Ben Tonra
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bentonra.bsky.social
Ben Tonra
@bentonra.bsky.social

Professor of International Relations at UCD Dublin; Dundrum Methodist Church; Royal Irish Academy; Azure Forum, IDSA and Gym Dad. Mix of Mayo, Kerry, West Virginia and suburban Maryland.

Political science 84%
Sociology 11%

Reposted by Ben Tonra

Happy Christmas from the Methodist Church!

Together we celebrate the incredible gift of Jesus, and pray the Christ-child, God’s greatest gift, may fill your soul with joy today 🎁❤️

US does. EU talks about doing.

Sigh
US denies visas, EU threatens

The United States denied visas to Thierry Breton and four other Europeans, prompting Macron and the EU to condemn the move and warn it would respond if necessary.

With replies by 🎓Steve Peers, 🎓Filip Reyntjens, 🎓Laurent Pech +35 more scholars.
US denies visas, EU threatens
Replies by 🎓Steve Peers, 🎓Filip Reyntjens, 🎓Laurent Pech, 🎓Michael E. Mann, 🎓Fionnuala Ní Aoláin +33 more scholars
www.lightnews.app

Reposted by Ben Tonra

US denies visas, EU threatens

The United States denied visas to Thierry Breton and four other Europeans, prompting Macron and the EU to condemn the move and warn it would respond if necessary.

With replies by 🎓Steve Peers, 🎓Filip Reyntjens, 🎓Laurent Pech +35 more scholars.
US denies visas, EU threatens
Replies by 🎓Steve Peers, 🎓Filip Reyntjens, 🎓Laurent Pech, 🎓Michael E. Mann, 🎓Fionnuala Ní Aoláin +33 more scholars
www.lightnews.app
JD Vance has declared that France and the United Kingdom having nuclear weapons is a security threat to the United States.

Russia and MAGA want every remaining democracy in the world to be weakened and defenseless.

Russia: the pointy end of a Chinese stick.
Zelenskyy stated that Chinese satellites had been conducting imaging of Ukrainian territory, after which Russia attacked Ukrainian energy facilities.

Reposted by Ben Tonra

Zelenskyy stated that Chinese satellites had been conducting imaging of Ukrainian territory, after which Russia attacked Ukrainian energy facilities.

‘He’s a Maximalist’: Inside Trump’s Gilded Oval Office www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

No. Looks like a cheap gilded bordello- or at least how I’d imagine that would look 🤣.
A 3-D Look Inside Trump’s Revamped Oval Office
Take a 3-D tour of the president’s office, where he covered a third of the wall space with gold.
www.nytimes.com

EU partners looking seriously askance at Irish regulators of their EMEA HQs. 🇮🇪 badly needs to raise its game.
We strongly condemn the U.S. decision to impose travel restrictions on five European individuals, including former Commissioner Thierry Breton.

Link to full statement: link.europa.eu/NtMX4K

Because what we already have is…?!?!

Malevolent Russian troll
❗️🇭🇺 I assume that this is the last peaceful year for Europeans - a big war may break out in Europe in 2026, - Orban

Reposted by Ben Tonra

❗️🇭🇺 I assume that this is the last peaceful year for Europeans - a big war may break out in Europe in 2026, - Orban

“These measures amount to intimidation and coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty”
Morning Prime Minister...

This is what speaking out against fascism looks like. As opposed to offering it state visits... 🤮

“If needed, we will respond swiftly and decisively to defend our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures.”

EU Commission

It’s needed people.
EU Commission response to US sanctions imposed upon advocates of regulating social media ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

US framed precisely like Russia… from any European perspective.
Greenland is an integral part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Norway stands firmly with the Danish government.

Respect for sovereignty, integrity and the inviolability of borders is the foundational principle of international law, and must be upheld by all states without exception.
Morning Prime Minister...

This is what speaking out against fascism looks like. As opposed to offering it state visits... 🤮
Heads up to artists still using Twitter- Twitter is now adding an "Edit image" button under all images posted on the site that allows everyone to feed it into genAI and modify it as they wish with a prompt

Reposted by Ben Tonra

EU Commission response to US sanctions imposed upon advocates of regulating social media ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

💯

Or at least jab…

www.rte.ie/news/world/2...

“Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said yesterday he was "deeply angered" by the move and warned Washington to respect Denmark's sovereignty.”
Greenland hits back at Trump comments on territory
Greenland's prime minister has stressed that decisions about the autonomous territory's future would be made on the island, after US President Donald Trump reiterated that the United States needed Gre...
www.rte.ie

From your lips to God’s ears.

Certainly not the specified Russian trolls - who parrot Soviet-era ‘pacifism’

“On a recent talkshow about the Ukraine war, Chrupalla pushed his pro-Russian line by suggesting Poland could be more of a threat to German security than Vladimir Putin.”
German factory retools from trains to tanks: ‘Not everyone is happy about the transition’
As weapons production ramps up in the face of the Russian threat, assembly lines in Görlitz are switching from rail carriages to battle tanks
www.irishtimes.com

Reposted by Ben Tonra

After sanctioning ICC judges, the lawless Trump regime is targeting individuals for upholding EU law. Time for EU and its MS to grow a spine and respond to this non-stop authoritarian bullying - and perhaps I don’t know, start with easy step of leaving X before forcefully applying the law to it…
The US ‘sanctions’ 5 individuals for involvement in #DSA, platform regulation and content moderation, including fmr Commissioner Breton and NGO leaders.

Oppressive state behavior by the US, disguised as free speech fighting. Appalling.

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Former EU commissioner and activists barred from US in attack on European tech regulators
State department accuses group of pressuring tech firms to censor or suppress American viewpoints through regulation of disinformation
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Ben Tonra

Elon Musk and his fascist friends in the administration never complain about censorship in countries that actually censor Americans.

They comply with regulations in Saudi Arabia, Russia, and China.

They complain about Europe only because they hate liberal democracies
You want to set a sign that US companies, too, have to abide by our laws if they operate here? Follow @hateaid.org - they fight for rights in the digital space and have just been sanctioned by Trump.
If the US wants to sanction an EU Commissioner for work he did to restrict the spread of extremism in the EU then that is a decision that must have consequences, incl reciprocal denial of visas - not least for the leaders of tech companies who lobby the White House to undermine the EU / EU law
France foreign minister: ‘France strongly condemns the visa restriction imposed by the United States against Thierry Breton, former minister and European Commissioner, and 4 other European figures. The Digital Services Act (DSA) was democratically adopted in Europe so that what
La France dénonce avec la plus grande fermeté la restriction de visa prise par les Etats-Unis à l'encontre de Thierry Breton, ancien ministre et Commissaire européen, et quatre autres personnalités européennes.

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Reposted by Ben Tonra

🇺🇸‼️ Trump and Putin share a craving for status. That’s why they both want to destroy Europe, — Opinion in The Guardian

📍Putin knows that his aggressive revanchism will not bring Russia love from the countries whose respect he so desires. He hopes that at least he will be feared.

‘No doubt’ migration has played part in additional tax receipts, economic growth, respect for human rights and maintaining critical social services.

The Taoiseach forgets to say.

Fixed it for you @irishtimes.com

Attacking Europe’s right to protect and defend itself from attacks on our democracies and our human rights. All to feed the greed of US Oligarchs.

Let 🇪🇺 respond in kind.
🇺🇸🇪🇺😳😳😳

Reposted by Ben Tonra

🇺🇸🇪🇺😳😳😳