Clearly this new round of fighting with Iran, because the US was trying to transit ships through the Strait without Iran, is going well. Always a bad look when the US bombs hospitals and is compared to a military actively committing genocide. www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/...

Really important piece on the depth and breadth of US-Israeli defense integration proposed in the 2027 NDAA. Should also note: Trump moved Israel into CENTCOM (Biden maintained this), so the IDF is part of US theater level planning now.

I embedded with US military, & wrote about it, this is a gross oversimplification of US logistics especially those in contested areas. As for buying allied ships. The US issued a request for information, which is far from a sale. These procurement cycles can take years/decades.

And now the Houthis are threating to shut down the Bab el-Mandeb, which could close the Red Sea. This is some serious winning. www.reuters.com/world/middle...

bring back shame

I wonder, also, if Biden mimicking first Trump term policies vis-a-vis China has anything to do with how Asia reacts to the US?  But, discussing this, in an honest manner, would require US political & foreign policy “leaders” to self-reflect. And that’s not going to happen. Ever.

I love this.

When US-backed settler colonialism comes home to roost. Maybe @rokhanna.bsky.social we should end military & economic support for Israel? Maybe we should not have legislation protecting Israel under US law? Maybe the new NDAA should not wed our military production? www.cnn.com/2026/07/11/m...

“history suggests that the U.S. has used military force to great effect, just not the effects it hoped to have. Meanwhile, the U.S. military budget gets larger and larger, but the effects it produces continue to be paltry.” @jwmeiser.bsky.social nails it. smallwarsjournal.com/2026/05/25/c...

This is an amazing and devastating piece of writing all at once. Save the US and Europe recognizing Palestinians as people with rights to self rule and self determination, nothing will change. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Flying F-16 over DC low enough to make out tail insignia is the highest for of waste and stupidity. Not to mention being totally obnoxious. A Gen Z guy just complained about being woken up at 10 am. A thought for the youth!

Keeping up the trend of highlighting recent essays for @foreignpolicy.com, I’m re-upping my piece with @mikewoldemariam.bsky.social on how & why the US accommodates & even encourages Gulf military adventurism in East & North Africa. foreignpolicy.com/2026/06/03/a...

Since @foreignpolicy.com has all of its content up for free this week, I’m re-upping my essay with @mattduss.bsky.social about how the Abraham Accords enabled the US-Israeli war on Iran. foreignpolicy.com/2026/05/07/t...

@nicholasdanfort.bsky.social told me all @foreignpolicy.com content is free this week. So I’m sharing my work. “America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want” For this I embedded with Marine F-35 unit looking at the tyranny of distance in Asia. foreignpolicy.com/2023/09/16/u...

Reading about the potential of US patronage for Israel is surreal. For the first time in my life, even Israelis are publicly reckoning with the domestic and regional consequences of their actions in a post-total US backed world. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/24/o...

I'm happy to share the article @mikewoldemariam.bsky.social and I have been working on for International Politics. The paper traces how the US responded to the influence of Middle East Middle Powers in Africa. Link to the article: rdcu.be/fpEWO

Worth circling back, now that @amwajmedia.bsky.social reporting was borne out: Given that final MoU includes three Lebanon references in first para – two more than reported draft, presumably added at Iran's insistence – think we can assume Iran's commitment to Lebanon is serious.

Forget deterrence, which is a psychological states that none of the US, Iran, Hezbollah, or Israel have achieved. If Iran pushes Trump to get Israel out of Lebanon, including its zone of occupation, the “think pieces” on the new meaning of the axis of resistance are going to be all time.

This was such an amazing interview. I’m biased because I like to think I “write” and I’m the child of Soviet Jews. And Super Sad True Love Story convinced my wife I was worth her time. Looking forward to reading The Sensualist.

The issue is Israel has no objective outside of dominance, which has no end state, other than, to quote Conan the Barbarian "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of the women." The core question is: what happened to strategic thinking in Israel & the US?

We need a new US foreign policy that promotes peace and solidarity Mu conversation with @ezraklein.bsky.social @nytopinion.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2026/06/09/o...

Israel killed 8 people in Tyre, damaged ancient sites and is forcibly evacuating the Christian quarter I will continue saying this: the goal is not to defeat Hezbollah. The goal is to destroy Lebanon itself. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

Clearest sign yet that Iran doesn't believe it lost this war. Bodes very poorly for any deal-making with US. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/08/w...

I think this @andrewleber.bsky.social essay for @foreignaffairs.com is descriptively correct and deserves careful attention. Question: where is the strategy? A strategy is a theory of success, lin king means &ends. What is the UAE's desired end state? www.foreignaffairs.com/united-arab-...

