Ralph Janik
@ralphjanik.com
| International Law | EU | International Relations
| Assistant Professor @SFU Vienna
| everything is political
| Assistant Professor @SFU Vienna
| everything is political
Pinned
Ralph Janik
@ralphjanik.com
· Nov 16
Ok @mikeschmitt.bsky.social made me realise there was no proper international humanitarian law starter pack so I’ve created my first one. It is far from being complete so please feel free to mention yourself and/or others who should be included!
go.bsky.app/N6Bw1E7
go.bsky.app/N6Bw1E7
Finally watched “The Captain” (not a typical Christmas movie, but a good movie for the end of 2025).
This story is so telling. If someone is good at pretending he has power, we’re ready to believe he does have power.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willi_H...
This story is so telling. If someone is good at pretending he has power, we’re ready to believe he does have power.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willi_H...
Willi Herold - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
December 25, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Finally watched “The Captain” (not a typical Christmas movie, but a good movie for the end of 2025).
This story is so telling. If someone is good at pretending he has power, we’re ready to believe he does have power.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willi_H...
This story is so telling. If someone is good at pretending he has power, we’re ready to believe he does have power.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willi_H...
Pure evil. And we’re allowing it to happen.
🤬 On the ruins of war: Russia prepares "war tours" in occupied Donbas, - The Times
The occupation administration in Donetsk region is working on a project of so-called "war tourism". The war-torn cities should become tourist routes and a source of income.
The occupation administration in Donetsk region is working on a project of so-called "war tourism". The war-torn cities should become tourist routes and a source of income.
December 25, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Pure evil. And we’re allowing it to happen.
spät, aber doch: die alljährliche Grenzen-Weihnachtsfolge vom
@moserat.bsky.social und meiner Wenigkeit.
Dieses Mal haben wir uns Großösterreich, Gabun/Äquatorialguinea, Nicaragua/Costa Rica sowie den Südsudan und Uganda angesehen.
Es ist also für jeden was dabei (überall, wo's Podcasts gibt).
@moserat.bsky.social und meiner Wenigkeit.
Dieses Mal haben wir uns Großösterreich, Gabun/Äquatorialguinea, Nicaragua/Costa Rica sowie den Südsudan und Uganda angesehen.
Es ist also für jeden was dabei (überall, wo's Podcasts gibt).
Weihnachsfolge 2025: von Lateinamerika nach Großösterreich
Tradition verpflichtet: Auch dieses Jahr geht es um Grenzen aller Art, ob in Afrika, Lateinamerika oder mitten in Europa. Manche schöner, manche weniger, manche heiß umfehdet, andere nicht so wichtig....
janikmoser.podigee.io
December 23, 2025 at 7:02 PM
spät, aber doch: die alljährliche Grenzen-Weihnachtsfolge vom
@moserat.bsky.social und meiner Wenigkeit.
Dieses Mal haben wir uns Großösterreich, Gabun/Äquatorialguinea, Nicaragua/Costa Rica sowie den Südsudan und Uganda angesehen.
Es ist also für jeden was dabei (überall, wo's Podcasts gibt).
@moserat.bsky.social und meiner Wenigkeit.
Dieses Mal haben wir uns Großösterreich, Gabun/Äquatorialguinea, Nicaragua/Costa Rica sowie den Südsudan und Uganda angesehen.
Es ist also für jeden was dabei (überall, wo's Podcasts gibt).
Wenn es Gesetze gibt, die Verfassungsrang haben oder die Verfassung ändern sollten, muss man sie baldmöglichst beschließen. Eines davon wäre das KSE-BVG: Österreich kann das Bundesheer nach geltender Rechtslage nicht ins Ausland schicken, um ein angegriffenes EU-Land zu unterstützen.
Servus Österreich 🇦🇹 Umfragen sind keine Wahlen, aber dieses für den STANDARD erhobene Stimmungsbild dürfte die Koalition erschüttern: #FPÖ 37 %, #ÖVP 19 %, #SPÖ 18 %. Bei einer fiktiven Kanzlerdirektwahl bekäme FPÖ-Boss #Kickl bei 35 %. ÖVP-Kanzler #Stocker nur 10 %, SPÖ-Chef @andibabler.at nur 6 %.
Umfragedesaster für Kanzler Stocker – und die ÖVP
Der Bundeskanzler hat historisch schlechte Umfragewerte, für seinen Vize sieht es nicht besser aus. Die FPÖ und Kickl erzielen hingegen rekordverdächtige Zustimmung
www.derstandard.at
December 22, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Wenn es Gesetze gibt, die Verfassungsrang haben oder die Verfassung ändern sollten, muss man sie baldmöglichst beschließen. Eines davon wäre das KSE-BVG: Österreich kann das Bundesheer nach geltender Rechtslage nicht ins Ausland schicken, um ein angegriffenes EU-Land zu unterstützen.
