Technically, it didn’t fail to live up to them. I’m just sayin’

I was asked to write a quick response to the ceasefire agreement for the INSS website. Here’s what I had to say. Text in first alt. (P.S. I wrote it in Hebrew and am not responsible for the translation)

🚨Israeli channel 12 journo Omri Maniv: joint US-Israeli planning predicted Iranian blocking of Hormuz will happen later and won’t rely on mining. The assumption was that decapitation would prevent the order. In practice the decision was made locally, and then ratified by senior leadership.

In the MAGA civil war over Israel and the Jews, Trump isn’t winning. Every outcome is bad here, but this is worse.

I was asked to write a quick response to the ceasefire agreement for the INSS website. Here’s what I had to say. Text in first alt. (P.S. I wrote it in Hebrew and am not responsible for the translation)

I’m 40 and I just realized that depending on how you count, I’ve lived through 9 wars and major terror campaigns

Judah offers a helpful intellectual challenge by explaining the war and its logic in terms of the insiders' game (to borrow a term from @profsaunders.bsky.social) and not just Trump-Netanyahu idiosyncrasies.

Netanyahu, after insisting that Lebanon isn't included in the Iran-US ceasefire, announces that Israel will enter into direct negotiations with the Lebanese government at the latter's repeated requests. I read this as the US ordering Israel to cut the BS, because Lebanon is risking the deal.

This is what I wrote when Netanyahu convinced Trump to exit the JCPOA back in 2018 @molad-institute.bsky.social www.molad.org/en/articles/...

Anyone with experience of asking for more detailed data from @pewresearch.org about one of their reports?

1) Today is the official paperback release of my @princetonupress.bsky.social book, The Greatest of All Plagues: How Economic Inequality Shaped Political Thought from Plato to Marx. It traces how several canonical thinkers have encountered inequality in developing their political theory.

Pesach is over!

Schools are reopening tomorrow! I’ll have more to say about the omnishambles later, but first yayyyyyy

Can we go back to discussing the bad enough things that are bad enough as is?

FWIW, I didn’t read it as a nuclear threat

This post might piss off some people who will read into it things I'm not saying. But, One thing the rheotric of leaders like Trump and some in the Israeli government is doing, is turning *some* strikes that actually do have a military rational into punitive, and therefore, illegal acts.

Iran. Even as you're correctly horrified by Trump's rhetoric, remember that anything being reported now is like partials and exit polls. Tune it out, and just wait to see where the chips fall in 10 hours. None of us affect the outcome anyway.

Engaging not to be a hater, but because this is quality discourse to platform: That said, as a German historian, I don’t think there’s any way you can argue that conservativism and fascism are ideologically the same. Thread 🧵

I haven't read it so I can't speak to the final product, but Loeffler is an incredibly serious historian and human and was at UVA during Charlotsville so no doubt this will be an important contribution. I can't wait to pick up my copy.

"Even after enduring occupation, invasion, and sustained pressure from global powers–and despite possessing military superiority over many of its neighbours – Iran has never initiated a war." News to the tens of thousands of people killed by Iranian proxies.

There is bascially a 100% chance if that if Trump orders the destruction of Iran's entire electrical infrastructure along with a finding from DOJ / DOD GS that it's legal, the U.S. military will carry it out and basically 0% chance any future D admin would prosecute them for it

I do think it is time to declare a good ol’ constitutional crisis, boys

They do say this about Israel though

Yedioth Ahronoth on new IDF objectives in Lebanon: • Not disarm Hizbullah totally, but "significantly weaken" it; • Create expanded, mostly depopulated south Lebanon buffer zone based on Gaza "yellow line" model: www.ynetnews.com/article/bjzh...

I never thought this war was going to become popular but I do think this one incident playing again and again through the news cycle will doom it. Maybe, maybe if the crew is rescued safely, it might change but I doubt. Even as an easy war it wasn’t going well. As a hard one? Nah.

Key summary:

Hi Civ-Mil scholars, American and Comparative, what books would y'all suggest about oversight on military affairs? I am not talking about SH, Feaver, Janowitz, and Schiff. More of the recent, process oriented, case studies or cross national stuff. Feel free to suggest your own?

I was in class when this happened but I assume someone has made the required Acting Attorney General Marco Rubio joke?

Can Trump still get anyone senate approved as AG? Join us as we find out

What did Bondi do to earn this?

This is sure to gain the appreciation of the Iranian people

Cancel culture is getting out of hand

I woke up after a whole uninterrupted night in our own bed (no sirens and no children). Pesach cleaning is done. The house is pristine and quiet. It’s raining outside. I get to enjoy my coffee and a book and feel like an actual human for a moment. Chag Sameach

Interested in recent public opinion in Israel? Here is a 🧵, based on online surveys fielded by Reichman's U.'s Institute for Liberty & Responsibility: (1) What is Israel's current situation? (entire sample + Coalition/Opposition) [An increase in "good" responses over the last year] >>>

Development of quantum computing to stop after it is found that end products will be non-binary

After Eichman was sentenced to death, my grandfather, who was a member of cabinet at the time (and fled Germany in 1939), was one of two ministers who objected to carrying out the sentence. He asked that Eichman live out his days as a condemned man. He was overruled. 1/2

Nuclear?

Logan Lucky 2

Mid-Pesach cleaning AMA.

Not sure if Iranian protesters will see this as HELP. On the way or otherwise

A majority of Jewish Israelis across the political spectrum are of the misconception this war will strengthen Israel-US relations, based on Reichman University Institute for Liberty & Responsibility data. 87% of coalition voters and 61% of opposition voters. @chrislhayes.bsky.social

In all seriousness though, I'm convinced that this is a combination of three things: 1. Netanyahu maxmizing on his domestic approval, 2. and already pricing in collapse in US/Dem support for Israel (w/o relating it to his own actions). 3. Genuine belief Iran threat trumps all things.

I joked this week that Trump’s presidency has proceeded as if he hired a crack team of consultants to come up with ways to make prices go up. Increasingly feels like the Israeli government is trying its hardest to drive its approval ratings in the US as low as possible.

Why should Iran allow Kharg to fall into American hands while functional? Convince me scorched earth isn't the most likely scenario here.

This week we celebrate Passover, a holiday infused with moral meaning. For those of us with power, temporary or not, morality begins with the realization others are real people. For those without, that we’re people too. For all of us, it’s realizing when we’re the ones with or without power.

I'll do another: Actual relativsim is incredibly unpopular among philosophers

Also on that, my pet theory is that police militarization is mostly driven by the coolness of military gear which is more stupid than nefarious

Military officers usually prefer not to use military force to solve problems. Whether it's because they understand the limits of power or they just don't like ruining their nice stuff is anybody's guess

First you need to define ICE as troops. Which you should based on militarization, but haven’t.

It's only final if it comes from the nether regions of Neverland; otherwise it's just sparkling insanity.