Luke Johnson
@ljohnson.bsky.social
Journalist in Berlin
Lukegjohnson.com
Publicsphere.news
Lukegjohnson.com
Publicsphere.news
Mark Carney's quoting of Vaclav Havel's "Power of the Powerless" wasn't only an apt metaphor for the moment, but Czechoslovakia was a small democracy on the imperial menu that collapsed when other democracies gave it away for a promise of "peace" -- not unlike the situation Ukraine finds itself in.
The Carney speech is worth reading in full: globalnews.ca/news/1162087...
Read the full transcript of Carney’s speech to World Economic Forum - National | Globalnews.ca
Prime Minister Mark Carney gave a forceful speech in Davos, Switzerland, on the 'new world order' and how middle powers like Canada can benefit by working together.
globalnews.ca
January 21, 2026 at 9:53 AM
Mark Carney's quoting of Vaclav Havel's "Power of the Powerless" wasn't only an apt metaphor for the moment, but Czechoslovakia was a small democracy on the imperial menu that collapsed when other democracies gave it away for a promise of "peace" -- not unlike the situation Ukraine finds itself in.
Reposted by Luke Johnson
Europeans are no longer shocked by the president’s tariff threats. But some sectors are more exposed than others, and politicians are under pressure to respond
Donald Trump’s Greenland tariffs are no great blow to Europe
An escalating trade war would be another matter, however
econ.st
January 21, 2026 at 9:20 AM
Europeans are no longer shocked by the president’s tariff threats. But some sectors are more exposed than others, and politicians are under pressure to respond
I thought Macron was channeling @karaswisher.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/w...
Why Was Macron Wearing Sunglasses in Davos?
www.nytimes.com
January 21, 2026 at 9:33 AM
I thought Macron was channeling @karaswisher.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/w...
The French should keep the wine, seems like they will need it after meeting with Trump.
BREAKING Trump threatens 200% tariffs on French wine and Champagne over France's intentions to decline invitation to join his Board of Peace
January 20, 2026 at 1:12 PM
The French should keep the wine, seems like they will need it after meeting with Trump.
Reposted by Luke Johnson
People have to come to terms with the fact Trump confuses diplomacy for capitulation. He's posting this because he thinks it's a victory.
Trump posts what appears to be a private text message sent to him by Macron
January 20, 2026 at 7:29 AM
People have to come to terms with the fact Trump confuses diplomacy for capitulation. He's posting this because he thinks it's a victory.
Reposted by Luke Johnson
The true purpose of the masked men terrorizing Minnesota, writes @polgreen.bsky.social, is "to stage a spectacle of cruelty upon a city that stands in stark defiance against Trump’s dark vision of America."
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/o...
Opinion | In Minneapolis, I Glimpsed a Civil War
www.nytimes.com
January 20, 2026 at 7:58 AM
The true purpose of the masked men terrorizing Minnesota, writes @polgreen.bsky.social, is "to stage a spectacle of cruelty upon a city that stands in stark defiance against Trump’s dark vision of America."
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/o...
Powerful essay by Robert Kagan on the world we are on the precipice of. Most Americans are completely unaware of the costs it will have. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
America vs. the World
President Trump wants to return to the 19th century’s international order. He will leave America less prosperous—and the whole world less secure.
www.theatlantic.com
January 20, 2026 at 8:28 AM
Powerful essay by Robert Kagan on the world we are on the precipice of. Most Americans are completely unaware of the costs it will have. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
This is like how European countries talk about Russia's invasion of Ukraine... www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/such...
January 18, 2026 at 3:27 PM
This is like how European countries talk about Russia's invasion of Ukraine... www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/such...
NEW newsletter: Greenland shows why Europe's Trump appeasement strategy failed. publicsphere.news/p/greenland-...
Greenland Shows Why Europe's Trump Strategy Failed
First Trump wanted tariffs. Now he wants territory.
publicsphere.news
January 17, 2026 at 2:09 PM
NEW newsletter: Greenland shows why Europe's Trump appeasement strategy failed. publicsphere.news/p/greenland-...
Reposted by Luke Johnson
I, too, find Machado’s overtures to Trump icky — but the number of Americans being judgy when they have the luxury of abstraction while Venezuelans have suffered real deprivations and who widely support her is the kind of scolding I thought we were supposed to move past.
January 16, 2026 at 8:45 AM
I, too, find Machado’s overtures to Trump icky — but the number of Americans being judgy when they have the luxury of abstraction while Venezuelans have suffered real deprivations and who widely support her is the kind of scolding I thought we were supposed to move past.
Reposted by Luke Johnson
Russian military recruiters are abducting men from their homes and forcing them to sign contracts to fight in Ukraine-- even if they are heavily intoxicated.
Bonkers story from @thebarentsobserver.com.
ru.thebarentsobserver.com/kak-v-rossij...