I'm calling for a law that prohibits older folks the use of the "reply all" button
December 22, 2025 at 10:08 AM
I'm calling for a law that prohibits older folks the use of the "reply all" button
"The negotiations infuriated Mr. Putin ... Mr. Putin assailed Mr. Kozak for exceeding his mandate by discussing territorial issues, and told Mr. Kozak to inform Kyiv that Russia would only negotiate Ukraine’s surrender."
That's the reality. Russia never wanted real negotiations. It still doesn't.
That's the reality. Russia never wanted real negotiations. It still doesn't.
The Putin Confidant Who Pushed Back Against the War
www.nytimes.com
December 22, 2025 at 9:52 AM
"The negotiations infuriated Mr. Putin ... Mr. Putin assailed Mr. Kozak for exceeding his mandate by discussing territorial issues, and told Mr. Kozak to inform Kyiv that Russia would only negotiate Ukraine’s surrender."
That's the reality. Russia never wanted real negotiations. It still doesn't.
That's the reality. Russia never wanted real negotiations. It still doesn't.
Sorry to say: Hans-Werner Sinn hat keine Ahnung. Es ist traurig, wie sich renommierte Namen bei Russlands Krieg lächerlich machen. Weil sie sich zu Themen äußern, von denen sie keine Ahnung haben. Da frage ich mich, ob man die Sachen ernst nehmen kann, bei denen sie sich auskennen (sollten).
December 22, 2025 at 9:38 AM
Sorry to say: Hans-Werner Sinn hat keine Ahnung. Es ist traurig, wie sich renommierte Namen bei Russlands Krieg lächerlich machen. Weil sie sich zu Themen äußern, von denen sie keine Ahnung haben. Da frage ich mich, ob man die Sachen ernst nehmen kann, bei denen sie sich auskennen (sollten).
Austria’s soon-to-be-published updated national security should follow suit. The US is a security risk for every European state.
Denmark’s annual intelligence outlook has for the first time named the United States a potential security risk, a shift that comes after a year of Greenland disputes and uncertainty about Washington’s role in Europe’s defense.
theintellectualistofficial.substack.com/p/historic-b...
theintellectualistofficial.substack.com/p/historic-b...
December 22, 2025 at 8:34 AM
Austria’s soon-to-be-published updated national security should follow suit. The US is a security risk for every European state.
Article II US constitution:
The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America
The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America
Yes, it’s a coverup by Pam Bondi. But it’s really a coverup by Donald Trump. Bondi is his agent.
December 21, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Article II US constitution:
The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America
The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America
It’s crazy how the most powerful country in the world is now run by amateurs and sellouts. Or both.
www.wsj.com/world/putin-...
www.wsj.com/world/putin-...
How Putin Got His Preferred U.S. Envoy: Come Alone, No CIA
The Kremlin fueled the rise of Trump’s friend Steve Witkoff with a prisoner release, sidelining career diplomats.
www.wsj.com
December 20, 2025 at 10:59 PM
It’s crazy how the most powerful country in the world is now run by amateurs and sellouts. Or both.
www.wsj.com/world/putin-...
www.wsj.com/world/putin-...
Trump, Musk, Sacks, Witkoff. Overconfident men who think they’re smart because they’re rich. Easy targets.
Fascinating insights from @wsj.com re how Putin has manipulated Trump and Witkoff. U.S. billionaires who know nothing of Russia are easy marks for the wily former KGB officer. www.wsj.com/world/putin-...
December 20, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Trump, Musk, Sacks, Witkoff. Overconfident men who think they’re smart because they’re rich. Easy targets.
wait, what, the Trump administration is not releasing all Epstein fotos or documents that include Trump?!?!?!
This photo, file 468, from the Epstein files that includes Donald Trump has apparently now been removed from the DOJ release.
AG Bondi, is this true? What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American public.
AG Bondi, is this true? What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American public.
December 20, 2025 at 6:19 PM
wait, what, the Trump administration is not releasing all Epstein fotos or documents that include Trump?!?!?!
Das ist Sparen am falschen Platz: Der Nahe Osten ist für Österreich von enormer Bedeutung. Wegen unserer politischen Nähe zu Israel, unserer historischen Rolle im Nahostkonflikt, wegen Flucht- und Migrationsbewegungen. Aber vielleicht geht es dabei gar nicht so sehr ums Sparen...
