Ragnar Hjalmarsson
@iamragnar.bsky.social
Researcher on transitional justice and economic crises. Engaged with constitutional change processes and exploring Nordic security and defence. PhD in Governance, Hertie School 🎓. From 🇮🇸, thriving in Berlin 🇩🇪.
Pinned
Iceland is on the verge of something historic—a coalition government led by three women from the Social Democrats, Liberal Reform Party, and People’s Party. With the President (also a woman) poised to confirm the coalition, it would be a global first. 🧵 1/11 #Democracy #Iceland
Reposted by Ragnar Hjalmarsson
everyone who spent the 90s laboriously and lovingly making mixtapes just dissolved into ancient dust
November 21, 2025 at 8:42 PM
everyone who spent the 90s laboriously and lovingly making mixtapes just dissolved into ancient dust
Reposted by Ragnar Hjalmarsson
Welcome, American foreign policy scholars to the world of Russia experts in late 2021 and early 22, when so many people could not bring themselves to believe that a war would happen simply because it made no sense, there was no real threat, the President wasn't *that* crazy and didn't roll that way
June 22, 2025 at 12:14 AM
Welcome, American foreign policy scholars to the world of Russia experts in late 2021 and early 22, when so many people could not bring themselves to believe that a war would happen simply because it made no sense, there was no real threat, the President wasn't *that* crazy and didn't roll that way
Reposted by Ragnar Hjalmarsson
"What matters most in democracies...is not the pope’s teaching. It is his mode of leadership. Shorn of its temporal power and its ability to command obedience, the papacy is a display of manners. The pope acts out an idea of what good authority looks like."
Can the Church Evolve? | Fintan O’Toole
The big question for Pope Leo XIV is whether he will complete Pope Francis’s mission to make the Catholic Church less tyrannical.
www.nybooks.com
May 20, 2025 at 5:07 PM
"What matters most in democracies...is not the pope’s teaching. It is his mode of leadership. Shorn of its temporal power and its ability to command obedience, the papacy is a display of manners. The pope acts out an idea of what good authority looks like."
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Everyone in the past was neurotypical, which is how we got things like this single-author, eight-volume encyclopedia of ferns
May 6, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Everyone in the past was neurotypical, which is how we got things like this single-author, eight-volume encyclopedia of ferns
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If Iceland succeeds in this and weaponises the magma, Iceland can become NATO’s security guarantor with an extended magma deterrence.
Tired: nuclear deterrence
Wired: magma fælingarmátt
Tired: nuclear deterrence
Wired: magma fælingarmátt
Iceland scientists want to drill a hole straight into a reservoir of molten magma about a mile underground. It could generate limitless energy.
This will be the first time a group purposefully drills into a magma chamber, the pool of molten rock in the Earth's crust.
www.businessinsider.com
April 21, 2025 at 5:45 PM
If Iceland succeeds in this and weaponises the magma, Iceland can become NATO’s security guarantor with an extended magma deterrence.
Tired: nuclear deterrence
Wired: magma fælingarmátt
Tired: nuclear deterrence
Wired: magma fælingarmátt
Reposted by Ragnar Hjalmarsson
Another interesting observation from Rawls
April 13, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Another interesting observation from Rawls
Reposted by Ragnar Hjalmarsson
In September 2023, I spent a week in Greenland on a study trip. I still remember the discussions with political representatives. They all spoke of their high regard for the US. And that is exactly what the Trump administration is now destroying. They had so much soft power there, all gone.
March 30, 2025 at 6:53 AM
In September 2023, I spent a week in Greenland on a study trip. I still remember the discussions with political representatives. They all spoke of their high regard for the US. And that is exactly what the Trump administration is now destroying. They had so much soft power there, all gone.
Reposted by Ragnar Hjalmarsson
Blown away by this erudite book by @valentimvicente.bsky.social 🤯 An exceptional combination of theoretical sophistication and empirical breadth and depth.
His theory of normalization not just helps explain recent rise of far right but also warns for overestimating strength of democracy.
His theory of normalization not just helps explain recent rise of far right but also warns for overestimating strength of democracy.
March 11, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Blown away by this erudite book by @valentimvicente.bsky.social 🤯 An exceptional combination of theoretical sophistication and empirical breadth and depth.
His theory of normalization not just helps explain recent rise of far right but also warns for overestimating strength of democracy.
His theory of normalization not just helps explain recent rise of far right but also warns for overestimating strength of democracy.
