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Holger Hestermeyer

@hhesterm.bsky.social
20K followers 4K following 3.7K posts

Professor of Int’l & EU Law, Diplomatic Academy Vienna. Past: Prof., founding Director CIGAD at King's College London, specialist adviser House of Lords EU Select Committee, Référendaire CJEU

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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
A fascinating new development in us federalism. Unclear whether it will survive constitutional challenges
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Soccer is a crazy profession. Klopp had two days to train with a new team before his first match. And there seems to be some disappointment that in those two days he did not manage to raise the German game to Spanish levels.
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The way the US usually deals with unsafe products are punitive damages. At some point, unsafe AI products should be sued for hundreds of billions if they repeatedly do things like break into systems.
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
All nationalities are, to some extent, invented. The idea of ethnic purity of a nation is an insane one based on historic ignorance, biological pseudo-science and usually resulting in catastrophy.
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The number of US politicians who simply say that they should get money from other countries is frightening. The reality is, of course, that other countries opposed Trump’s war, know we will never return to something as good as the JCPOA and already have to pay higher prices thanks to you…
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Asymmetrical Haircuts @asymmetricalh.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄! New Episode in our Universal Jurisdiction series out tomorrow! @astridcoracini.bsky.social sits down with Janet and Steph to discuss the details of a recent Austrian trial.
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The Greenland agreement www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-st...
whitehouse.gov
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF DENMARK TOGETHER WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF GREENLAND
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF DENMARK TOGETHER WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
In theory that could be a legal-sounding argument, but then it was the House of Stuart cocreating, and the crown granting a monopoly to the premier slave trading outlet. So it is mostly just historical ignorance.
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
It is time for US courts to question presidential determinations of national security. Otherwise you let Trump build ballrooms in violation of the law claiming they‘re military installations and triumphal arches claiming they‘re for drones. All of this is so stupid it is laughable.
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Iva Vukušić @vukusiciva.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
More reports announcing it: www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/...
aljazeera.com
Trump administration readies sweeping sanctions against ICC, reports say
Measures targeting the court itself could disrupt payments, IT services and investigations.
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
When the international financial system is used as a weapon to enable war crimes, it is not in good shape.
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
The President of Austria illustrating the difficulties Austria will have to deal with as a member of the UNSC. Challenging is an understatement.
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
The use of national security in the US is reminiscent of Notverordnungen under Art. 48 of the Weimar Constitution. As long as SCOTUS leaves the factual determination of whether there is a national security situation to Potus, there's little hope things will improve.
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Kenneth describes what associate membership might mean…
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
My guess: on the basics, no. A lot of these are dictated by how the eu works. Eg free movement of goods requires rule alignment and an institutional backbone. /1
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
How is this news? billionaire oil person says uk needs to drill more and tax less, though, of course, he‘s actually in Monaco. And he would do more in the uk if the state subsidised him more. Dear BBC, that‘s like me saying the uk‘s problem is underpaid law profs. www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Billionaire Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe says he has lost confidence in UK
Ineos founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe tells the BBC he thinks the country is "on the slide" and calls for more investment in the North Sea.
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
And... isn‘t he right?
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
One of the most annoying things about populism is that pointing out contradictions doesn‘t do a thing to change anyone‘s mind on anything
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Report of factfinding mission of ohchr on human rights in Iran, including US attacks www.ohchr.org/sites/defaul...
ohchr.org
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The DoJ now attacks Berkeley Law's admission practices as discriminatory against whites and Asians. www.justice.gov/crt/media/14...
justice.gov
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Small very very incremental progress at the WTO: India seems to propose a safeguard process for plurilaterals, which, one would suppose, meant there won't be a categorical no. docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages...
docs.wto.org
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I confess I like the associate member label, I think it is time for daring initiatives. But have they thought about the content of this at all? If we do not get some meat for this particular bone, it was a counterproductive statement.
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Speculating about Canada and the EU: - membership is currently not possible, the treaty limits membership to European countries - associate membership so far does not exist, so we don't know what it is - what comes to mind is an EFTA/Swiss status, but that would require Canada to follow EU rules /1
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Canadian attitudes poll
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I am confused now. Are we concerned non-white students do not integrate, or are we concerned they integrate too successfully and outcompete whites?
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The label associate member is nice and easily reportable. The tough question is: what does it mean? - free movement of goods, services, capital and people? - how is that enforced? CJEU? EFTA? - defence, foreign policy?
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The propublica Article disclosing that a Russian oligarch close to Putin financed the wedding of the son of Potus seems to sometimes feel the need to explain why that is wrong. Remarkable. www.propublica.org/article/dona...
propublica.org
Donald Trump Jr.’s Wedding Bankrolled by Putin-Linked Russian Oligarch
The oligarch, Umar Kremlev, spent hundreds of thousands on expenses like renting out a private island. He appears to have met Trump Jr. only recently, but he attended the intimate wedding with a large...
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
