High praise - and totally merited - from another Iran expert. This book is a must-read if you're interested in what is happening in the Middle East today. @azodiac83.bsky.social @imes-gw.bsky.social

A balanced, detailed & authoritative coverage of the Iranian nuclear issue. It is especially good for including Iranian viewpoints and reasonings behind its nuclear policies. I've been working on Iran for decades & there is much it taught me. Essential reading for the Iran policy crowd.

I went on @NewsHour tonight to talk w/@IAmAmnaNawaz about the possibilities of US-Iran agreement on an MOU and what lay beyond. @MiddleEastInst www.pbs.org/video/war-wi...

Was Secretary Wright under oath? Because he's lying. Here's the state of the underlying scientific understanding via @aaas.org / @sciline.org : www.sciline.org/climate/clim... www.sciline.org/climate/clim...

Finished. Fascinating exploration & explanation of the philosophical differences between two great post-Enlightenment political theorists Edmund Burke and Thomas Paine. While I'm not firmly in either camp, I'm surprised that I find Burke's arguments more appealing than Paine's.

Finished. Although some examples are dated, still a passionate, convincing promotion of science, with its interlinked virtues of reason and skepticism, as mankind's best way to understand and interact with the world.

Finished. Wow. An authoritative, fascinating & thought provoking contemplation of the contemporary history of the Soviet Dissident movement. With a twin focus on both key personalities and historical flows, it gives the poignant backstory to the book's title.

Finished. Fascinating examination of how regulatory/pricing changes in the middle-third of the 18th century led to an explosion of private correspondance among increasingly mobile Americans.

Excellent explanation of how capitalism's ascendency is a contingent (and recent) historical development. Mattei also shows the class underpinnings of the system's putatively scientific rationalizations, its negation of democracy, and how mass inequality and popular suffering is a feature not a bug.

I appreciated @alaneyre.bsky.social's interview with Rosemary Barton in mid-April. Rosemary asked if #47's war on Iran with Israel was an "error". Mr. Eyre said no it's not an error, it's a "colossal strategic blunder." The Guardian's Rebecca Shaw clocked this all in her Jan 2025 headline.

I talked w/@OmarJimenez about how neither Iran nor the US is ready to negotiate in earnest. Iran thinks the US is bent on toppling the regime, and the US thinks that more military attacks will cause Iran to accept US demands. @MiddleEastInst www.cnn.com/2026/05/11/u...

I talked this morning w/@EugeneDaniels2, @JaxAlemany & @lbarronlopez on @MSNOWNews about how far away we are from a negotiated end to this #IranWar @MiddleEastInst www.ms.now/the-weekend/...

Finished. A short book/quick read, this is a polemic in the best sense of the word, illustrating the extreme wealth inequalities in the US and the disasterous political consequences = living in an oligarchy. The 99 percent have already lost a class war it didn't even know was being fought.

Such an impressive/informative book ! It details the contemporary history of the USG using its economic & commercial primacy as a means of 'economic warfare'. It shows how tactical success in 'war-fighting' rarely translates into achieving our strategic objectives.

US and Iran launch new attacks as they wrestle for control of Gulf waters - www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...

I went on TRT yesterday to talk about the possibility of a 2nd round of negotiations and the associated obstacles. @MiddleEastInst www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz5x...

I had the pleasure of appearing tonight on @CNN_360 w/Beth Sanner & @brett_mcgurk to talk w/@andersoncooper about the (possible) upcoming round of negotiations & the difficulties of getting any sort of agreement.@MiddleEastInst next.frame.io/share/1d0834...

I went on @CNBC last night to talk about the negotiation-escalation knife edge we're currently on. @MiddleEastInst youtube.com/watch?si=OO_x-XtDZQa26fm1&v=eSOhhpGxjxI&feature=youtu.be

I had a great time today talking with @danielbenaim and @ShaibZeina of @MiddleEastInst about where we are re negotiations vs. escalation in the #IranWar. BLUF: I am cautiously pessimistic. Middle East Institute mei.edu/events/a-fai...

What a thrill to be sharing an @andersoncooper @CNN_360 interview with Ambassador Ryan Crocker, who is a LEGEND among U.S. diplomats. We talked about the blockade, and prospects for negotiations. @MiddleEastInst next.frame.io/share/03e4f0...

What a thrill to be sharing an @andersoncooper @CNN_360 interview with Ambassador Ryan Crocker, who is a LEGEND among U.S. diplomats. We talked about the blockade, and prospects for negotiations. @MiddleEastInst next.frame.io/share/03e4f0...

excellent biography & what a life! Vaudeville, radio, televsion, movies...he dominated them all: the #1 20th century entertainer. Committed himself to entertaining US troops in every military conflict from WWII onwards. Not much on the inner man, but perhaps cuz Hope was not one for introspection

I had the pleasure of talking w/ @andersoncooper on @CNN_360 about the fragile #ceasefire and the emergence of the Strait of Hormoz as Iran's major source of strategic deterrence [at 15:33 minutes]. @MiddleEastInst www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlPG...