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"...the anti-immigrant campaigns of both centrist parties...did not win over any far-right voters. Nor did they inspire their core voters. To do that, they will need their own ideas and priorities, which means looking beyond immigration (which was only the third most important issue for voters..."
Germany has swung to the right. What does that mean for the country – and Europe? Our panel responds
Friedrich Merz’s CDU/CSU may have won the German election, but all eyes are on the far-right AfD after its huge gains, say Fatma Aydemir, Katja Hoyer and others
www.theguardian.com
February 24, 2025 at 12:46 PM
"...the anti-immigrant campaigns of both centrist parties...did not win over any far-right voters. Nor did they inspire their core voters. To do that, they will need their own ideas and priorities, which means looking beyond immigration (which was only the third most important issue for voters..."
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Still an extraordinary quote from someone who is now a sitting vice president--it betrays a lot about the approach he is now endorsing in power.
February 15, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Still an extraordinary quote from someone who is now a sitting vice president--it betrays a lot about the approach he is now endorsing in power.
Reposted by Ragnar Hjalmarsson
Norms don't just "erode;" democracies don't just "slide."
It's conscious destruction and direction.
Actors have agency.
Which means: One can hold particular people accountable.
"Processes," not so much.
It's conscious destruction and direction.
Actors have agency.
Which means: One can hold particular people accountable.
"Processes," not so much.
December 28, 2024 at 6:47 PM
Norms don't just "erode;" democracies don't just "slide."
It's conscious destruction and direction.
Actors have agency.
Which means: One can hold particular people accountable.
"Processes," not so much.
It's conscious destruction and direction.
Actors have agency.
Which means: One can hold particular people accountable.
"Processes," not so much.
Reposted by Ragnar Hjalmarsson
Meeting between the pro-Kurdish party MPs and Ocalan is over. Reportedly, Ocalan said that he may be prepared to call for the PKK to lay down arms. He has not done so yet but he said that he was “qualified and determined to make the necessary positive contribution to the new 1/5
A significant day for Turkish politics. Turkish government allowed members of parliament from the pro-Kurdish party to visit the PKK’s imprisoned leader Ocalan. MPs are seeing him today. Ocalan’s message to the party and Kurds holds importance for what comes next in Turkish politics and ++
My Foreign Affairs piece looked at implications of Assad’s ouster for Turkey’s foreign policy. My new @financialtimes.com column looks at it from the angle of Erdogan’s domestic plans. “Erdoğan sees nothing but opportunity in Syria” t.co/E2AEmVfMvN
December 29, 2024 at 6:00 PM
Meeting between the pro-Kurdish party MPs and Ocalan is over. Reportedly, Ocalan said that he may be prepared to call for the PKK to lay down arms. He has not done so yet but he said that he was “qualified and determined to make the necessary positive contribution to the new 1/5
Reposted by Ragnar Hjalmarsson
paradigm that Mr. Bahceli and Mr. Erdogan have empowered.”Ocalan refers to Erdogan’s key ally Bahceli’s call on him to urge the PKK to end the group's decades-old insurgency.
Optimists think Turkey may be on the eve of a “Kurdish peace process.” 2/5
Optimists think Turkey may be on the eve of a “Kurdish peace process.” 2/5
December 29, 2024 at 6:00 PM
paradigm that Mr. Bahceli and Mr. Erdogan have empowered.”Ocalan refers to Erdogan’s key ally Bahceli’s call on him to urge the PKK to end the group's decades-old insurgency.
Optimists think Turkey may be on the eve of a “Kurdish peace process.” 2/5
Optimists think Turkey may be on the eve of a “Kurdish peace process.” 2/5
Reposted by Ragnar Hjalmarsson
Reading between the lines of Ocalan’s statement suggests two problems ahead for the Erdogan-Bahceli coalition: 1. Ocalan talks about peace and brotherhood, just like Erdogan and Bahceli but unlike them he also talks about democracy, something the ruling coalition is not interested in.
Meeting between the pro-Kurdish party MPs and Ocalan is over. Reportedly, Ocalan said that he may be prepared to call for the PKK to lay down arms. He has not done so yet but he said that he was “qualified and determined to make the necessary positive contribution to the new 1/5
A significant day for Turkish politics. Turkish government allowed members of parliament from the pro-Kurdish party to visit the PKK’s imprisoned leader Ocalan. MPs are seeing him today. Ocalan’s message to the party and Kurds holds importance for what comes next in Turkish politics and ++
December 29, 2024 at 7:27 PM
Reading between the lines of Ocalan’s statement suggests two problems ahead for the Erdogan-Bahceli coalition: 1. Ocalan talks about peace and brotherhood, just like Erdogan and Bahceli but unlike them he also talks about democracy, something the ruling coalition is not interested in.