To some extent the first part of the headline is actually spot-on. Middle powers, aware that they are not superpowers, have to band together and form alliances - or be dangerously exposed to the supowerpowers.
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
The German political debate starts to fall into the same trap as the UK one: at every turn the question is asked: does the chancellor have to step down? The next federal election is in 2029.
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Potus threatens the Fed with shooting the US in the foot.
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
We are very bad at dealing with large numbers of- and Harborne enforces this by stating that his multi-million pound donation to Reform has to do with him having enough money. So how much, do you think, would an ordinary Brit donate if he donated an equivalent percentage of his wealth?
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Reading the FT Europe newsletter, really the one thing where Europe is utterly unable to compete with the US is boundless optimism. The US and Musk are relentlessly hyping their capacities (think of the autopilot with the footnote that it's actually not) - whereas Europe doesn't even mention its own
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The Scotus order staying the TRO in the Missouri congressional map case, confirming the result of a previous Scotus order. In short: the old map will be used for the election, without the GOP redistricting www.supremecourt.gov/orders/court...
supremecourt.gov
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Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Proposed EU/US treaty on screening people for visa or travel authorisation purposes: ec.europa.eu/transparency...
ec.europa.eu
Register of Commission Documents
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Dear press. Seriously? Have you not learned a thing? Peace with Ukraine on day one, no new wars, lower prices etc. etc. And you still report the claims in the headlines with costing notes in the small print as though this is all normal? www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
US citizens will receive $5,000 if Republicans win midterms, Trump claims in lengthy convention speech
President makes offer that would cost US over $1tn and asks voters to ‘pretend that I’m on the ballot’ despite being deeply unpopular among electorate
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
This is a real problem. If you have to endorse Trump policy - or cannot ever talk about the mess he causes - to have an important office at the IMF, It'll be hard to find good candidates. www.ft.com/content/9832...
ft.com
IMF ditched top candidate for chief economist job over Trump tariff remarks
LSE professor Ricardo Reis had said the US president’s trade war would hurt American consumers
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
This is really hard to take. If I understand this correctly Scotus refused to issue a TRO -> old map applies District court issues TRO -> new map applies, 8th cir. denies block of TRO -> new map applies of course this is in conflict with Scotus, but who cares. Chaos.
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Mark Carney @mark-carney.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
My joint statement with Prime Minister Andy Burnham and President Emmanuel Macron on the Two-State Solution: www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/stat...
pm.gc.ca
Joint statement on the two-state solution
“A two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is critical for peace, stability and security in the Middle East and beyond. It is a fundamental national interest for Canada, France, and the...
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
While there's also this...
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
In Missouri, after Kavanaugh refused to put the Missouri Supreme Court on hold, a federal district court judge did. This is... rather disastrous.
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
We are moving from "imagine a German government would say the things Trump says" to "a German state government WILL say the things Trump says". And maybe, just maybe, we can settle on "it is not ok to say these things" rather than "it is not ok to say these things in German".
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Robert Alexy has died. zeitung.faz.net/data/948/rea...
zeitung.faz.net
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Here’s the thing: even if you do not believe that AI will become superhuman and sentient, scenarios for massive destruction are easy to imagine and entirely realistic. /1
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Paul F Scott @paulfscott.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Lord Briggs is next President of the UKSC: lnkd.in/p/e5ytH7aj
lnkd.in
His Majesty The King has approved the appointment of Lord Briggs of Westbourne as the next President of the Supreme Court. The King made the appointment on the advice of the Prime Minister and Lord… |...
His Majesty The King has approved the appointment of Lord Briggs of Westbourne as the next President of the Supreme Court. The King made the appointment on the advice of the Prime Minister and Lord Ch...
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Statement on Israel-Palestine by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband www.gov.uk/government/s...
gov.uk
Foreign Secretary Oral Statement on Israel-Palestine
Foreign Secretary's oral statement to the House of Commons on Israel-Palestine as delivered.
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Imagine you are a professional diplomat and are called in to speak about this. www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
independent.co.uk
Iceland summons US envoy over Trump’s absurd map claiming the island
Iceland summoned the U.S. ambassador on Monday after President Donald Trump posted an image on social media showing the island and other countries covered ​by the American flag
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Another reminder that tech companies saying AI will solve all our problems if only we give them more money and don‘t submit them to any checks and controls is NOT the most reliable source for a story about how AI will solve all our problems.
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
The race for Secretary-General of the UN. First straw poll (July 30, source what‘s in blue)
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Haaretz reports that Netanyahu received a warning before Oct 7 - and did not brief Israel‘s security chiefs. Again, you cannot be pro-Israel and support Netanyahu and his ministers. www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
haaretz.com
Netanyahu got an explicit warning before Oct. 7. He didn't brief security chiefs
In September '23, UAE President bin Zayed called Netanyahu to deliver a harsh warning. Netanyahu did nothing. An extensive investigation, conducted for a new book, reveals the PM's failures surroundin...
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Holger Hestermeyer @hhesterm.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
The claim that democracy demands everyone to work with the AfD is 1) hypocritical - then why was it ok for AfD people to not work constructively with the other parties and 2) wrong - part of the electoral mandate given to the other parties was to not work with the AfD www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Germany's AfD calls for parties to work with it after Saxony-Anhalt win
The far-right party is trying to form a government in the state after falling three seats short of a majority.
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