Bonkers story from @thebarentsobserver.com.
ru.thebarentsobserver.com/kak-v-rossij...
Russia recruits drunk villagers from the north as cannon fodder on the Ukrainian front
Military recruiters abduct men from their homes and force them to sign contracts, even if they are heavily intoxicated. Some of the men are killed in the first battle, the Barents Observer found out.
www.thebarentsobserver.com
January 14, 2026 at 1:54 PM
Russian military recruiters are abducting men from their homes and forcing them to sign contracts to fight in Ukraine-- even if they are heavily intoxicated.
Bonkers story from @thebarentsobserver.com.
ru.thebarentsobserver.com/kak-v-rossij...
Bonkers story from @thebarentsobserver.com.
ru.thebarentsobserver.com/kak-v-rossij...
Reposted by Luke Johnson
Hannah Natanson covers the federal workforce and has been part of The Post’s most high-profile and sensitive coverage of the first year of the second Trump administration. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
FBI executes search warrant at Washington Post reporter’s home
The reporter, Hannah Natanson, covers the federal workforce and has been part of The Post’s most sensitive coverage of the first year of the second Trump administration.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 14, 2026 at 2:04 PM
Hannah Natanson covers the federal workforce and has been part of The Post’s most high-profile and sensitive coverage of the first year of the second Trump administration. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Reposted by Luke Johnson
Which economy is more productive - Germany or the US? It seems the answer would be clear, but it's not.
The mood in Germany is so deeply negative, even aggressively pessimistic, that I thought we had fallen behind by a lot. But here are the facts - they surprised me as well:
The mood in Germany is so deeply negative, even aggressively pessimistic, that I thought we had fallen behind by a lot. But here are the facts - they surprised me as well:
January 13, 2026 at 1:39 PM
Which economy is more productive - Germany or the US? It seems the answer would be clear, but it's not.
The mood in Germany is so deeply negative, even aggressively pessimistic, that I thought we had fallen behind by a lot. But here are the facts - they surprised me as well:
The mood in Germany is so deeply negative, even aggressively pessimistic, that I thought we had fallen behind by a lot. But here are the facts - they surprised me as well:
Reposted by Luke Johnson
Polling suggests that big majorities across Europe support common policies on defense, foreign policy, and trade. And, @ljohnson.bsky.social writes in our new issue, the latest EU summit showed how a more capable EU may come about.
ip-quarterly.com/en/europeans...
ip-quarterly.com/en/europeans...
Europeans Want a Stronger and Larger EU
Polling suggests that big majorities across Europe support common policies on defense, foreign policy, and trade, inter alia. And the latest EU summit showed how a more capable EU may come about.
ip-quarterly.com
January 12, 2026 at 3:44 PM
Polling suggests that big majorities across Europe support common policies on defense, foreign policy, and trade. And, @ljohnson.bsky.social writes in our new issue, the latest EU summit showed how a more capable EU may come about.
ip-quarterly.com/en/europeans...
ip-quarterly.com/en/europeans...
Reposted by Luke Johnson
Right back at it:
Latest issue of IPQ, and it couldn't be more timely.
Latest issue of IPQ, and it couldn't be more timely.
OUT NOW: Our winter issue, New Ideas for Europe, featuring
@ljohnson.bsky.social
@lucyaash.bsky.social
@nvondarza.bsky.social
@linnselle.bsky.social
@nathalietocci.bsky.social
@georginaewright.bsky.social
@alanderminna.bsky.social
and more...
ip-quarterly.com/en/winter-20... (1/2)
@ljohnson.bsky.social
@lucyaash.bsky.social
@nvondarza.bsky.social
@linnselle.bsky.social
@nathalietocci.bsky.social
@georginaewright.bsky.social
@alanderminna.bsky.social
and more...
ip-quarterly.com/en/winter-20... (1/2)
Winter 2026 Issue: New Ideas for Europe
The 22nd issue of INTERNATIONALE POLITIK QUARTERLY focuses on the urgent need for Europeans to strengthen their continent and think in new ways about its structures.
ip-quarterly.com
January 7, 2026 at 1:04 PM
Right back at it:
Latest issue of IPQ, and it couldn't be more timely.
Latest issue of IPQ, and it couldn't be more timely.
My interview with journalist Kenneth R. Rosen is timely - he wrote a book about the Arctic and the new great power competition there. We talked about Trump's threats to Greenland, too. publicsphere.news/p/trumps-thr...
Trump's Threats to Greenland and the New Great Power Competition in the Arctic
Journalist Kenneth R. Rosen reported in the Arctic for a new book, "Polar War Submarines, Spies, and the Struggle for Power in a Melting Arctic"
publicsphere.news
January 7, 2026 at 4:02 PM
My interview with journalist Kenneth R. Rosen is timely - he wrote a book about the Arctic and the new great power competition there. We talked about Trump's threats to Greenland, too. publicsphere.news/p/trumps-thr...
