Sophie L. Vériter

Misinformation, disinformation, fake news, propaganda, algorithmic amplification, influence operations, bots, AI bias,… 😵‍💫 How to deal with what looks like information chaos? What is at stake for Europe? 👉🏼 A few takeaways from my PhD thesis: universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2025/0…

⚖🎓 Calling on postgraduate students in international law, young scholars, government officials and lawyers in this field: The 2026 International Law seminar will be held at @UNGeneva from 29 June to 17 June. Apply by 17 April ▶️ ilsgeneva.ch

@POLITICOEurope as JoJo would say, too little too late.

Only last week German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was "on the same page" as U.S. President Donald Trump over the goals of the Iran war ... he's now publicly airing his fears that Trump has no exit strategy to end fighting. politi.co/46UXa7R

Countries that have joined South Africa’s ICJ Genocide case against Israel: •Belgium •Ireland •Spain •Netherlands •Iceland •Mexico •Chile •Colombia •Bolivia •Brazil •Cuba •Belize •Libya •Palestine •Türkiye •Maldives Has yours yet?

As predicted, a new polling in Italy shows 69.5% of Italians think Italy should follow Spain and deny the use of US military bases on its territory. Only 15.9% disagree. 14.6% undecided. There’s latent opposition position against US-Israeli war against Iran, hiding behind the ambivalent stance of most EU governments Sample: 800. MoE: ±4%. Source: Eumetro/Piazza Pulita, 3-4 Mar 2026

Young people are not apathetic about democracy. They’re rational about institutions that have repeatedly failed to include them.

Listen to this upbeat Power&Purpose conversation @A_Sloat and I have with @AranchaGlezLaya ,in which she dismisses the distinction btw optimists&pessimists and tells us why the only meaningful choice is whether to be activist open.spotify.com/episode/4xNHKi…
 podcasts.apple.com/podcast/aranch…

VdL says Europe must “shape the new world.” Kallas says the rulebook has been “thrown out the window.” Both are right in diagnosis. Neither names who is responsible. That silence is exactly why nobody believes Europe will actually do what it says. euronews.com/my-europe/2026…

AI didn’t kill the demand for trustworthy information, it exploded it. Billions of people can now reach knowledge but still can’t make sense of it. The companies filling that gap right now aren’t exactly trustworthy. The market is wide open. 👇🏼 reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/informati…

US military investigators believe it is likely that US forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls' school that killed scores of children on February 28 but have not yet reached a final conclusion or completed their investigation reut.rs/4d4jqzO

Belgium’s defence minister says US-Israel strikes are “righteous”. Iran says the same about its proxies. Russia says the same about Ukraine. International law exists because everyone thinks their cause is just, and that’s why “righteous” has never been a legal basis for force.

@sanchezcastejon 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

La posición del Gobierno de España ante esta coyuntura es clara y consistente. La misma que hemos mantenido en Ucrania y Gaza. No a la quiebra de un derecho internacional que nos protege a todos, especialmente a la población civil. No a asumir que el mundo solo puede resolver sus problemas a base de bombas. No repitamos los errores del pasado. NO A LA GUERRA.

Know an interesting book about diplomacy or global affairs you want to review for @Hague_Jour_Dipl ? 📚 For 2026, we particularly welcome book reviews that explore perspectives from the global majority. More info here: universiteitleiden.nl/hjd/journal/bo…

France joins Spain in condemning the US-Israeli attack to Iran leaving Merz and von der Leyen look outliers. Merz’ silence on Trump’s boycott threat to Spain is unforgettable especially as it was easy to challenge: no boycott can actually exist against a custom union and internal market such as the EU

Since 9/11, the US has engaged in three full-scale wars, bombing at least 10 countries under four presidents aje.news/l6yqy3

EU leaders spent years framing the energy crisis as a matter of principle: Russia violated int’l law, destabilised the rules-based order. Now gas prices double, triggered by illegal US-Israel strikes, & Brussels endorses. The incoherence is absolutely astounding. @vonderleyen

Von der Leyen backs regime change in Iran, contradicting the position of EU national governments, and endorsing Merz’s supportive stance. 2 issues: - she has no authority to say/do - she is not even asking the US something in return (Ukraine’s support) euronews.com/2026/03/01/ira…

An Intercept analysis finds that every single Board of Peace member state has been rebuked for human rights violations. interc.pt/4aHt9uw

As more Western leaders claim the UN & international law are weak/irrelevant, make no mistake: they did this Their empty statements, defence of war criminals, complacency, and failure to act consistently on clear findings by UN & int'l law bodies are exactly what brought us here

Neither preemptive nor legal, US-Israeli strikes on Iran have blown up international law theconversation.com/neither-preemp…

US officials skeptical of regime change in Tehran after Khamenei killing, say sources reut.rs/4rKm9TJ reut.rs/4rKm9TJ