ORF-Redaktionssprecher führt Trennung von El-Gawhary auf Sparvorgaben für ORF zurück
STANDARD-Infos: Nahost-Büro des ORF soll nicht nach Israel übersiedeln. Über die Nachfolge wird ORF-intern spekuliert
www.derstandard.at
December 20, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Das ist Sparen am falschen Platz: Der Nahe Osten ist für Österreich von enormer Bedeutung. Wegen unserer politischen Nähe zu Israel, unserer historischen Rolle im Nahostkonflikt, wegen Flucht- und Migrationsbewegungen. Aber vielleicht geht es dabei gar nicht so sehr ums Sparen...
"When I tuck into my deathbed, I don’t expect many regrets, except one: I have watched far too many Jake Paul boxing matches."
The impish influencer’s Netflix boxing battle with Anthony Joshua ends predictably, with defeat and annoyed customers. on.wsj.com/4jhLDnZ
Jake Paul Gets Dropped. It Still Felt Dirty and Terrible.
The impish influencer’s Netflix boxing battle with Anthony Joshua ends predictably, with defeat and annoyed customers.
on.wsj.com
December 20, 2025 at 2:42 PM
"When I tuck into my deathbed, I don’t expect many regrets, except one: I have watched far too many Jake Paul boxing matches."
When we talk about migration, we should talk more about the past. The European past. The grave errors made in the 19th century still linger. Excellent paper I've only found now while reading @jonnelledge.bsky.social's book on borders
👇
👇
The contemporary shadow of the Scramble for Africa
The Scramble for Africa has contributed to economic, social, and political underdevelopment by spurring ethnic-tainted civil conflict and discrimination and by shaping the ethnic composition, size, shape and landlocked status of the newly independent states. This column, taken from a recent VoxEU eBook, summarises the key findings of studies that use high-resolution geo-referenced data and econometric methods to estimate the long-lasting impact of the various aspects of the Scramble for Africa.
cepr.org
December 20, 2025 at 2:39 PM
When we talk about migration, we should talk more about the past. The European past. The grave errors made in the 19th century still linger. Excellent paper I've only found now while reading @jonnelledge.bsky.social's book on borders
👇
👇
The Russian regime is happy that the EU keeps its money safe. We're weak. Fucking weak. While they destroy another country, they ask us to abstain from "illegal moves". And, guess what, we did. Ridiculous.
December 20, 2025 at 2:06 PM
The Russian regime is happy that the EU keeps its money safe. We're weak. Fucking weak. While they destroy another country, they ask us to abstain from "illegal moves". And, guess what, we did. Ridiculous.
The EU keeps paying for Russia's destruction of Ukraine.
Moscow and Berlin both claim victory after EUCO Ukraine loan decision
Moscow and Berlin both claim victory after EUCO Ukraine loan decision
German officials on Friday stressed the importance of securing a loan to keep the war-torn country solvent
dlvr.it
December 19, 2025 at 4:10 PM
The EU keeps paying for Russia's destruction of Ukraine.
"Imagine I sent you back in time to July 2015 with the goal of saving liberal democracy in America. Donald Trump announced his candidacy a month ago, the polls are showing him with a narrow lead, and the media—while noting his extreme rhetoric—are mostly treating this as a fun diversion."
The Americans Who Saw All This Coming—but Were Ignored and Maligned
Call them the Cassandras: the people—mostly not white and male—who smelled the fascism all over Trump from jump street. Why were they “alarmists,” and how did “anti-alarmism” become cool?
newrepublic.com
December 19, 2025 at 3:56 PM
"Imagine I sent you back in time to July 2015 with the goal of saving liberal democracy in America. Donald Trump announced his candidacy a month ago, the polls are showing him with a narrow lead, and the media—while noting his extreme rhetoric—are mostly treating this as a fun diversion."
In other words: Europe is (co-)financing this war. Both sides.
Long story short: Russia’s assets remain protected while we keep buying its gas.
BREAKING v NYTimes
'Europe Agrees to $105 Billion Funding Plan for Ukraine
European Union officials wanted to use Russia’s frozen assets to back a major loan to Ukraine. Unable to overcome opposition, they settled on another way to lend the money'
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/w...
#UkraineWar
'Europe Agrees to $105 Billion Funding Plan for Ukraine
European Union officials wanted to use Russia’s frozen assets to back a major loan to Ukraine. Unable to overcome opposition, they settled on another way to lend the money'
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/w...
#UkraineWar
December 19, 2025 at 12:35 PM
In other words: Europe is (co-)financing this war. Both sides.
Maybe time isn’t on Russia’s side
Russia can still sustain this war—but it can no longer scale. The manpower pool is drying up. The signing bonuses are collapsing. The regions are going broke. If Ukraine doesn't exhaust itself first…, the breaking point will come. euromaidanpress.com/2025/12/14/i...
