Who were Cathars?
Christianity spread by the sword.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WajENTN0maM
Tag: Europe
Has the US Now Gone Completely ROGUE?
Trump’s aggression could weaken the US in the long term by turning off current and potential allies and partners.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3AdMQAOHKQ
Why Tom Holland Had to Rethink the Ancient World
Paul may have written the most impactful letters in history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oVzFmt_SGw
French and German adults lean toward dialing back Ukraine support, new POLITICO poll shows
The French and Germans have turned into little bitches.
“In France and Germany, the EU’s two biggest democracies, new polling shows that more respondents want their governments to scale back financial aid to Kyiv than to increase it or keep it the same. In the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, meanwhile, respondents tilt the other way and favor maintaining material support
…
The most frequently cited argument against additional assistance was concerns about the cost and the pressure on the national economy.
…
Support for Ukraine was driven primarily by those who backed Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in the 2024 election in the U.S.
…
“In Germany and France, opposition to assistance was especially pronounced among supporters of far-right parties — such as the Alternative for Germany and France’s National Rally — while centrists were less skeptical.
…
The softer support for Ukraine in France and Germany does not appear to reflect warmer feelings toward Moscow, however. Voters in all five countries backed sanctions against Russia, suggesting that even where publics want to pare back aid they remain broadly aligned around punishing the aggressor and limiting Russia’s ability to finance the war.”
https://www.politico.eu/article/french-and-germans-lean-toward-dialing-back-ukraine-support-new-international-politico-poll-shows/
Frontline states want EU cash as Russian threat intensifies
“In recent months Russia has flown fighter jets into Estonian airspace and sent dozens of drones deep into Polish and Romanian territory. Its ally Belarus has repeatedly brought Lithuanian air traffic to a standstill by allowing giant balloons to cross its borders. And last week, Moscow’s top envoy Sergey Lavrov issued a veiled threat to Finland to exit NATO.”
https://www.politico.eu/article/frontline-states-eu-cash-russia-threat-defense/
The Wolf-Krugman Exchange: Power, plutocracy and political economy
A study found that due to Brexit, UK GDP per capita is 6-8% lower than it would be if the UK never left the EU.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSQ7LY0ca0o
Putin Wanted Moldova… Now He’s Losing Transnistria Instead
Russia likes to heavily support breakaway regions to have influence in a country and to weaken and divide those who may oppose Russia’s power.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgxVmB0rvCE
How Russia keeps raising an army to replace its dead
“For Russian men, war now advertises itself like any other job.
Offers for front-line contracts appear on the messaging app Telegram alongside group chats and news alerts, promising signing bonuses of up to $50,000 — life-changing money in a country where average monthly wages remain below $1,000. The incentives go beyond cash, with pledges of debt relief and free childcare for soldiers’ families and guaranteed university places for their children. Criminal records, illness and even HIV are no longer automatic disqualifiers. For many men with little to lose, the front has become an employer of last resort.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/05/russia-planned-war-of-attrition-00672960
What the US wants from Ukraine: Leave Donbas, one way or another
““On the territory issue, Americans are simple: Russia demands Ukraine to give up territories, and Americans keep thinking how to make it happen,” a senior European official familiar with the negotiation process told POLITICO on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.
“The Americans insist that Ukraine must leave the Donbas … one way or another,” the official added.
Ukraine has insisted that any peace deal must involve the war being frozen on current lines. At present, some 30 percent of Donbas is still in Ukrainian hands.”
https://www.politico.eu/article/us-wants-from-ukraine-leave-donbas-one-way-or-another/
Europe Needs to Get its Shit Together. NOW.
Europe is divided. Countries close to the Russian threat take that threat a lot more seriously than countries further away. If the former militaristic European countries ever wake up and return to their martial ways, they could be a danger to Russia and the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Qc2ZRV5znQ