on Trump’s impact on America and the world
    • The key damage for America under Trump  
    • On Trump’s geopolitical “strategy” and how Europe should deal with it  
    • About the potential demise of the world we knew
    • The main challenges of democracy today and how to manage them
    • The key features of the forthcoming US elections
    • Understanding the roots and results of the last French elections
    • America and Europe can only be strong together
    • The key challenges of Western liberal democracy in 2024 and ways to fix them
    • Why climate change and decarbonization matter
    • When America is playing with fire
    • Why supporting Israel is natural however challenging it may seem to be for some
    • Twelve points on the Israel/Hamas/Gaza/ME mega-crisis 
    • The democratic West needs to evolve if it is to survive
    • Thirteen not always so fun geopolitical facts of our challenging times
    • Is there really a new world (dis)order in the making?
    • One year on – Assessing where we are and clarifying the Ukraine war scenarios
    • On the primacy of geopolitical risk management in our new world disorder
    • Six months into the Russian invasion and delusion – Key facts and considerations
    • Better understanding the results of the French legislative elections
    • Three key geopolitical points for the West going forward
    • America’s worst enemy and the West’s main concern may be America itself
    • On seizing the Russian invasion to stop the Western decline and grow strong again
    • Seven key reality checks in the new world Russia created
    • Dealing with Russia: when regime change is indeed key, weakness is to be avoided and a new Europe should eventually be defined
    • Key remarks arising from the “return of history” in Europe after one month
    • The invasion of Ukraine – Lessons to be learned after only two weeks
    • The Russian invasion of Ukraine – Key points to think about
    • The seven pillars of European power going forward
    • The disgraceful Afghan withdrawal will alter America’s image and status forever
    • Where we are in this challenging world
    • Understanding the “rationale” behind Donald Trump’s unusual refusal to concede
    • The (long-awaited) morning after and the need to reflect
    • When mutual respect and sovereignty both matter
    • Understanding and defeating the current enablers of populism
    • Bis repetita: « 2027 – A wild and crazy geopolitical journey into a post-pandemic Trumpian near future »
    • On the deeply self-wounding delusion of soon-to-be over America First
    • How a Martian (and I) would see the November US presidential election today
    • 2027 – A wild and crazy geopolitical journey into a post-pandemic Trumpian near future
    • Understanding the French Enigma
    • Beware of the “trump” card
    • Some frank thoughts on the pandemic
    • Coronavirus in the age of Trump or a case study in stable genius crisis mismanagement
    • Why Joe is the only choice for America and for the world
    • When democratic processes may destroy the essence of democracy
    • On the need to understand the “rationale” for the impeachment process
    • What after striking Soleimani or carefully weighing the risk of creating chain reactions
    • What the historians may write about this 12th December General Election and its Brexit subtext years from now
    • Hong Kong and the Western conundrum
    • Amazing America and why Trump may be happy (for now) looking at 2020
    • Not the end of history 30 years later but a clear summon, especially for Europe
    • NATO or not NATO, that is not the question…
    • Ten facts and predictions before the UK’s General Election of 12th December
    • Why we should reject Brexit and Trump while doing something about the true roots of their common rise
    • Reflections on the amazingly unusual and disturbing American political process
    • When we can say we are all Americans
    • The Queen must and will save British democracy
    • When the UK’s commitment to democracy is restored and Brexit is not yet a “done deal”
    • Britain between a rock and a hard place…or not?
    • Reflections on the Brexit folly, its losers and winners
    • Joe is the man with the right message and mission – for America and our world
    • On the endemic demise of Western political parties and the innovative rise of new solutions
    • Where we are on the Democratic primary side, away from “the sound and the fury”…
    • What we have learned from El Paso and Dayton
    • Don’t go fishing and hold the line on the 26th
    • The fate of Britain is being decided by a tiny and non-representative group of hardline activists
    • Beyond some shocking outcomes, Europe still won yesterday
    • On Joe’s butterfly effect and why it is finally his time – for him and us
    • On the fallacy of giving substance to Trump’s “America First” policy
    • On the current tech listings, irrationality and avoiding the road to systems failure…
    • The Mueller Report is the wrong tree hiding the (de)forest(ation)
    • A half way house Article 50 extension is still better than none (even if…)
    • April Fool’s Day thoughts
    • Maybe the EU should run the UK directly after all…
    • When the Brexit tide is finally turning for “good”
    • Why Europe needs to go strong on (its very) defence
    • Juan Gaido, the unifier of the West
    • And then there was only one…option
    • Time for a reality check for the Yellow Vests
    • “Sliding to a world upside down? Non merci”
    • Romney 2020…
    • And then there were none…The grown-ups that is
    • Why is the second referendum predictably looming
    • Better understanding “Russia’s war” (Jade McGlynn) 
    • A few pointers on the tailoring of the yellow vests
    • A reality check is dawning upon the great Britain
    • Is Paris burning?
