Author | Lightnews

Tyson Barker @tysonbarker.bsky.social · Sep 7

So, the acronym for the agency previously known as the Department of Defense should now be pronounces as follows:

homer simpson from the simpsons is standing in front of a shelf with stuffed animals and says d ' oh .

ALT: homer simpson from the simpsons is standing in front of a shelf with stuffed animals and says d ' oh .

media.tenor.com

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Tyson Barker @tysonbarker.bsky.social · Sep 1

Mark your calendars: We don't know what the 🇫🇷 govt will look like, but we do know that on Nov 18 🇩🇪 & 🇫🇷 will co-host a European Summit on Digital Sovereignty in Berlin. bmds.bund.de/aktuelles/pr....

29.08.2025 | Europäischer Gipfel zur digitalen Souveränität 2025 - Bundesministerium für Digitales und Staatsmodernisierung

https://bmds.bund.de/aktuelles/pressemitteilungen/29082025-europaeischer-gipfel-zur-digitalen-souveraenitaet-2025#:~:text=Der%20Europäische%20Gipfel%20zur%20digitalen,die%20Zukunft%20Europas%20sichern%20können

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Tyson Barker @tysonbarker.bsky.social · Aug 20

Want to know Trump’s anchor posture on 🇺🇦 ? Where you stand is where you sit: his front bench is the VP Vance, Sec Rubio & his in-house Putin-Versteher, Witkoff - the same 3 he put in charge of security guarantees. Even meeting w the Ukrainians, his Ukr point, Kellogg, is 2nd row

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Tyson Barker @tysonbarker.bsky.social · Aug 17

“Root causes” defined = Ukraine as a democratic country independent from total Russian subservience. That is what “root causes” means. That’s what Putin wants to “address”. It’s as simple as that. No matter how clinical and academic “root causes” might sound.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Aug 17

Rubio says that Russia will have to "get something" as part of a peace deal

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Tyson Barker @tysonbarker.bsky.social · Aug 17

That’s a bit of a cynical take. One of the tools in the tool box of heads of state is commanding attention economies- lord knows DJT has mastered it. This is the biggest sonic boom of political support - w back end implications about what they want to discuss in terms of security guarantees

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Tyson Barker @tysonbarker.bsky.social · Aug 17

Have you seen heads of state and govt align to travel en masse to DC to demonstrate their unity on an issue in your lifetime? I haven’t.

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Tyson Barker @tysonbarker.bsky.social · Aug 17

Incredible show of unity and force by Europe.

The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · Aug 17

⚡️Top European leaders to join Zelensky in Washington for Trump talks.

EU's Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, U.K. PM Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and NATO's Rutte will attend the Aug. 18 meeting.

Top European leaders to join Zelensky in Washington for Trump talks

According to the German government, the discussions will cover the state of peace efforts, security guarantees, territorial questions, continued support for Ukraine, and maintaining sanctions pressure...

kyivindependent.com

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Reposted by Tyson Barker

Bruegel @bruegel.org · Jul 27

🗣️ Rebuilding Ukraine

Simon O'Connor in podcast conversation with @rebeccawire.bsky.social @tysonbarker.bsky.social & @eribakova.bsky.social on how the EU and international partners are helping to finance recovery and support reconstruction in a conflict zone.

🔗 Listen here: buff.ly/qK69HFK

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Reposted by Tyson Barker

Bruegel @bruegel.org · Jul 23

🎙️ Rebuilding Ukraine: international support, defence and recovery

@rebeccawire.bsky.social talks to @tysonbarker.bsky.social @eribakova.bsky.social & Simon O’Connor on the delicate balance between urgent wartime needs and planning for a resilient, post-war economy. #EconSky

Listen below:

Rebuilding Ukraine: international support, defence and recovery

As Russia’s war on Ukraine continues, how are EU and international partners helping to finance recovery and support reconstruction in a conflict zone?

buff.ly

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Tyson Barker @tysonbarker.bsky.social · Jun 20

What exactly is this cross branding supposed to mean? Is the chicken injected with acid?

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Tyson Barker @tysonbarker.bsky.social · Jun 15

Today is Germany's first Veterans Day. It's hard to underestimate the tectonic shifts that had to happen to bring about. In important milestone toward honoring & understanding the 🇩🇪 veteran experience. www.dw.com/de/so-feiert...

So feiert Deutschland den ersten Veteranentag – DW – 14.06.2025

Gut zehn Millionen Männer und Frauen haben bisher in der Bundeswehr gedient. Sie werden am 15. Juni 2025 erstmals mit einem nationalen Veteranentag gewürdigt. In Berlin gibt es ein großes Bürgerfest.

www.dw.com

Reposted by Tyson Barker

Tyson Barker @tysonbarker.bsky.social · Jun 2

My interview with the Kyiv Post on what the Merz Washington visit could mean for Ukraine.

www.kyivpost.com/post/53764

Merz Heads to Washington as Germany Eyes Becoming Guarantor of European Security

The German leader will hold high stakes talks with US President Donald Trump over Ukraine, trade and NATO, amid growing concerns about the European continent’s security architecture

www.kyivpost.com

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Tyson Barker @tysonbarker.bsky.social · Jun 2

My interview with the Kyiv Post on what the Merz Washington visit could mean for Ukraine.

www.kyivpost.com/post/53764

Merz Heads to Washington as Germany Eyes Becoming Guarantor of European Security

The German leader will hold high stakes talks with US President Donald Trump over Ukraine, trade and NATO, amid growing concerns about the European continent’s security architecture

www.kyivpost.com

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Reposted by Tyson Barker

Anton Gerashchenko @antongerashchenko.bsky.social · May 27

After returning from Russian captivity, the Ukrainian Defender learned that he had become a grandfather to a baby girl, Yaryna, who is three months old.