#Syria: “It looks more like a managed transition than a revolution.” Years of analysis and Syrian-led proposals could shape what comes next—if HTS opens the door.
@verfassungsblog.de @meyer-resende.bsky.social @democracyreporting.bsky.social #transitionaljustice
@verfassungsblog.de @meyer-resende.bsky.social @democracyreporting.bsky.social #transitionaljustice
Syria is facing massive political upheaval after the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad. What could the political transition phase look like, and what role does the Constitution play?
#FiveQuestions to @meyer-resende.bsky.social of @democracyreporting.bsky.social:
verfassungsblog.de/it-looks-mor...
#FiveQuestions to @meyer-resende.bsky.social of @democracyreporting.bsky.social:
verfassungsblog.de/it-looks-mor...
December 14, 2024 at 1:49 PM
#Syria: “It looks more like a managed transition than a revolution.” Years of analysis and Syrian-led proposals could shape what comes next—if HTS opens the door.
@verfassungsblog.de @meyer-resende.bsky.social @democracyreporting.bsky.social #transitionaljustice
@verfassungsblog.de @meyer-resende.bsky.social @democracyreporting.bsky.social #transitionaljustice
Alawites: their history, beliefs, and role in Syria’s complex sectarian fabric. This thoughtful, comprehensive lecture by Dr. Yasir Qadhi not only deepens understanding but also highlights the immense task ahead for reconciliation.
The History and Beliefs of The Nusayri/Alawite Sect in Syria
YouTube video by Yasir Qadhi
www.youtube.com
December 13, 2024 at 2:44 PM
Alawites: their history, beliefs, and role in Syria’s complex sectarian fabric. This thoughtful, comprehensive lecture by Dr. Yasir Qadhi not only deepens understanding but also highlights the immense task ahead for reconciliation.
Alex de Waal's piece on the ICC warrants for Netanyahu lays it out straight. It dives into how this case tests #sovereignty and #justice—and why the political and legal stakes are far from settled. #ICC @londonreview.bsky.social
Alex de Waal | ICC: Most Wanted
Seventeen years ago, Luis Moreno Ocampo, the first person to hold the post of prosecutor at the International Criminal...
www.lrb.co.uk
December 7, 2024 at 4:48 PM
Alex de Waal's piece on the ICC warrants for Netanyahu lays it out straight. It dives into how this case tests #sovereignty and #justice—and why the political and legal stakes are far from settled. #ICC @londonreview.bsky.social
Iceland is on the verge of something historic—a coalition government led by three women from the Social Democrats, Liberal Reform Party, and People’s Party. With the President (also a woman) poised to confirm the coalition, it would be a global first. 🧵 1/11 #Democracy #Iceland
December 4, 2024 at 2:20 PM
Iceland is on the verge of something historic—a coalition government led by three women from the Social Democrats, Liberal Reform Party, and People’s Party. With the President (also a woman) poised to confirm the coalition, it would be a global first. 🧵 1/11 #Democracy #Iceland
Reposted by Ragnar Hjalmarsson
www.opendemocracy.net/en/georgian-... This piece, by Prof. Stephen Jones, is a better 'take' on events in Georgia than many others because it puts events in their Georgian context rather than simplified, reified geopolitical frames. #Georgia
Are we seeing a new revolution in Georgia?
The Georgian Dream government tried shifting to Russia – but now face a popular uprising and constitutional crisis
www.opendemocracy.net
December 3, 2024 at 11:27 AM
www.opendemocracy.net/en/georgian-... This piece, by Prof. Stephen Jones, is a better 'take' on events in Georgia than many others because it puts events in their Georgian context rather than simplified, reified geopolitical frames. #Georgia
Reposted by Ragnar Hjalmarsson
The beginnings of the coalition of the willing …
November 28, 2024 at 10:44 AM
The beginnings of the coalition of the willing …
Testing the waters on 🦋! I untangle how societies rebuild trust after crises and what governance means in turbulent times. Lately, I’ve been exploring Nordic security and nerding out on constitutional change. Could be worth a follow. Or not. Just putting it out there—newbies gotta start somewhere.
November 15, 2024 at 12:41 PM
Testing the waters on 🦋! I untangle how societies rebuild trust after crises and what governance means in turbulent times. Lately, I’ve been exploring Nordic security and nerding out on constitutional change. Could be worth a follow. Or not. Just putting it out there—newbies gotta start somewhere.