Finished. Fascinating look at the 1929 crash through the lense of many of the key financial and political figures. Well-researched.

I talked with @nailashuja on @pakistantvglobal about the ongoing escalation of the #iranwar and the slim chances for a diplomatic solution in the short-term. @MiddleEastInst youtube.com/watch?si=enK7Geq5hQaQkkoR&v=BOZrvc6H274&feature=youtu.be

Finished. Excellently researched, fascinating account by @jasonburke2.bsky.social of the waves of leftist & Islamic 'revolutionists' in the 70s and early 80s. It contextualizes the various extremists historically, to include how international relations influenced who supported them and why.

Informative polemic (in the best sense) against the massive inequalities of wealth in our global economic order. A rousing cry for those who have to work for a living (blue- and white-collar) to do battle with those who run the global economy for their own benefit. He had me at 'class war.'

@AmnaNawaz talked with @joel_rayburn and me about the death of Ali Larijani and what effects it will have on the war. [15:50 min]. @NewsHour @MiddleEastInst www.pbs.org/video/march-...

From @rbreich.bsky.social, thoughtful autobiography of a full life, with an emphasis on his awareness of and fights against inequality of opportunity and the resulting oligarchy in the United States, or how ordinary Americans lost a class war they didn't know was being fought against them.

Finished. Excellent history of 1914-21 by Adam Hochschild, highlighting the U.S. Government's brutal and illegal crackdown on immigrants, unionists and leftists. Lots of parallels to today.

I spoke w/@TRTWorldNow about recent developments in #IranWar‌2026 and US options going forward. @MiddleEastInst www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6en...

Tonight on @NewsHour w/@GeoffRBennett, @therealBehnamBT and I discussed where we are on the war on Iran, and what options the US administration has [at 8 minutes] @MiddleEastInst www.pbs.org/video/march-...

Informative assessment by @jo44atWID of the problem of soil erosion/degradation and its impact on food supplies. We don't think much about soil, but it makes food (hence us) possible, so it behooves us to take good care of it.

Finished. Detailed & scholarly answer to an important question. On one level it explains alot - how so many 'ordinary' Germans willingly and in fact eagerly participated in the Holocaust - but on another level the main question - how could people do this? - remained unanswered.

Little to add to Trump's Endangerment Finding move that hasn't already been said, but here's the key bit: Framing matters. This isn't "economics" vs climate, or some kind of noble "cost-cutting" crusade. It's a handout to narrow fossil interests, counter to economic forces.

Representing the American people in the Senate is an honor. Anyone who was convicted of massive fraud against the United States government should be removed from that office.

Finished. Convincing series of arguments for society limiting extreme wealth (not that I needed much convincing).

I went on al-Jazeera English today to discuss possible US-Iran negotiations reaching any sort of viable agreement. mediaview.aljazeera.com/video/ucJLAr...

I spoke with @=TRTWorldNow about the impending crisis in the Middle East w/the U.S. military build-up & the lack of a clear, articulated USG strategy. www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUJm...

Highlights a problem for Mexico & other countries who might be willing (albeit under pressure) to quietly cooperate w/ US military, intelligence, or law enforcement. This administration won't keep such cooperation quiet because they need to boast about every "win." newrepublic.com/post/205848/...

Finished. Excellent introduction to the theory and history of social revolutions, from one of the preeminent experts in the field.

in case you're curious about how angry Minnesota is about ICE, it was -20 today

Trump approval, per The Economist — Georgia: -18.6% Maine: -18.4% Texas: -17.2% Michigan: -15.8% North Carolina: -13.6% Ohio: -9.2% Iowa: -8.7% Florida: -7.5% South Carolina: -7.3% Mississippi: -6.9% Alaska: -6.6% Louisiana: -5.1% Nebraska: -1.8% These states all have Senate elections this year

Finished....seemed like a good time to read this classic examination of non-violent ways to topple a dictatorship and establish a democracy. Lots of insights & good ideas.

I spoke with Al-Jazeera tonight about President Trump’s recent comments on Iran and a possible US military strike. mediaview.aljazeera.com/video/VRUxA1...

I spoke with Arash Azizi about what is different between US policy on Venezuela and Iran. www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

Excellent book! Gives a cyclical model of societal change predicated on both popular immiseration and too many elites vying for limited power, driven by a 'wealth pump' moving wealth upwards. Also makes a strong argument the US is more plutocracy than democracy. Fascinating reading.

I gave my two cents to this Al-Hurra end-of-year roundup: alhurra.com/en/10012

This poem by Gwendolyn Brooks continues to be an anchor on hard days.