    • Ongoing reflections on the incredible Brexit saga
    • Waking up from the Brexit nightmare
    • And what if Ms. May were after all… the new Machiavelli of our times
    • Patriotism vs. nationalism – Why words matter
    • The seven take aways from the midterms
    • What is wrong with Trump – The definitive list
    • Why the EU matters
    • Trump and Macron – A quick comparative review
    • Why bookstores matter
  • Book notes
    • “Autocracy, Inc.” (Anne Applebaum)
    • “Putin’s Wars – from Chechnya to Ukraine” (Mark Galeotti)
    • New Cold Wars (David E. Sanger)
    • Moscow X (David McCloskey)
    • The Return of Great Powers (Jim Sciutto)
    • Conflict – The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine (David Petraeus/Andrew Roberts)
    • “Assad – The Triumph of Tyranny” (Con Coughlin)
    • Invasion: Russia’s Bloody War and Ukraine’s Fight for Survival (Luke Harding)
    • Danger Zone – The Coming Conflict with China (Hal Brands and Michael Beckley)
    • The Age of the Strongman (Gideon Rachman)
    • The Power of Crisis (Ian Bremmer) – How Three Threats and our Response Will Change the World
    • “Freezing Order” – Bill Browder
    • “Hearts Touched with Fire” (David Gergen) – How Great Leaders Are Made
    • The New Girl – Daniel Silva
    • “Twilight of Democracy” – Anne Applebaum
    • In Defense of Elitism (also by William A. Henry III)
    • The Fifth Domain – Richard A. Clarke and Robert K. Knake
    • Kingdom of Lies – Kate Fazzini
    • Occupation and resistance in Crete 1941-1945 – Georgios Papachristos
    • Talking to my daughter: A brief history of capitalism – Yanis Varoufakis
    • The Shadow War – Jim Sciutto
    • Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations – Admiral William H. McRaven
    • “Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap” – Graham Allison
    • The World’s Panic – Thomas Gomart
    • The Four Horsemen – Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens
    • The Fox – Frederick Forsyth
    • Dangerous Hero – Corbyn’s ruthless plot for power – Tom Bower
    • 9 lessons in Brexit – Sir Ivan Rogers
    • The People vs. Democracy – Yascha Mounk
    • 21 lessons for the 21st century – Yuval Noah Harari
    • Utopia for Realists – Rutger Bregman
    • War on Peace – Ronan Farrow
    • Prague in Winter & On Fascism – Madeleine Albright
    • The Diversity Delusion- Heather Mac Donald
    • The Quantum Spy – David Ignatius
    • Roller-Coaster (Europe 1950-2017) – Sir Ian Kershaw
    • Winners Take All – Anand Giridharadas
    • The Corrosion of Conservatism – Max Boot
    • Rich Russians – Elizabeth Schimpfoessl
    • No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy – Jim Proser
    • God Save Texas – Lawrence Wright
    • The Assault on Intelligence – Michael V. Hayden
    • Unhinged – Omarosa Manigault Newman
    • Cyber Wars – Charles Arthur
    • Why Liberalism Failed – Patrick J. Deneen
    • The Gabriel Allon series/The Other Woman – Daniel Silva
    • Bobby Kennedy – Chris Matthews
    • Trumpocracy – The Corruption of the American Republic- David Frum
    • Bad Blood – John Carreyrou
    • The President is Missing – James Patterson & Bill Clinton
    • The Restless Wave – John McCain
    • Révolution Française: Emmanuel Macron and the Quest to Reinvent a Nation – Sophie Pedder
    • The Hellfire Club – Jake Tapper
    • In Defense of a Liberal Education – Fareed Zakaria
    • From Cold War to Hot Peace – Michael McFaul
    • The Retreat of Western Liberalism – Edward Luce
    • Political Risk – Condoleeza Rice & Amy B. Zegart
    • The Great Revolt – Salena Zito & Brad Todd
    • The Road to Unfreedom – Timothy Snyder
    • On Tyranny – Timothy Snyder
    • On Grand Strategy – John Lewis Gaddis
  • Newsboard
  • Biography

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