So much for #Macron 2.0
- early days but this really looks like more of the same

A- prioritises ambition for #France to be a ‘great power’, at the table with eg #Russia

B- never mind if #CEE gets overlooked & #Ukraine gets a raw deal.

That’s harsh but not entirely unfair 1/
There may be more to the revival of concentric circles/variable geometry than meets the eye & it may be a creative way to end the ENP/EaP impasse BUT ONLY if countries can move through the circles rather than being kept in/ relegated to them - & are supported in doing so 2/
#Macron will need to convince CEE countries (incl. #Ukraine) & W. Balkans that they will have these possibilities. & he’ll have his work cut out to do so. Multi speed/variable geo EU is not necessarily a bad idea but only if it’s without the 1st/2nd class divide many suspect 3/
It if being used to smuggle in. There are cohesion Q’s that EU needs to resolve but just imagine for a moment EU response to #Ukraine without #CEE which has really led the way. Where is the ‘core’ in this case? Having #UK closely involved wd be good, but #NATO must be priority 4/
So, early days indeed, and not necessarily all bad, but the suspicions that linger round all of this show how difficult it will be to move forward. Creative thinking is v. welcome but only with the right ethos not merely in the transparent service of French grandeur. End/

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More from @bctallis

May 13
This article by @AndrewDuffEU is sadly typical of group think in & around the Brussels bubble.

“Nobody who knows how the Brussels institutions work-without a strong government-can be confident the EU is fit to internalize #Ukraine’s national problem.” 1/

politico.eu/article/ukrain…
It’s a well informed piece (from an #EU perspective) that on the surface might sound eminently reasonable- like some other recent attempts to fob off #Ukraine with 2nd class options. BUT, the quote in the previous tweet gives the game away. It shows 🇺🇦 is seen as a problem 2/
Rather than being recognised as the #EU’s best geopolitical opportunity in a generation, #Ukraine is presented as a cost, a burden to be borne, not a huge potential benefit to be embraced, or a possibility for EU renewal to be welcomed. 3/

ip-quarterly.com/en/integrating…
Read 12 tweets
May 13
paging @SeanMolloyIR @meibauIR @Simon_the_Pratt - and anyone else who might know - are there any videos/ videos of lectures you'd recommend dealing with inter-war IR - specifically Carr's trashing of Angell, Nicholson, Woolf, Toynbee, et al? have you recorded anything on this?
and, having previously read Ashworth & others on this topic, I recently came across this piece that I hadn't read before - any thoughts, if you know it?
tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.108…
And hello Luke! Sorry, should have tagged you!
Read 4 tweets
May 12
Recent Publications & Threads (A 🧵)
I. Articles & Commentaries Published
II. Interviews with me on (European) Politics & Security
III. Threads on #Ukraine #Germany #EU #UK #CEE and more.
Gathered in one place ...
I. Articles and Commentaries

8. Are #Czechia & #Slovakia the #EU's New Radical Centre
for @RUSI_org
rusi.org/explore-our-re…
I. Articles and Commentaries

7. Ukraine Doesn't Need Half-Measures from the #EU
for @ForeignPolicy
foreignpolicy.com/2022/04/07/ukr…
Read 21 tweets
May 11
This is exactly why EU states, with the Atlantic Allies, Ukraine, allies in the Indo-Pacific & others who want to be on board & are willing to contribute - need a new common vision of regional & global order.
What, why & what for?
Who is involved & how?
How to make it happen.
There is a lot to work with - mutual interests, shared values, common ideals. BUT our current institutions are not up to the task & without a greater contribution from others (Europeans in Europe, allies in Indo-Pacific) are not viable. To change we need to know why & for what
we do so-&, underlying it all, is the need to re-inspire our populations to contribute to bettering our highly connected destinies. we can make better futures for all of us-but only by re-imagining & re-inventing, as well as re-enchanting our common actions.
Read 4 tweets
May 11
#Xennials of the world unite!
Born between 1977-1983?
What cultural, social, tecnhological and political experiences that set our micro-generation (#GenY) apart from #GenX & #Millenials?
-most lit focuses on US but I'm interested in UK, Europe & CEE
theguardian.com/culture/2017/j…
I remember quite a bit about the politics of growing up in the UK at the time-I remember Thatcher & not having known anything before her. I remember Northern cities I grew up in & how it took ages to get them smartened up. But I also have some international political memories ...
The superpower summits for example ... Image
Read 5 tweets
May 5
Good God, this is a real scandal to reckon with.
- especially because the attitudes still much of #Germany's political & public discussions on #Ukraine
Security & Self-determination for me (🇩🇪)
- but not for thee (🇱🇻🇱🇹🇪🇪 or🇺🇦)
short 🧵
spiegel.de/international/…
@MiRo_SPD
See these sections for example on seeing #Estonia, #Latvia & #Lithuania's independence as 'the wrong path' while 'rapidly moving ahead with #Germany's reunification'
Or on deflecting #Czechia, #Slovakia (then Czechoslovakia), #Poland & #Hungary's #NATO
ambitions, while ensuring the DDR was included in the alliance ...
Read 7 tweets

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