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Wolfram Lacher

@wlacher.bsky.social
3.5K followers 442 following 562 posts

Political scientist with a longstanding interest in violent conflict, Libya and the Sahel. Author, Libya's Fragmentation; co-editor, Violence and Social Transformation in Libya. Views my own. www.swp-berlin.org/en/researcher/wo…

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Wolfram Lacher @wlacher.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This is a very useful and well prepared @e3g.bsky.social report with direct relevance to European relations with its southern neighbours Libya and Algeria, but also far broader implications.
e3g.org
Playing the oil endgame: Oil producers and the geopolitics of declining demand
Oil demand is nearing a turning point, but governments are not prepared for the global impacts of declining revenues for producing countries. Energy markets are already being reshaped by changing dema...
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Yvan Guichaoua @yguichaoua.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Amnesty International releases an in-depth and essential investigation about atrocities perpetrated by the Malian army and Wagner at the border with Mauritania. This is horrific and corroborates previous journalistic reports
amnesty.org
"NUL N'EST ÉPARGNÉ" Crimes de Guerre Commis par l'Armée Malienne et les Forces Armées Etrangères le long de la Frontière Mauritanienne - Amnesty International"NUL N'EST ÉPARGNÉ" Crimes de Guerre Commis par l'Armée Malienne et les Forces Armées Etrangères le long de la Frontière Mauritanienne - Amnesty International
Ce rapport documente des violations du droit international et du droit malien qui ont été commises par des membres des Forces armées maliennes et des membres de la société militaire de sécurité privée Wagner dans le contexte d’opérations militaires conjointes entre juin 2023 et décembre 2025. L’intensification des operations militaires durant cette période a eu […]
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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 27/09/2026
Google finally updated some of its satellite images of Gaza and my god, it's horrific. The entirety of Rafah has been demolished. The majority of Khan Younis is in ruins. Entire towns completely leveled and erased of the map.
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Wolfram Lacher @wlacher.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Il Foglio is still the only international media to cover this development, which is likely to have significant implications for the course of events in Libya, and has an important Spanish angle.
ilfoglio.it
Dabaiba confirms: Haftar and Spanish contractors behind the terrorist cell
The assassination attempts on Deputy Minister Zoubi and the attacks in Sudan, the UAE’s mediation to hush the whole affair up, and the role of Repsol’s senior manager. Here are the words of the Libyan...
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Shibley Telhami @stelhami.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Gaza is suffering the world's worst economic crisis ever recorded, with nine in 10 businesses destroyed and hundreds of thousands of people unemployed, a top UN development agency warned on Thursday. www.rfi.fr/en/middle-ea...
rfi.fr
Gaza suffers world's worst ever economic crisis: UN
Gaza is suffering the world's worst economic crisis ever recorded, with nine in 10 businesses destroyed and hundreds of thousands of people unemployed, a top UN development agency warned on Thursday.
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Alona Ferber @aloner.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The Guardian will stream NAZA on its website for free >>> www.theguardian.com/film/2026/se...
theguardian.com
Global release announced for acclaimed Gaza documentary NAZA
Theatrical rollout across 56 territories planned for documentary about Israel’s mass killing of civilians in Gaza before film will stream on Guardian website
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Adam Baczko @adambaczko.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
A paraître le 15 octobre : "Une révolution trahie. La fabrique des mouvements armés au Mali", de Denia Chebli, dernier opus de la collection Logiques du désordre chez @cnrseditions.bsky.social. Une enquête de quinze ans sur les vies des membres des mouvements armés maliens. #Mali #Sahel 1/7
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Erik Peter @retepkire.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Die Debatte über Antisemitismus in der Linken ist eine gezielte rechte Kampagne, um die Linke zu schwächen und hat jeden Realitäsbezug verloren, sagt der Soziologe Peter Ullrich taz.de/Linke-und-An...
taz.de
Linke und Antisemitismus: „Die Debatte hat die Funktion, die Linke zu schwächen“
Der Soziologe Peter Ullrich weist Antisemitismusvorwürfe gegen die Linkspartei zurück. Er kritisiert eine rechte Kampagne, die strategisch eingesetzt werde.
