Political analyst. Africa. France-Africa. EU-Africa. Democracy. Constitutionalism. Equality: 50:50 boards, parliaments, life. Migrant.
BlueSky
Joined September 2021
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Tara O'Connor retweeted
Ceding Ukrainian land for peace is just abstract words. It’s not only about reality, even more about philosophy. Putin was talking about Donbas, but then he decided to occupy Kyiv, our capital. His words were about Donbas, but the reality was about Kyiv. He kept saying he was defending Russian-speaking people and then tortured hundreds and thousands to death in Bucha and other places. So that wasn’t about Russian-speaking people.
This is why when Americans asked, “Can you exchange Donbas for security?” I said right there, “Can you tell me what it means? What security? NATO?”
“Not NATO, but similar to NATO.”
“Similar? But you don't want the answer about Donbas to be ‘similar.’ You want a clear answer about Donbas. This is your goal. And this is Putin’s goal, for today. What will you do if we have security guarantees but not NATO?”
They took our nuclear weapons. I'm not a fan of nuclear weapons. I think the world would be a better place without them. But the Russians took our nuclear weapons, didn’t they? They did. Then they stopped our integration into Europe, then prevented us from being in NATO. And in the end they occupied us. This is why it’s an abstract question. Nobody trusts Putin to stop if we leave Donbas. He will pause. Then he will come back in one year, two years, or five years. And who will be guilty?
From an interview with DR Nyheder. (2/3)
Tara O'Connor retweeted
It’s clear since 2014! Putin thinks 🇺🇦 is Part of the Russian Empire! Did he Stop in Crimea 🇺🇦 2014? Stupid to think he Would stop in Donbas 2026! He wants 🇺🇦! Slava 💪🇺🇦♥️☮️🌻🇺🇦
Tara O'Connor retweeted
Sikorski: A Yalta 2, a three-party deal to rule the world, is absurd. Why Russia, with its $2 trillion economy? Europe's economy is 19 trillion.
If anyone builds such a three-party system, the EU should hold the third seat. That is in our interest. 6X
Tara O'Connor retweeted
Sikorski: The West bought the myth that Russia always wins. Russia beat the Swedes, Napoleon and Hitler.
But it lost the Crimean War and the 1904–05 war with Japan, ended World War I as a loser, lost its invasion of Poland, lost in Afghanistan and lost the Cold War. 5/
Tara O'Connor retweeted
Sikorski: Putin claimed genetic research shows Russians and Ukrainians are one nation. Try saying that Croats and Serbs are one nation.
In Russia's imperial policy, Russians decide who is a separate nation. Even if Eastern Slavs once were one, they are not anymore. 4/
Tara O'Connor retweeted
Sikorski: Ukrainians fight to stay independent, democratic and European.
They also fight because they know what happens in the occupied areas: filtration camps, kidnapped children, harsh denationalization.
All who wanted to resist Russia there face repression. 3/
Tara O'Connor retweeted
Sikorski: Ukraine has lost over 20,000 civilians and far more troops. In the 1990s, we presented Ukraine as a country of 52 million people.
Today Ukraine's government estimates from phone data that 25 million people live on the territory it controls. This is a disaster. 2/
Tara O'Connor retweeted
Sikorski: US negotiators are making a mistake believing this war is only about territory.
If Ukraine gives away two cities in Donbas, Putin will think he can live with honor and end the war. No, it would be a pause.
To be a global superpower, Russia needs Ukraine. 1/
Tara O'Connor retweeted
Sikorski: US negotiators are wrong to think this war is only about land. If Ukraine gives away two cities in Donbas, the war won't end. It would be a pause.
Ukraine had 52 million people in the 1990s. Today 25 million live in Kyiv-controlled territory.
0/
Tara O'Connor retweeted
Here is mister no bullshit,
Sikorski: US negotiators are wrong to think this war is only about land.
Tara O'Connor retweeted
🇵🇱 TWO POLISH POLICE OFFICERS RISKED THEIR LIVES TO STOP A GUNMAN IN KRAKOW. ONE WAS SHOT THREE TIMES.
Six people were killed and 16 others wounded when a 24-year-old gunman opened fire on civilians in central Krakow on November 7.
Amid the chaos, two police officers, Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański, confronted the attacker.
They knew they were facing an armed man with superior firepower. They went in anyway.
Both officers were wounded during the exchange of gunfire. Jakub reportedly suffered three gunshot wounds but continued fighting, helping to neutralize the attacker despite his injuries.
There is more to Jakub's story.
Before becoming a police officer, he spent two years serving in Poland's 18th Bielsko Airborne Battalion, part of the 6th Airborne Brigade.
In 2022, he joined the police, working in a patrol unit responsible for responding to dangerous incidents.
On November 7, that responsibility nearly cost him his life.
As doctors fought to stabilize his condition, Polish police and military personnel appealed for blood donations, specifically AB Rh-positive.
On November 8, Jakub was brought out of a medically induced coma. According to the latest information provided, he remains in serious but stable condition.
The attack left six families mourning loved ones and another 16 people injured. The intervention of Jakub and Artur may have prevented further casualties.
It is easy to talk about courage when the danger is hypothetical.
It is something entirely different to run toward an armed attacker while everyone else is desperately trying to escape.
Neither officer knew whether he would survive that confrontation.
And behind those uniforms are two people with families, friends and futures that matter just as much as those of the strangers they were protecting.
Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański deserve recognition not simply for confronting a gunman, but for accepting extraordinary personal risk to protect people they had never met.
I hope both men recover completely, and that Jakub gets to enjoy many more years with the people he loves.
They have already given more than anyone should ever have to.
Tara O'Connor retweeted
Very pleased to welcome former US President @JoeBiden and his family to Dublin.
We reflected on his strong Irish roots and previous visits, appreciating his lifelong support for Ireland.
Tara O'Connor retweeted
Charlie is right about this.
This is why IMHO @JensenHuang resigns. This will be a closed-door hearings; watch when the Dems take charge. The scrutiny will be unrelenting because of his ties to Trump. True, the @nvidia board is weak by corporate governance standards but it will have no choice but to act because even if you take the most innocent explanation for his affair it’s a huge issue from a fiduciary standpoint given the company’s national security importance. How can the government continue to deal with a company whose CEO is this reckless?
Tara O'Connor retweeted
Five days in the South African Winelands. My liver has requested annual leave.
Gentle start at Millineux.
Tomorrow it’s the rather swanky @babylonstoren and Mont Rochelle - Richard Branson’s
Gaff
Tara O'Connor retweeted
I am so envious. Heaven! PS....Did you see any white genocide Kay? Were the marauding Blacks attacking White people or some violent land seizures?
So good to read about your wonderful experience in South Africa.💃 Come back!!!!
Five days in the South African Winelands. My liver has requested annual leave.
Gentle start at Millineux.
Tomorrow it’s the rather swanky @babylonstoren and Mont Rochelle - Richard Branson’s
Gaff
Tara O'Connor retweeted
Who would have thought that the Trumps would come to the defence of a convicted rapist? They are truly sick.
Tara O'Connor retweeted
There’s one person in this exchange whose behavior, hand-picked candidates, and policies were repudiated handily by voters with historical election losses coast to coast — including in Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Ohio, and Georgia — and it ain’t Kaitlan.