I’ve monitored Russian soldiers for 3.5 Years. The system is finally cracking
How long can Russia keep fighting? After 3.5 years monitoring Russian soldiers, the answer is clear: the social contract is fracturing and the army shows it first
euromaidanpress.com
December 19, 2025 at 3:20 AM
Maybe time isn’t on Russia’s side
Long story short: Russia’s assets remain protected while we keep buying its gas.
BREAKING v NYTimes
'Europe Agrees to $105 Billion Funding Plan for Ukraine
European Union officials wanted to use Russia’s frozen assets to back a major loan to Ukraine. Unable to overcome opposition, they settled on another way to lend the money'
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/w...
#UkraineWar
'Europe Agrees to $105 Billion Funding Plan for Ukraine
European Union officials wanted to use Russia’s frozen assets to back a major loan to Ukraine. Unable to overcome opposition, they settled on another way to lend the money'
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/w...
#UkraineWar
Europe Agrees to $105 Billion Funding Plan for Ukraine
www.nytimes.com
December 19, 2025 at 3:19 AM
Long story short: Russia’s assets remain protected while we keep buying its gas.
Es gibt bei uns auch seriöse Medien, die besagte Parteien oder sonstige Propagandisten Putins wie alle anderen auch behandeln. Und ganz normal in Talkshows einladen. Man mag's ja kontrovers.
Das ist die neue Realität: Es gibt im Ausland Leute, die uns EuropäerInnen umbringen wollen. Plain and simple. Und das Allerverrückteste daran: Es gibt bei uns politische Parteien, die diesen Mächten freundlich gegenüberstehen und sich von ihnen fördern lassen. What a time to be alive.
Kreml-Scharfmacher Solowjow: „Wir müssen Wien befreien“
Russland werde Europas Hauptstädte stürmen und erobern, kündigt Putins Einpeitscher Wladimir Solowjow an. Österreich müsse sich „besinnen“.
www.profil.at
December 18, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Es gibt bei uns auch seriöse Medien, die besagte Parteien oder sonstige Propagandisten Putins wie alle anderen auch behandeln. Und ganz normal in Talkshows einladen. Man mag's ja kontrovers.
Reading news like these makes it hard to believe that pro-Russian parties in countries like Germany, Austria or France (not to speak of Czechia, Hungary and Slovakia) are either faring remarkable well in polls or, even more, are in charge of the government.
I've tracked 145 cases of sabotage and disruption @apnews.com that Western officials blame on Russia.
They say Moscow wants to drain Europe's security resources and identify weak spots.
Arson & explosives plots particularly increased:
2023: 1
2024: 26
2025: 6
apnews.com/projects/rus...
They say Moscow wants to drain Europe's security resources and identify weak spots.
Arson & explosives plots particularly increased:
2023: 1
2024: 26
2025: 6
apnews.com/projects/rus...
Russia wants to drain Europe's security resources with sabotage campaign, officials say | AP News
The Associated Press has tracked 145 cases of sabotage and disruption that Western officials blame on Russia since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. They say Moscow wants to drain Europe’s investigative r...
apnews.com
December 18, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Reading news like these makes it hard to believe that pro-Russian parties in countries like Germany, Austria or France (not to speak of Czechia, Hungary and Slovakia) are either faring remarkable well in polls or, even more, are in charge of the government.
Es gibt keine völkerrechtliche Grundlage für eine de facto-Enteignung von russischem Vermögen in Belgien oder sonstwo. Das heißt nicht, dass es rechtlich nicht geht. Wohl aber, dass man das Recht ändern muss. Und das wird viel Überzeugungsarbeit brauchen. Ich habe heute auf Ö1 darüber gesprochen.
Russisches Vermögen für die Ukraine? vom 18.12.
Man werde so lange verhandeln, bis es ein positives Ergebnis gäbe, sagte EU-Ratspräsident Costa vor Beginn des EU-Gipfels, der ab heute, Donnerstag, in Brüssel stattfindet mit Blick auf die zentrale F...
sound.orf.at
December 18, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Es gibt keine völkerrechtliche Grundlage für eine de facto-Enteignung von russischem Vermögen in Belgien oder sonstwo. Das heißt nicht, dass es rechtlich nicht geht. Wohl aber, dass man das Recht ändern muss. Und das wird viel Überzeugungsarbeit brauchen. Ich habe heute auf Ö1 darüber gesprochen.
Gibt es wirklich keine Möglichkeit, einen Absender komplett zu sperren? Alle Mails automatisch löschen reicht mit nicht. Bei Messengern kann man ja auch blockieren.
December 18, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Gibt es wirklich keine Möglichkeit, einen Absender komplett zu sperren? Alle Mails automatisch löschen reicht mit nicht. Bei Messengern kann man ja auch blockieren.