Willem Theo Oosterveld (ويلِّم)

Analyst at @eu_eeas @eupolcopps. Previously lived in 🇺🇸🇫🇷🇩🇪🇨🇭🇿🇦🇮🇩🇲🇦🇪🇬🇳🇪 & 🇳🇱. PhD, history of intl law @GVAGrad. Caveats apply.

[William Dalrymple @DalrympleWill]

Very sad to hear of the death of my friend and mentor in matters mediaeval, David Abulafia. Though we differed in our politics, he was the kindest and most supportive and generous of colleagues, always quick to send suggestions and helpful critiques and reading lists. He was also wonderful company and full of wit and good stories, particularly when encountered in unexpected places such as the Doges Palace or a remote Sicilian castle. And he wrote wonderful, wonderful books- Frederick II & The Great Sea are two personal favourites. We have lost one of our finest mediaevalists.

[Willem Theo Oosterveld (ويلِّم) @WTheOos]

Time for a sequel to From the Holy Mountain, I’d say!

[William Dalrymple @DalrympleWill]

William Dalrymple: rediscovering the ancient wonders of eastern Turkey
My piece on last year's family holiday in the far Southeast of Anatolia, with many thanks to @steppestravel
https://t.co/hffExiJzRS via @FT

[Durrell Society @DurrellSociety]

I doubt if I could ever return to Alexandria. I feel it fade inside me, in my thoughts, like some valedictory mirage—like the sad history of some great queen whose fortunes have foundered among the ruins of armies and the sands of time!

— Lawrence Durrell

The Alexandria Quartet

[Willem Theo Oosterveld (ويلِّم) @WTheOos]

over Emilie du Châtelet, één van de belangrijkste wetenschappelijke denkers tijdens de Verlichting.

[Willem Theo Oosterveld (ويلِّم) @WTheOos]

https://t.co/yx2HtIH9o6

[FT World News @ftworldnews]

Joseph Nye, who coined the term ‘soft power’, dies aged 88 https://t.co/dxl8HHClJk

[eu @Eupolcopps]

On the margins of visit to Middle East @kajakallas was with @EUPOLCOPPS. Joint meeting held with @EUPOLCOPPSHoM & EUBAM RAFAH @ApostolovaEU who briefed HR/VP on Missions mandate implementation despite a deteriorating security situation in the region.

[The New York Review of Books @nybooks]

“Bad snooker would be painful to watch; mediocre snooker is notoriously boring; but great snooker is sublime. And it is generally agreed that even among those legends of the game...one player stands alone.” —Sally Rooney on Ronnie O’Sullivan https://t.co/iig3idlW7Q

[eu @Eupolcopps]

"The two #CivilianCSDP Missions, @EUPOLCOPPS and @EUBAMRafah, are a small but strategic and concrete contribution which deserves reinforcement by 🇪🇺 Member States to play the needed role” said chair of @EP_Defence as they visited 🇵🇸. Read more 👇

[eu @Eupolcopps]

Our sister mission EUBAM RAFAH deploys today👇

[Willem Theo Oosterveld (ويلِّم) @WTheOos]

Geopolitical absoluteness v geopolitical relativity: "the silliest statistic in Britain’s public discourse is that it is the “sixth-biggest economy in the world”, which is like being the 3rd biggest football club in Manchester: the gap to nr one is larger than that to nr 20."

[FT Opinion @ftopinion]

Pity the middle-sized nations of the world - Janan Ganesh https://t.co/evkkmO3HEa

[Willem Theo Oosterveld (ويلِّم) @WTheOos]

Great to see @TheEconomist run a piece on the Marvel of Holland, putting the spotlight on Delft (with its cozy canals). Only wonder why the name of this assassinated Dutch prince is passed over in silence...

[The Economist @TheEconomist]

Hugo Grotius was born in 1583 to an age of tumult, where old codes of warfare and chivalry were no longer reliable guides. He offered a solution.

In search of perspective, we consider what his work can tell us about our troubled times now: https://t.co/RTo62nsUid 👇

[The Economist @TheEconomist]

Attempts at de-Russification in Odessa have resulted in fear and polarisation. The sort of cultural questions it is grappling with will ultimately shape what kind of country Ukraine becomes https://t.co/XpGPvXBQhD

Illustration: Mariaelena Caputi

[Hélène Le Gal @HeleneLeGal]

EU flag raised in Damascus.

[Kaja Kallas @kajakallas]

Syria faces a hopeful but uncertain future.

That's why we all agreed in Aqaba on important principles: stability, sovereignty, territorial integrity, but also respect for minorities, institution build-up and unity of government that includes all the groups in Syria.

[Willem Theo Oosterveld (ويلِّم) @WTheOos]

Important piece focusing on practical challenges such as energy, state debts, transitional justice, governance and security. Who will step up to support the country towards a better future?

[Middle East & Africa @FTMidEastAfrica]

Can an Islamist government rebuild a shattered Syria? https://t.co/BmaEIAKV0F

[ACLED @ACLEDINFO]

🗺️ Where is conflict most dangerous in 2024 — and where will it escalate in 2025?

Palestine tops the #ACLED Conflict Index as global violence rises 25%, while the 2025 Watchlist highlights 10 crises to monitor, from Ukraine to the Sahel.

Explore both: https://t.co/I17QLMepHJ

[Willem Theo Oosterveld (ويلِّم) @WTheOos]

https://t.co/qD2oBbKet4

[Foreign Policy @ForeignPolicy]

The fall of Assad has further weakened Iran, but the broader consequence is a change in the balance of power between Turkey and the rest of the region, @vali_nasr writes. https://t.co/CUMtpBeEeO

[Vali Nasr @vali_nasr]

My latest on regional realignment that started with Assad's fall: collapse of Hezbollah changed the balance of power between Iran and Israel; fall Assad is a change in the balance of power between Turkey and everyone else. It is not all about Iran anymore https://t.co/B3sYPnpvxu