Reposted by Luke Johnson
OUT NOW: Our winter issue, New Ideas for Europe, featuring
@ljohnson.bsky.social
@lucyaash.bsky.social
@nvondarza.bsky.social
@linnselle.bsky.social
@nathalietocci.bsky.social
@georginaewright.bsky.social
@alanderminna.bsky.social
and more...
ip-quarterly.com/en/winter-20... (1/2)
@ljohnson.bsky.social
@lucyaash.bsky.social
@nvondarza.bsky.social
@linnselle.bsky.social
@nathalietocci.bsky.social
@georginaewright.bsky.social
@alanderminna.bsky.social
and more...
ip-quarterly.com/en/winter-20... (1/2)
Winter 2026 Issue: New Ideas for Europe
The 22nd issue of INTERNATIONALE POLITIK QUARTERLY focuses on the urgent need for Europeans to strengthen their continent and think in new ways about its structures.
ip-quarterly.com
January 7, 2026 at 11:02 AM
OUT NOW: Our winter issue, New Ideas for Europe, featuring
@ljohnson.bsky.social
@lucyaash.bsky.social
@nvondarza.bsky.social
@linnselle.bsky.social
@nathalietocci.bsky.social
@georginaewright.bsky.social
@alanderminna.bsky.social
and more...
ip-quarterly.com/en/winter-20... (1/2)
@ljohnson.bsky.social
@lucyaash.bsky.social
@nvondarza.bsky.social
@linnselle.bsky.social
@nathalietocci.bsky.social
@georginaewright.bsky.social
@alanderminna.bsky.social
and more...
ip-quarterly.com/en/winter-20... (1/2)
Reposted by Luke Johnson
Our winter issue, coming later this week...
January 5, 2026 at 11:23 AM
Our winter issue, coming later this week...
Join for a timely conversation today at 4pm CET/10am EST with Kenneth R. Rosen, who is the author of a new book on the Arctic called, “Polar War: Submarines, Spies, and the Struggle for Power in a Melting Arctic." Timely! open.substack.com/live-stream/...
LIVE SOON: Discussing Great Power Competition in the Arctic with Kenneth R. Rosen
Starting Jan 7 at 10:00 AM EST
open.substack.com
January 7, 2026 at 10:49 AM
Join for a timely conversation today at 4pm CET/10am EST with Kenneth R. Rosen, who is the author of a new book on the Arctic called, “Polar War: Submarines, Spies, and the Struggle for Power in a Melting Arctic." Timely! open.substack.com/live-stream/...
January 6, 2026 at 3:57 PM
Reposted by Luke Johnson
And then there's this video, of officers talking with each other about what they just witnessed.
"We didn't have a chance," one officer said. "[Trump] was still giving his speech, and I just had to leave, because he's basically just telling people to come down here and rip this place down."
"We didn't have a chance," one officer said. "[Trump] was still giving his speech, and I just had to leave, because he's basically just telling people to come down here and rip this place down."
January 6, 2026 at 1:42 PM
And then there's this video, of officers talking with each other about what they just witnessed.
"We didn't have a chance," one officer said. "[Trump] was still giving his speech, and I just had to leave, because he's basically just telling people to come down here and rip this place down."
"We didn't have a chance," one officer said. "[Trump] was still giving his speech, and I just had to leave, because he's basically just telling people to come down here and rip this place down."
I'm very curious how CBS Evening News will cover the Jan. 6 anniversary tonight.
January 6, 2026 at 2:20 PM
I'm very curious how CBS Evening News will cover the Jan. 6 anniversary tonight.
I'm not saying that the same thing will happen, but this does uncannily remind me of Russian TV right before Ukraine's full-scale invasion, where pro-Putin commentators were trolling people who said that Russia would invade Ukraine.
TAPPER: Can you rule out the US is going to take Greenland by force?
MILLER: Greenland should be part of the US. By what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? The US is the power of NATO
T: So force is on the table?
M: Nobody is gonna fight the US militarily over future of Greenland
MILLER: Greenland should be part of the US. By what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? The US is the power of NATO
T: So force is on the table?
M: Nobody is gonna fight the US militarily over future of Greenland
January 6, 2026 at 9:17 AM
I'm not saying that the same thing will happen, but this does uncannily remind me of Russian TV right before Ukraine's full-scale invasion, where pro-Putin commentators were trolling people who said that Russia would invade Ukraine.
As I said after the raid, it's not about democracy... www.ft.com/content/b3a2... publicsphere.news/p/democracy-...
Venezuela launches wave of repression after US seizure of Nicolás Maduro
Armed militias patrol the streets and journalists arrested as government crackdown on dissent widens
www.ft.com
January 6, 2026 at 9:13 AM
As I said after the raid, it's not about democracy... www.ft.com/content/b3a2... publicsphere.news/p/democracy-...