I usually view Chancellor addresses as highly predictable bureaucratic updates. Friedrich Merz completely shattered that expectation on October 7, 2025. He deliberately bypassed standard state policy on the second anniversary of the attacks. Consequently, he asked every resident for immediate, … Continue reading Expat integration in Germany: The Merz Shift on October 7, 2025
On a summer evening at Bondi, a place Australians associate with leisure and safety, violence intruded in a way few expected. The Bondi attack has since been described by authorities as a targeted act of terrorism. It has raised urgent questions about public safety, radicalisation, and whether even countries with strong gun laws can still miss warning signs. This article explains the Bondi attack in clear terms: what happened, who carried it out, and why it matters beyond Australia. What happened at Bondi The attack took place during a public gathering near Bondi Beach, attended by families and visitors. Two … Continue reading Bondi Attack Explained: What Happened, Who Carried It Out, and Why It Matters
There is a moment in every historical debate when two truths push against each other. One truth is that Ottoman coexistence allowed many Jewish families to live, trade, and pray without the mass expulsions and pogroms that scarred Europe. The other truth is that this coexistence rested on a system where Jews were unequal by law. Both things were real. They coexisted in the same streets and in the same years. Ottoman coexistence was complex and multilayered. (Some readers asked for more background. The earlier piece is here: Unequal Neighbors: Jews in Europe and the Ottoman Empire .) This new … Continue reading Continuity or Precarity? What Ottoman Coexistence Really Meant for Jews
