This is a spectacularly informative piece, in terms of its historical lessons and so its relevance to today.

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In pre-Gaza days, an unimaginable war crime that would have led to endless investigations and analysis and potential invocation of international law. In post-Gaza days, should be the same.

Palestinian refugee camps of Burj Barajneh and Sabra and Shatila are being evacuated These are the people who fled the Nakba and their descendants The same state, Israel, is the cause of both www.instagram.com/reel/DVgaM3u...

"No stupid rules of engagement." — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, March 2, 2026 "The strike would rank among the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of U.S. conflicts in the Middle East." — Reuters, March 5, 2026

Reuters Exclusive "U.S. military investigators believe it is likely that U.S. forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls' school." "The strike would rank among the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of U.S. conflicts in the ​Middle East."

I decided to psychically damage myself tonight and look at "Iranian opposition" Twitter, and it remains firmly entrenched in the idea that this attack was a misfired IRGC missile, also it didn't happen at all, and also that you're a Regime apologist for talking about it.

Water is life and key to all the geopolitics in the region “The region’s monarchies are often described as petro-states, but they have also become what I call saltwater kingdoms, global superpowers in the production of human-made fresh water drawn from the sea.” theconversation.com/persian-gulf...

Israel’s demand that hundreds of thousands of Lebanese flee the south of Beirut so they can carpet bomb it is absolutely outrageous. Israeli strategists really seem to think they can turn Beirut into Gaza and that grateful Lebanese will then rush for a peace agreement. Delusional and criminal.

the new pierre lasted approximately a day

So, the individual who wrote this "opinion" piece, Bradley Martin, thinks while neutralizing the regional threat posed by Iran, the US & Israel must ensure that Turkey doesn't take its place. I don't have the energy nor the bandwidth to explain why this is severely problematic. But I will say this:

Americans: we live in a fallen state—embroiled by sin, cheating, lying, and evil. You cannot trust anyone, not even those who claim to know you best Canadians: I love my neighbors and my friends!

If the government gets to decide if you have them, they're not human rights.

Widespread panic in #Beirut after Israel issues unprecedented evacuation order for southern suburbs. Traffic is choked, people rushing to leave & head north. Drones in the air. WhatsApp messages urging ppl to crack windows open to avoid shattering from expected blasts #lebanon

The prospect of getting through the work day under these conditions...the entire region is up in smoke and I'm supposed to attend my meetings.

The Israeli finance minister Smotrich, who is also a deputy defense minister, threatens to turn Beirut into Khan Younis.

(français à suivre) 📣 The Vanier Institute of the Family is now accepting funding applications for secondary data analysis projects with potential to advance understanding of family diversities and family wellbeing in Canada, using Statistics Canada and other national-level datasets. 📣

I am beginning to form a seriously uncontrollable crush on Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón. It's becoming to be a problem in my household.

As a writer, I am transitioning from Substack to Ghost, and I am excited. Yesterday, as a research unit, we cancelled our ChatGPT subscription, which was through our employer. We asked to be switched to Claude. Today they confirmed.

“No front-page stories in NYT, WSJ, WaPo. No mention on NBC and CBS Sunday Shows. No stand alone segments on Evening News shows. A death count on par with the OKC bombing is relegated to the back page.” www.columnblog.com/p/corporate-...

SCOOP: Iranian Kurds, in contact with CIA now in Iraq, are poised to cross to #Iran in next few days. Masoud Barzani no longer opposed. @amberinzaman.bsky.social reporting: www.al-monitor.com/originals/20...

Sir, please be serious.

Where is Congress? None of this is authorized.

Two women with the same name were murdered on the same day in Türkiye. Sometimes you don't need statistics to explain the country's situation. One day, one coincidence is enough. Two women were killed on the same day. Both of them had the same names and surnames: Fatma Nur Çelik and Fatmanur Çelik.

Three days into a war of choice with no public support, the billions are adding up quickly: "Pentagon may seek around $50 billion supplemental budget for Middle East operations." $50 billion! www.reuters.com/business/aer...

Which air force is responsible for the Minab attack which killed close to 200 girls? No clear info so far. Given the location in south east Iran it is likely the US - as Israeli attacks have focussed on western parts of Iran. But either way, we need to know who is responsible for this atrocity.

If the war ends up as a debacle for the US, it is clear that Israel is going to be blamed, and by extension also American Jews, and Jews in general, in a manner surpassing similar accusations regarding the Iraq war. The infrastructure for antisemitism is just far more developed and mainstreamed. 1/

Breaking: The U.S. discovers top secret Ayatollah Khamenei production facility.

This is the first attempt by Iran to strike into Turkey. Something that I frankly didn't expect.

❗️NATO air and missile defense forces in the Eastern Mediterranean intercepted an Iranian ballistic missile that crossed Iraqi and Syrian airspace before entering Turkish airspace, Turkey's Defense Ministry said. Debris fell in Hatay province with no casualties. #NATO

This is illegal. It also counter-productive. It’s literally what caused Hezbollah to form. This might work in the short-term but Israel can’t sustain this over time. And the blowback, which high may be years in the making will come. And it will be bad.

Purim costumes: MK Limor Son Har Melech, deputy speaker of the Knesset and member of Jewish Power (Ben Gvir's party), dressed up as an executioner, to celebrate the death penalty law her party are pushing (with government support, to apply only to Palestinians).

Türkiye: Leading Opponent of Erdoğan on Trial www.hrw.org/news/2026/03... the infamous story of Erdogan's authorities pushing politicized prosecutions against his political rivals.

Oh my word. This regional war is no longer regionally confined.

It worked for N. Korea. "Attempt to destroy Iran’s nuclear programme could backfire and drive regime towards a bomb, experts warn" www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Stand your moral ground. The immoral will cave, I guarantee you. Spain continuing to hold an examplary spine in standing.

There is not enough reporting on Lebanon. This is important.

Brilliant. An expat im Dubai has a startling revelation, by @stephencollins.bsky.social

Good day to teach on the difference between authoritarian and illiberal practices, and how many actors, not just states, engage in them

Dubai police are threatening jail time for "any content that contradicts official announcements."

Who attacked a girls' school in Iran, and will there be accountability? www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...

10/10 No notes.

In my class, I have American & French students from a wide range of backgrounds--Arab, Turkish, Israeli, Iranian, and others--w/ diff religious & political perspectives, from strongly nationalist to more progressive. I walk in and everyone is on their phones.

We’re in the middle of Purim. Ramadan is ongoing. Nowruz is coming up. Holidays of resilience, renewal, and reflection—unfolding alongside war. What a time to be alive.

a thing historians will marvel about when they study this era is the extent to which the "war is a thing that happens to poorer, browner people" class went about systematically dismantling every aspect of the global political order that confined the costs of war to poorer and browner people

Bahrain has long been a powder keg, ready to implode. This is not Sunni/Shia, just as it wasn’t in 2011. Nowhere in the Gulf is deep-seated anger and disgust at US presence & alliance more palpable than there. US military presence in Bahrain is being physically & politically dismantled in real time.

The strikes on Iran show why quitting oil is more important than ever Electrification + renewables = energy that isn’t shipped through chokepoints. Decarbonisation is national security. theconversation.com/the-strikes-...

In Israel, "Iranian Missiles Don't Distinguish Between Arab and Jew, but Neighbors in the Shelter Might" www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...