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Verfassungsblog @verfassungsblog.de · 22/09/2026
Seit dem 7.10.2023 werden Proteste und wissenschaftliche Veranstaltungen zu Palästina/Israel an Universitäten als Sicherheitsproblem behandelt. DÖRTHE ENGELCKE & ILYAS SALIBA zeigen auf, wie im Namen der Antisemitismusbekämpfung staatskritische Wissenschaften diszipliniert werden. buff.ly/Ig5ng2j
Zitat: “Autoritäre Formen der Antisemitismusbekämpfung verbinden sich mit einer allgemeinen Tendenz, politische Konflikte an Universitäten durch Überwachung, Sanktionen und administrative Kontrolle zu bearbeiten.” - Dörthe Engelcke und Ilyas Saliba
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Wolfram Lacher @wlacher.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
First international coverage of a story that has dominated Libyan media for the past week - no official confirmation of these and other allegations to date, but yes: it very much looks like Saddam Haftar was behind the August drone strikes on fuel depots & power & desalination plants in Zawiya.
ilfoglio.it
Haftar’s terrorist cell: mercenaries and a Repsol CEO
The Libyan general orchestrating the drone strikes in Zawiya, in western Libya. Allegedly, among those recruited were Spanish mercenaries and a senior manager from the oil company.
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Wolfram Lacher @wlacher.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
First international coverage of a story that has dominated Libyan media for the past week - no official confirmation of these and other allegations to date, but yes: it very much looks like Saddam Haftar was behind the August drone strikes on fuel depots & power & desalination plants in Zawiya.
ilfoglio.it
Haftar’s terrorist cell: mercenaries and a Repsol CEO
The Libyan general orchestrating the drone strikes in Zawiya, in western Libya. Allegedly, among those recruited were Spanish mercenaries and a senior manager from the oil company.
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Wolfram Lacher @wlacher.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Very tough but necessary read
Eyal Weizman, Ungrounding: The Architecture of Genocide
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POMEPS @pomeps.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
POMEPS is pleased to announce a call for papers for the Weaponized Citizenship and Statelessness Workshop, a joint initiative with the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. More information and application available here: pomeps.org/call-for-pap...
pomeps.org
Call for Papers: Weaponized Citizenship and Statelessness - Project on Middle East Political Science
POMEPS & MENA Initiative Workshop, Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University Workshop Date: Friday, March 26, 2027 While citizenship is often understood as a source of rights and protection, ...
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Wolfram Lacher @wlacher.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Since August, Haftar's forces have carried out at least 30 summary executions of men they had held prisoners for years, often incommunicado, and tortured to extract "confessions", before sentencing them to death before military courts. At least 50 men are at imminent risk of execution.
amnesty.org
Libya: Dozens Executed, Scores Remain at Imminent Risk - Amnesty International
At least 50 men under sentence of death in eastern Libya are at imminent risk of execution as the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF), the de facto authorities in the region, have resumed executions for t...
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Wolfram Lacher @wlacher.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Some interesting details here on the role of Ukrainian operatives in Mali and Libya
edition.cnn.com
Ukraine is fighting Russia anywhere it can – even in the deserts of Africa | CNN
An elite group of Ukrainian drone operators has spent years hunting Russians from dugouts in Ukraine. They are now doing so in remote deserts thousands of miles from home.
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BRISMES @brismes.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
📚 #Research by BRISMES Members | "The Authoritarian Convergence against #AcademicFreedom in #Germany: Political Interference, Securitization, and the Weaponization of Antisemitism Allegations" by Dörthe Engelcke and Ilyas Saliba @isaliba.bsky.social Read more: www.ispf-lab.cnr.it/system/files...
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Dissent Magazine @dissentmag.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
An entire industry specializing in mediation, peacekeeping, disarmament, and transitional justice has become largely obsolete.
dissentmagazine.org
The Demise of Conflict Studies - Dissent Magazine
An entire industry specializing in mediation, peacekeeping, disarmament, and transitional justice has become largely obsolete.