Look how his hands are shaking as he absorbs the news... Bless them.
#StayWithUkraine

📹: Mezha/Facebook

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Tyson Barker @tysonbarker.bsky.social · May 27

Germany has overtaken Japan as the world’s largestt crediter www.t-online.de/finanzen/akt...

Schwache Landeswährung: Deutschland löst Japan als größter Gläubiger der Welt ab

Erstmals seit 34 Jahren hat Deutschland Japan beim weltweiten Ranking der Nettoauslandsvermögen überholt. Der japanische Yen spielte dabei eine wichtige Rolle.

www.t-online.de

Reposted by Tyson Barker

Tyson Barker @tysonbarker.bsky.social · May 23

Against the backdrop RU bombs & diplomatic bad faith, the 🇺🇸 🇺🇦 Reconstruction Investment Fund came into force today. As Mustafa Nayyem & I write in @lawfaremedia.org today, with it, the Trump Admin has now effectively taken an ownership stake in Ukraine’s success. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/char...

Charting a Path Forward for the U.S.-Ukraine Minerals Deal

The Trump administration has taken an ownership stake in Ukraine’s recovery. Now what?

www.lawfaremedia.org

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Tyson Barker @tysonbarker.bsky.social · May 23

Against the backdrop RU bombs & diplomatic bad faith, the 🇺🇸 🇺🇦 Reconstruction Investment Fund came into force today. As Mustafa Nayyem & I write in @lawfaremedia.org today, with it, the Trump Admin has now effectively taken an ownership stake in Ukraine’s success. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/char...

Charting a Path Forward for the U.S.-Ukraine Minerals Deal

The Trump administration has taken an ownership stake in Ukraine’s recovery. Now what?

www.lawfaremedia.org

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Tyson Barker @tysonbarker.bsky.social · May 16

Former 🇺🇸 Amb Bridget writes why Trump’s Reset 5.0 policy amid Russia’s full scale invasion led her to resign from government service eu.freep.com/story/opinio...

I was U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. I resigned because of Trump's foreign policy. | Opinion

I served in our country's foreign service for three decades. The Trump administration's Ukraine policy will make the U.S. less safe.

eu.freep.com

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Tyson Barker @tysonbarker.bsky.social · May 15

Of course the devil is in the details but we have to: 1) admire the ambition of the Merz govt & 2) ask whether Trump’s approach is more effective than the so-called Atlanticists (it seems like it is). Perhaps what the Euro-Atlantic relationship needs is indeed more hard ball. on.ft.com/3SAG3jU

Germany backs Donald Trump goal for Nato to spend 5% of GDP on defence

Foreign minister signals Berlin will commit to 3.5% in ‘hard’ military spending and 1.5% for infrastructure by 2032

on.ft.com

Tyson Barker @tysonbarker.bsky.social · May 9

Merz invited Trump visit to 🇩🇪. DJT only visited officially once in his 1st term, to Hamburg for the 2017 G20. my advice to 🇩🇪: think pomp & tradtion (ex. Potsdam or Bavaria) rather than the austere rickiticki modernity of Berlin’s govt quarter. Sounds stupid but matters www.dw.com/de/news-komp...

News kompakt: Merz spricht Einladung an Trump aus – DW – 09.05.2025

Der neue Bundeskanzler hat ein erstes Telefonat mit dem US-Präsidenten geführt. Zum 80. Mal feiert Moskau den Sieg der Sowjetunion über Nazi-Deutschland. Das Wichtigste in Kürze.

www.dw.com

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Tyson Barker @tysonbarker.bsky.social · Apr 14

Funny. Because I have been thinking how much Trump’s approach to demolishing the dollar’s role in the global economic system reminds me of Truss-economics. In a nutshell: Use policy to decimate your credibility.

Roland Smith @rolandmcs.bsky.social · Apr 14

Evening.

Tyson Barker @tysonbarker.bsky.social · Apr 8

At SAIS in 2007, I took an 🇫🇷 politics class taught by Phil Gordon, about Mitterrand's warnings about the "Albanian economic model” - the isolated, protectionist, dictatorial, repressive state under Hoxha’s regime. It feels a bit like Trump took all the wrong lessons from the Albanian model.

Tyson Barker @tysonbarker.bsky.social · Apr 4

On Berlin’s Savigny Platz. Couldn’t agree more.

Tyson Barker @tysonbarker.bsky.social · Apr 2

For this “Liberation Day,” I liberated myself from Twitter. I also liberated myself from my remaining Tesla stock (had to sell low)

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Tyson Barker @tysonbarker.bsky.social · Mar 25

Here's what Witkoff is: a billionaire 💰💰💰. That makes him a Trump admin “principal,” a net value based near-peer in Trump’s world. Other “principals” incl Bessent, Lutnick & Musk. Others- frmr Senators, generals, Congressmen - they’re staffers. Vance is a staffer. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

JD Vance defends Trump envoy who called Putin not a 'bad guy'

Vice President JD Vance defended President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff on Monday after foreign policy experts protested his description of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

www.dailymail.co.uk

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