Washington will need to “begin treating the continent as a region of genuine strategic value, rather than as expendable at the altar of its Middle East agenda.” Great piece from @zurilinetsky.bsky.social and @mikewoldemariam.bsky.social on how the US lets Gulf powers wreak havoc on Africa

New essay in Foreign Policy on US approaches to the growing strategic entanglements between Africa and the Middle East. Thanks to my co-author Zuri Linetsky for his collaboration.

This @foreignaffairs.com piece on Hezbollah is compelling. One thing it omits is the fact that Hezbollah is one of the larger political parties in the Lebanese government. How does that fit into any proposal the author makes? www.foreignaffairs.com/israel/hezbo...

The Iran war sparked a discussion about Gulf middle powers. In a new essay for @foreignpolicy.com with @mikewoldemariam.bsky.social we explain how & why the US built Gulf states into middle powers & how they then exercised their nascent capabilities in Africa. foreignpolicy.com/2026/06/03/a...

New essay with @mikewoldemariam.bsky.social for @foreignpolicy.com. The US accommodates & enables Gulf foreign-policy adventurism in Africa, because the Middle East is seen as more important, driving conflict & instability in Africa & hurting US interests. foreignpolicy.com/2026/06/03/a...

What?!? Netanyahu can’t be trusted to keep his word? I’m shocked.

For a hackneyed discussion of middle powers, what they can and can't do, and great power competition, do read this Michael Beckley piece. Just silly Pax-Americana drivel. www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

This is one the most powerful public representations of the former Israeli occupation, and of its likely intentions now. This is what causes a rally around the flag effect for Hezbollah and for any new resistance groups that might develop. www.haaretz.com/middle-east-...

With Trump calling for more Muslim countries to join the Abraham Accords it’s essential to understand what the accords are & what they achieved. My recent essay with @mattduss.bsky.social for @foreignpolicy.com does just that. Thanks @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social foreignpolicy.com/2026/05/07/t...

Checking my notes, this is within range of Chinese missiles. So, unless this is going to be a hardened and deep buried air base, the US is investing billions into an airfield that can be destroyed easily in any conflict. Tracks well with current DOW “thinking.”

This is so amazing. By their own metrics the Trump failed completely. They did not “destroy Iran’s ballistic missiles, dismantle their production facilities, sink their navy, and weaken their proxy,” or install a leader, who they recruited & likely injured by bombing his house. Great ideas all!

I was thrilled to join @mattduss.bsky.social on the Occupied Thoughts podcast, hosted by Foundation for Middle East Peace Fellow Ahmed Moor. fmep.org/resource/abr... We dove into a lot of fascinating issues related to our recent essay in Foreign Policy. foreignpolicy.com/2026/05/07/t...

That Gulf middle powers some how were weak and/or sat out the US/Israel War on Iran was always a silly perspective. And now there is proof.

This raises cool questions about leadership decapitation and innovation in militaries. Hez’B has always been incredibly innovative, so this isn’t surprising. But the speed with which they have managed to do this, after loosing its leadership, and while under occupation is pretty incredible.

I wonder if trust between Iran and the US is an issue? Because the US attacked Iran, unprovoked twice in less than a year.

I believe he Abraham Accords can be linked to a lot of Israeli-driven conflict and violence across the Middle East (incurring in Yemen and East Africa. I wrote about with @mattduss.bsky.social. foreignpolicy.com/2026/05/07/t...

Israel built the installation… “just before the war started with the knowledge of the U.S.”

The Abraham Accords were sold as a pathway to regional peace and stability. Instead they’ve fueled a new era of conflict. New piece in @foreignpolicy.com foreignpolicy.com/2026/05/07/t...

In a new essay with @mattduss.bsky.social, we argue that the Abraham Accords failed to deliver. Far from promoting peace and stability, they laid the groundwork for a new era of violence, providing political cover for genocide in Gaza & enabling war against Iran. foreignpolicy.com/2026/05/07/t...

👀 "Trump surprised Gulf allies by announcing Project Freedom. In response, the Kingdom informed the U.S. it would not allow the U.S. military to fly aircraft from Prince Sultan Airbase southeast of Riyadh or fly through Saudi airspace to support the effort." www.nbcnews.com/politics/whi...

Why would Israel want to go to war for this? Why would the US? It makes no sense, economically, militarily, or strategically.

In Sudan, 3 years of war, and 11 million people displaced. Pictures by Jerôme Tubiana, text by Sudanese novelist Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

The group that effectively invented suicide bombing to fight the IDF (and abandoned it under Hassan Nasrallah) has now adopted a new mode of attacking occupation forces. Probably Israel could not have predicted this. They have only been fighting in Lebanon (on &off) since 1979.

I wonder if any of this would have happened if the Trump administration hadn’t ended US development aid to Somalia. storage.googleapis.com/madamasr/en/...

A squad of F-35s just flew over NW DC. I have to tell you it's annoyingly loud. And much like everything during the Trump administration, completely unnecessary.