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Human Rights Watch auf Deutsch @hrwdeutschland.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Am 10. Sept. rollt die Bundesregierung den VAE in Berlin den roten Teppich aus. Deutschland hat eine klare Haltung zu den Gräueltaten im #Sudan, zumindest theoretisch. 🇩🇪setzte sich für internationale Untersuchungen ein. Doch wenn es um die Rolle der Emirate geht, bleibt es auffallend still. (1/2)
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Dr. Ilyas Saliba @isaliba.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Rahel Jaeggi zu den Einlassungen von Nassehi & Co: "Hier sortiert sich das akademische Feld in vorauseilendem Gehorsam selbst, um nicht in den Fokus der neu entdeckten autoritären Liebe zur wissenschaftlichen Neutralität zu geraten. Man könnte auch sagen: Die Entsolidarisierung ist in vollem Gange."
faz.net
Wertneutralität der Wissenschaft: Auch bei völkischem Denken?
Wird das Gebot wissenschaftlicher Neutralität verletzt, wenn sich akademische Institute gegen rechtsextreme Positionen wenden? Bemerkungen zur neuen Diskussion um die Wertfreiheit der Wissenschaften.
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Tarik Abou-Chadi @tabouchadi.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Empfehle allen diese 15 Minuten von @bertpsch.bsky.social dazu was dieser Moment bedeutet. Es macht in der Kürze klar deutlich wie die AfD einzuordnen ist und welcher Umbruch gerade passiert bei dem das Stigma um diese Partei und ihren Rechtsextremismus verschwindet open.spotify.com/episode/2ynW...
open.spotify.com
Kommentar zum AfD-Sieg: Der Ernstfall ist jetzt (Wahlkreis-Spezial)
Was jetzt? · Episode
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ECCHR - European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights @ecchr.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Neue ECCHR-Analyse zeigt: Trotz internationaler Warnungen lieferte Deutschland von 2023 bis 2026 kontinuierlich Rüstungsexporte nach Israel in Milliardenhöhe - und widersprach damit seiner eigener Verteidigung vor dem Internationalen Gerichtshof 👉 www.ecchr.eu/fileadmin/Pu...
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Wolfram Lacher @wlacher.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
“Cultural sensitivity has always been the Commission’s strong point,” one EU diplomat said, sarcastically.
euractiv.com
King Leopold’s ghost haunts European Commission gathering | Euractiv
Commissioners meet at palace built for King Leopold II to celebrate his reign over Congo
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Yvan Guichaoua @yguichaoua.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Visibly a coup attempt. Situation is still confusing
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Robin Berjon @robin.berjon.com · 27/08/2026
The US State Department has designated A/I, a small Italian provider of open source infrastructure for political activists, as a global terrorist group. They will reach into our very homes to grab us — if we let them. www.state.gov/releases/off...
state.gov
Designation of Autistici/Inventati as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist - United States Department of State
Today, the Department of State, in partnership with the Department of the Treasury, is announcing the designation of Autistici/Inventati as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. Autistici/Inventati...
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Wolfram Lacher @wlacher.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Depuis le Sud-libyen, les Haftar se rêvent en patrons du Sahara - by @celianmace.bsky.social, with comments from @emadbadi.bsky.social, @andrewlebovich.bsky.social and me.
liberation.fr
Depuis le Sud-libyen, les Haftar se rêvent en patrons du Sahara
Contrôle sécuritaire, libérations d’otages, soutien aux groupes armés... Saddam Haftar, le fils cadet du maréchal libyen, étend son influence sur le désert, jusque dans les pays frontaliers.
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The New York Review of Books @nybooks.com · 23/08/2026
“The Trump administration has shown a proclivity for announcing flashy peace deals and an utter lack of interest in implementing them. There is no reason to expect that Libya…will be any different.” —Wolfram Lacher
nybooks.com
Libya: The Dangerous Gamble | Wolfram Lacher
On my last visit to Tripoli, this past June, the city often felt as if it had left the protracted conflicts of Libya’s post-Qaddafi era behind. At night,
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Yvan Guichaoua @yguichaoua.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
So, in a matter of weeks, Haftar did a favour to Trump by facilitating the release of an American hostage (detained by ISSP) and a favour to Putin by facilitating the release of two Russian prisoners (detained by FLA). This guy knows who to please to navigate a fascist global order
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Abu Aardvark @abuaardvark.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
“Washington’s misadventure was not an aberration so much as the ultimate expression of the inherent vice of its Middle East strategy.” abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io/the-end-of-a...
abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io
The End of America's Middle East
I have been bad about updating the blog this summer – forgive me, it has been very, very hot in Gainesville, and planning our move back to DC for the fall semester (more on that later) has taken up a ...
