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nickashdown.bsky.social
New Dad. Canadian journalist/writer in Brussels writing mostly about Turkey. New Lines Magazine, LA Review of Books, Times Literary Supplement, Foreign Policy, Globe & Mail, etc. Selected clippings: https://nickashdown.weebly.com/selected-published-works
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"Europe collectively outproduces the United States in steel, vehicles, ships, and civil aircraft...The EU’s manufacturing sector employs 30 million people versus just 13 million in the United States. While U.S. tech is highly profitable, the industry employs just 6.5 million people."

submitted 2 hours ago • 0 comments

BREAKING: Mark Carney wins the Liberal Party leadership race and will be Canada’s next prime minister, succeeding Justin Trudeau. The transition will most likely happen in the next week.

submitted 15 hours ago • 3 comments

Four large satellite operators — Luxembourg’s SES, Spain’s Hisdesat, Viasat, owner of the UK’s Inmarsat, and France’s Eutelsat/OneWeb — have all told @financialtimes.com they’re in talks with governments and EU institutions about how to provide back-up connectivity to Ukraine. on.ft.com/4kyetAE

submitted 2 days ago • 22 comments

Good summation of Europe's response to the Trump crisis. Massive funding pledges from Germany & EU, borrowing restrictions lifted, military training for all men in Poland, monumental statements from Starmer & Macron, Norway doubles support for Ukraine -> substack.com/inbox/post/1...

submitted 18 hours ago • 1 comment

As European commentators have been pointing out for a while now, the Republican Party is way to the right of most of the European far right (never mind the centre-right). www.ft.com/content/3046...

submitted 1 day ago • 1 comment

Of course. As a Turkish friend once put it to me years ago, "They destroy anything that's beautiful." The first choice is always to corrupt something, to capture anything they don't control, but failing that, to simply destroy it. www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

It's too late to build up a proper military deterrent (we're a rich country and could have a formidable military, but I don't think we even have an air defence system right now), but Canada needs to join a military alliance outside of NATO asap. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/w...?

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

Some thoughts on the European response to the chaos now emanating from the White House - on Ukraine and more broadly, based on chats with senior European policymakers directly or indirectly involved in formulating the bloc's response 1/

submitted 3 days ago • 35 comments

This was phenomenal, maybe my favourite film of the year. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

Really thought-provoking, often counter-intuitive article on a subject most liberals don't like to talk about - mass immigration, and a fascinating look into Danish politics and the history of immigration. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/24/m...

submitted 3 days ago • 2 comments

Graffiti in Calgary (not my photo).

submitted 4 days ago • 0 comments

As Europe shifts from soft to hard power, it needs a single representative, and right now, the best candidate appears to be Macron - tough on Russia, but also tried hard to negotiate with Putin, pro-Europe, ok relations with Trump, was right about strategic autonomy before it was cool.

submitted 5 days ago • 2 comments

"Relations could improve for the wrong reasons, driven by corrupt solidarity between two profoundly antidemocratic leaders. Or relations could get worse for the wrong reasons, driven by the two men’s support for rival violent civilizational projects in the Middle East."

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

Sinem’s analysis through these nested threads is crucial. The picture it draws however does appear to be one of a Kurdish movement that is itself fractured and it is not at all clear what anyone is getting out of the deal.

submitted 7 days ago • 1 comment

The natural reflex to Trump’s aggression will be to mirror him with a “Canada First” or “Every Country For Itself” approach Ultimately, we will all be stronger if democratic forces around the world unite and build new alliances to push back against Trump’s unchecked power

submitted 6 days ago • 18 comments

Arguably his best speech during his time as PM because it was the most honest.

submitted 5 days ago • 9 comments

Easy to lose this in the noise of the day, but the prime minister of Canada just said the US president, leader of the global hegemon, wants to soften us up economically so he can annex us. That is one of the most remarkable statements, and realities, in our history.

submitted 5 days ago • 375 comments

Pretty grim stats from @canadianpolling.bsky.social. Even in a post-Trump US, the relationship between the two countries will never be the same, at least not for many years and without huge overtures from the Americans.

submitted 5 days ago • 1 comment

US vs European markets YTD.

submitted 6 days ago • 1 comment

A couple of good charts from the @financialtimes.com dispelling common myths about US vs. EU support for Ukraine. www.ft.com/content/b46e...

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

Really vivid writing here from @evrimdnz.bsky.social, reporting from Diyarbakır, where long-embattled residents' hope is palpable. I sure hope they won't be let down. bianet.org/haber/how-oc...

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

"According to KaosGL’s report, the government plans to sentence 'anyone who publicly promotes, praises, or encourages behaviors and attitudes that contradict one’s biological sex at birth and general morality' to one to three years in prison." www.duvarenglish.com/turkish-govt...

submitted 8 days ago • 1 comment

Incredible piece on one of the defining characteristics of our time, and a fascinating look at South Korean society, where the default for younger people is to not have kids, and there's considerable hostility towards children and parents. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

submitted 8 days ago • 1 comment

Turkey's attitude towards Ukraine, a thread. 1. There is only marginal emotional investment in Ukraine one way or another in domestic politics. a. Economic fallout b. Demonstrations of Turkey's importance play well c. Pro-forma support for Ukraine's control of Crimea

submitted 8 days ago • 2 comments

I gotta say the series Parlement has miraculously managed to make EU politics interesting and hilarious. Here's the EU version of that 25th Hour mirror scene: www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_mM...

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

This was always my favourite Öcalan anecdote, from Aliza Marcus's Blood and Belief. "Once, the PKK militant tasked with keeping track of Ocalan’s goals forgot to count four of them. Ocalan blew up at the man..."

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

According to the pro-govt newspapers, Ankara's roadmap is as follows: 1) Wait-and-see period (4-5 months): PKK and its affiliates in Europe&elsewhere will be closely observed for their compliance with the call for disarmament&dissolution.

submitted 9 days ago • 4 comments

Can't see how Europe and the US can reconcile frankly. The reception to Zelensky among EU leaders vs this doesn't seem bridgeable. This is going to play awfully in every chancellery across Europe. A big split is coming

submitted 9 days ago • 54 comments

Winston Churchill visiting the White House in 1942. Not wearing a suit. #SlavaUkraïni 🇺🇦

submitted 9 days ago • 12 comments

It's like your two worst twitter trolls suddenly jump out of the screen, and also you're on TV being watched by 100s of millions, and also it's all happening in a language you're not quite fluent in, and if you even slightly lose your temper or just grimace you'll be deemed weak or undiplomatic.

submitted 9 days ago • 0 comments

Trump talks about China China China, but he would never, ever, under any circumstances, speak to Xi the way he just spoke to Zelenskyy. It's not just that the US is no longer an ally of Europe, it's an adversary, an opponent, and much more of a threat than China at this point.

submitted 9 days ago • 1 comment

Columnist close to the palace predicts Öcalan will not be released following the "peace process." This whole thing is about getting support to make Erdoğan president for life, and Öcalan being released would face broad condemnation, including from AK supporters. www.hurriyet.com.tr/yazarlar/abd...

submitted 10 days ago • 1 comment

Öcalan remains a highly respected figure in the Kurdish movement, but I'm very curious to see what Demirtaş will say. I remember in 2019 when Öcalan essentially called on Kurds to not support İmamoğlu (Demirtaş called for the opposite) in the Istanbul elections, and most Kurds ignored him.

submitted 10 days ago • 6 comments