And, thus, becoming far more dangerous — So it appears that the Russian army has been taken by surprise by the latest Ukrainian counteroffensive, and seemingly caught unprepared. Barring the possibility that this is a ruse or an actual tactical withdrawal, this has dramatically changed the situation on the ground for Putin. So, what now? Putin, in…

And how to do it right — Have you ever tried it lately? Talking to someone and actually listening to what they have to say? It’s very hard. Especially in an age where social media and the pandemic have made face-to-face social contact even more difficult than it already was; echo chambers thrive. They form tiny cells…

Humanity is on the brink — Things are so bad right now, people are dying, the world is burning, we’re standing on the edge of the abyss, and yet, in a way it’s also darkly funny. The New York Times is screaming bloody murder, as if Putin reducing the natural gas supply to Europe in response…

It only counts if you’re with the good guys — General Mark Milley, the top military officer of the U.S., visited Indonesia and made a very interesting statement yesterday. He said: “The message is the Chinese military, in the air and at sea, have become significantly more and noticeably more aggressive in this particular region.” It’s not so much what…

What used to be a side effect of our wars and inequality is now used as a weapon — Famine has been used historically to weaken invading armies and besieged garrisons alike. An army that can’t eat, can’t fight. Or, as Napoleon famously said: “An army marches on its stomach” Of course, in the case of sieges, civilians also paid the price of resistance against an invader. This put…

You know what the road to Hell is paved with — I really do believe that a lot of people who consider themselves to be “pro-life” are honest in their intentions. They really do like babies and hate the idea that a prospective baby would be thrown away like so much biohazardous material. They’re the most dangerous ones because, unlike the…

Gun ownership is a civil right; a woman’s bodily autonomy is not — Hello again, America. We’ve talked before about how life over there is getting increasingly crazy. You should know that we’re not trying to shame you. It’s not us Europeans getting all colonially condescending on you. The U.S., …

Guns, guns everywhere — I have often commented under many pieces here on Medium on the fact that Europeans are watching the U.S. with ever-increasing bewilderment and alarm, as it seems to us that politics and life, in general across the pond, is becoming more unhinged by the day. Few things are as characteristically…

Before it becomes just background noise — You might have noticed that the Ukraine war coverage has been steadily slipping into the background lately. The war seems to be turning into a slow march of Russia to take Donetsk and Luhansk, and that doesn’t make for compelling news. Is Putin going to declare his “victory” if that…