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Yossi Bartal @yossibartal.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Das ist verrückt – die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate haben 2016 einen israelischen Auftragskiller nach London geschickt, um einen britischen Staatsbürger, einen bekannten Berater mit mutmaßlichen Verbindungen zur Muslimbruderschaft, umzubringen. Ein ehemaliger Komplize hat jetzt ausgepackt.
itv.com
UAE-funded mercenary 'ran covert operation' against British activist in London | ITV News
Mercenary Abraham Golan was allegedly hired to mount a covert surveillance operation against a British academic, on UK soil. | ITV National News
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404 Media @404media.co · 17/08/2026
EXCLUSIVE: 404 Media placed a tracking device in a shipment of rare books to see which AI company was buying it, and found an Amazon facility where Amazon scans and destroys books. @evystadium.bsky.social has more. Investigation by @emanuelmaiberg.bsky.social here: www.404media.co/we-tracked-a...
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The New York Review of Books @nybooks.com · 17/08/2026
Wolfram Lacher on harbingers of war in Libya
nybooks.com
Libya: The Dangerous Gamble | Wolfram Lacher
On my last visit to Tripoli, this past June, the city often felt as if it had left the protracted conflicts of Libya’s post-Qaddafi era behind. At night,
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Yvan Guichaoua @yguichaoua.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Rumour was growing the whole afternoon and Hamid Amadou N'gadé just confirmed: clashes have happened between the Niger and Chad armies at the border between the two countries in the Diffa region. New hotspot developing in the Sahel
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Andrea Cellino @andreaterenzio.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Excellent analysis of the latest developments in #Libya by @wlacher.bsky.social in @nybooks.com 👇
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Abubakar @yodoumi.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
It seems like UFPR started a major assault on Nigerien army posts in northern Niger this morning. UFPR’s leader’s Mahmoud Sallah have been released and armed by Libya’s LAAF last June. According to RFI, Macron urged Haftar to release Mahmoud Sallah during their meeting in February 2025
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Yvan Guichaoua @yguichaoua.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Here's another good Reuters piece
reuters.com
A $50 million hostage ransom funded al Qaeda's Mali offensive, UN says | Reuters
An estimated $50 million ransom paid to free a hostage seized by al Qaeda-linked militants in Mali in late 2025 has helped to fund their advances across ​West Africa and the group's global network, U.N. experts said.
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Abubakar @yodoumi.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
While his own men are forgotten captives in the middle of Nigerien desert
reuters.com
EXCLUSIVE: Libya's Haftar played key role in release of US hostage held by Islamic State, sources say
Authorities in eastern Libya under military commander Khalifa Haftar helped secure the release of an American missionary held hostage held by an Islamic State affiliate in West Africa's Sahel region, ...
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FT Visual & Data Journalism @data.ft.com · 12/08/2026
How Israel is making southern Lebanon ‘unliveable’ ft.trib.al/SbH4cax
ft.trib.al
How Israel is making southern Lebanon ‘unliveable’
Israeli forces have systematically destroyed homes, roads, farmland and forests despite ceasefire with Hizbollah
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SWP Africa & Middle East @swp-mea.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Seit sechs Jahren hält ein fragiles Gleichgewicht #Libyens Konflikt eingefroren. Eine neue US-vermittelte Initiative könnte es ins Wanken bringen. @wlacher.bsky.social analysiert Risiken & Folgen 👇 www.nybooks.com/online/2026/...
nybooks.com
Libya: The Dangerous Gamble | Wolfram Lacher
On my last visit to Tripoli, this past June, the city often felt as if it had left the protracted conflicts of Libya’s post-Qaddafi era behind. At night,
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Nadia Zaboura @nadiazaboura.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Büschen leise in deutschen Medien zum Fakt, dass aktuell neben Springer-Medien und alternden Privatiers nun auch CDU-Politikerinnen gegen öffentlich-rechtliche Journalisten agitieren. Hat jemand die Breite des deutschen Medienjournalismus und ÖRR-Stellungnahmen zu den Attacken auf Restle gesehen?
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Fathel @fath0039.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
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Wolfram Lacher @wlacher.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
"As both sides build up their arsenals and collude in defrauding the state, they are inexorably pushing Libya toward crisis. Boulos, seeking to cement the status quo by entrenching the rule of the two families, may turn out to be the harbinger of its collapse." My latest, in @nybooks.com
nybooks.com
Libya: The Dangerous Gamble | Wolfram Lacher
On my last visit to Tripoli, this past June, the city often felt as if it had left the protracted conflicts of Libya’s post-Qaddafi era behind. At night,
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Simon Wolfgang Fuchs @simonwfuchs.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Wer an einer fundierten Analyse zu Ceuta und den Interessen Marokkos interessiert ist, ohne "Invasion!"-Geheule und Verschwörungserzählungen, der und dem sei das Interview mit Isabelle Werenfels im Deutschlandfunk empfohlen: share.deutschlandradio.de/dlf-audiothe...
share.deutschlandradio.de
Ereignisse in Ceuta - Interview mit Isabelle Werenfels, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik
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Wolfram Lacher @wlacher.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
It's not a mystery what caused the crisis in Ceuta. (Source: New York Times)
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Anne Roth @anneroth.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
„Alles, was ich im Moment für Deutschland empfinde, ist Mitleid. Es ist bedauerlich, dass diese Gesellschaft nicht erkennt, was aus ihr geworden ist.“ Ein Brief an deutsche Linke, für den wir @zararah.bsky.social dankbar sein müssen, denn für sie wäre vermutlich einfacher, schweigend zu gehen.
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Bokar Sangaré @bokarsangare.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
www.lemonde.fr/afrique/arti...
lemonde.fr
Le Tchad annonce quitter la CPI à la demande des Etats-Unis
Le retrait de N’Djamena, qui prendra effet en juillet 2027, n’affecte pas la poursuite des enquêtes déjà lancées. Le rôle trouble joué par le Tchad dans la guerre au Soudan est dans le viseur de l’ins...
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Prof. Stefan Rahmstorf @rahmstorf.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Holiday in the climate emergency. No that’s not AI or edited, just a snapshot I just took with my phone on Lacanau beach in France. What future will this boy grow up in? It is in our hands, but time is running out.
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Abu Aardvark @abuaardvark.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Terrific, must-read piece by David Kirkpatrick about US, Israel, Gaza and Iran which closely tracks with my account in America’s Middle East and other writing. Absolutely damning in all directions. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
newyorker.com
How Biden Enabled Israel’s Aggression Toward Gaza—and Iran
Top officials from the previous Administration now express regret over their failure to rein in Netanyahu.
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Megatrends Afrika @megatrends-afrika.de · 20/07/2026
Bundesaußenminister Johann #Wadephul reist derzeit nach #Mauretanien, #Nigeria und #Südafrika. Im Fokus stehen Fragen der regionalen Sicherheit, Migration, wirtschaftlichen Zusammenarbeit sowie der Energie- und Klimapolitik. Dazu haben wir zehn Analysen von #MegatrendsAfrika zusammengestellt 🧵
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
The US is adopting a strategy of attacking water storage and desalination plants designed to render the region uninhabitable. If continued, this strategy will make the Gulf littoral uninhabitable in the coming decades. Yet there is no discussion of these tactics and their repercussion in the US.
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Jean-Baptiste Gallopin @jbgallopin.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
The killings in Mai Kadra, in northwestern Ethiopia, started around 3 p.m. on November 9, 2020. When night fell it did not bring peace. Hundreds died. Who, exactly, killed whom first, where, and how, we don't know.
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