Echoes of Hafez and Bashar al Assad

Wanton killing and destruction are prohibited by IHL and war crimes.

One more in a growing sea of worrying datapoints about the USG’s diminished capacity, the toll this unnecessary war of choice is taking on it, and the failure to anticipate let alone prepare for obvious contingencies.

Longer; it was prohibited in the Lieber Code outside of situations of extremis: "It is against the usage of modern war to resolve, in hatred and revenge, to give no quarter."

🇫🇷🇮🇹FRANCE AND ITALY OPEN TALKS WITH IRAN IN HOPE OF SECURING SAFE HORMUZ PASSAGE - FT (

Huge!

FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS TURKEY AGAINST PLANS AIMED AT INCITING CIVIL WAR IN IRAN AND TRIGGERING CONFLICTS ALONG ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS FAULT LINES

Iran is not legally entitled to attack civilian ships from non-belligerents in an international strait. Other states can protest; the US standing to do so has been undermined by certain attacks on civilian boats in the high seas that it decided advanced its national interests.

Excellent from @bechamilton.bsky.social and @tomdannenbaum.bsky.social in @justsecurity.org: www.justsecurity.org/133417/aggre...

The headline overstates Ku's claim and, while I disagree in substantial part, I think this is an op-ed worth engaging with. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

PENTAGON CONFIRMS REUTERS REPORT ON CASUALTIES IN IRAN WAR, SAYS IN A STATEMENT APPROXIMATELY 140 U.S. SERVICE MEMBERS HAVE BEEN WOUNDED OVER 10 DAYS OF CONFLICT

The DOD Standing Rules of Engagement reference "international law concerns" related to declaring an adversary force hostile. 3 years, 11 months, & 4 days ago, I asked for any records explaining or identifying those concerns generated between 1988 and 2001. Today, DOD responded with the 2000 SROE.

In case it is not obvious, war mongers like to minimize the role of Congress in decisions to use force because obtaining prior congressional authorization makes it harder to go to war. Exactly as intended by the US Constitution.

And I don’t mean this in Trump-is-incompetent way. I mean, to a lay person like me, this seems to point to a glaring hole in the entire military infrastructure we have.

BREAKING: Anthropic is suing the Trump administration over being blacklisted by the Pentagon and being designated a supply chain risk that threatens national security.

"surely the third democratic presidency to come to power after a norm-breaking and warcrime-cheering Republican administration will pursue justice against their predecessors," I repeat like a mantra til I collapse

About a decade ago, I was caught in a similar situation at Dulles after a damning report (IG, maybe?) of TSA’s failure rate to detect weapons during screening. I wonder how often the agency acts out.

(3/X) But it's very striking denialism. We are living through a world historical self-own, and we should admit it.

Counterpoint: Limiting how US troops can be used illegally in unconstitutional wars of the president’s own choosing *IS* supporting “the troops.”

An international system without law is one without order, it is a recipe for conflict, chaos, and atrocities. For the collapse of international law—which has not occurred despite the serious stress it has faced over the last decade—to come as climate and technological changes are likely … 1/3

ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treat....

The US "should abandon any plans to arm Iranian Kurdish forces before the first fighter crosses the Iraqi-Iranian border. Not refine it. Not sequence it more carefully. Drop it entirely....There is no version of this gambit that serves American strategic interests" warontherocks.com/2026/03/why-...

-This is not an academic or semantic debate. In theory, the end-goal should determine the strategy and the resources you invest in its pursuit. In the real world, with an alignment of means and ends, your chances of success are limited (see: Iraq).

Shutting an oil well isn’t like turning off a faucet. It’s a huge engineering risk, difficult to reverse — and an indicator the Kuwaitis don’t see choke points improving anytime soon.

The D.C. Court of Appeals has shaken up the debate over what D.C. Pepco customers pay for electricity, issuing a ruling that tossed out a previously approved multiyear rate hike. Here’s what it means for your electric bill and for the future of utility rates. 51st.news/a-d-c-court-...

SCOOP: The Army in recent days canceled a training exercise for the headquarters element of the 82nd Airborne Division, fueling speculation among soldiers that they may be called upon for a still undefined mission as the war with Iran widens. wapo.st/4uiXxTO

Can air power alone achieve Trump’s objectives in Iran? The historical record, @profpaulpoast.bsky.social writes, gives a clear answer: no.

One more suggestion that the "risk of escalation" leg of OLC's “nature, scope, and duration” test can be understood too narrowly, underinformed, or just overlooked. Wars may have geopolitical consequences outside their immediate theaters.

The sinking of the Dena may be offensive--even unchivalrous--but it does not appear to me to be unlawful. She was a warship--even if unarmed; belonging to one belligerent; maneuvering on the high seas (outside of the territorial waters of a neutral state); during an international armed conflict.

WTI is up to $90/bbl

““This is not lawful self-defence against an armed attack by Iran, and the UN Security Council has not authorised it,” the United Nations special rapporteur on the promotion of human rights and “counterterrorism”, Ben Saul, told Al Jazeera.” www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/...

I’m not sure arming a ethnic minority with separatist objectives is (a) a good way to encourage the majority population to rally to your cause; or (b) an effective way to reassure regional allies.

I'm under the impression that the Assembly of Experts are civilian religious leaders. If so, directly targeting them would be a war crime.

Utter abrogation of responsibility. This is what happens when you go to war without having thought about the consequences; when you install ideologically-aligned toadies into positions of responsibility; when you systematically and intentionally degrade the capacity of government.

EXCLUSIVE: At more than 30 installations, U.S. commanders told troops the war on Iran is a Christian war. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation has been “inundated” with more than 110 complaints. One NCO said they were told the U.S. war is to bring about Armageddon and the return of Jesus…

The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia was hit by two drones, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN, amid ongoing barrage of retaliatory strikes by Iran. There were no initial reports of injuries, according to one of the sources.

WSJ: “.. U.S. officials and lawmakers with access to classified information say the Trump administration’s assertions about threats from Iran are incomplete, unsubstantiated, or flat-out wrong.” @wsj.com www.wsj.com/world/middle...

In light of what we've seen so far, I assert that the best characterization of Operation Epic Fury is as a *punitive expedition* = "a military journey undertaken to punish a political entity or any group of people outside the borders of the punishing state or union" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punitiv...

The DA in Minneapolis is investigating Bovino and others.

The U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran are illegal. Iran's attacks in Gulf States are illegal. The U.K. defending Gulf States is legal, but allowing the U.S. to use its bases is illegal. In short, everyone is violating international law and should stop. My latest @justsecurity.org

The chief appeal of AirPower will always be that it is more politically palatable than other types of military operations

No reported current membership or affiliation with the armed forces or security services. Most likely not DPHing. What made him a military objective?

This claim struck a particularly false note for me, as well, for the reasons that Mark notes. And because of its seeming gratuitousness. It does raise the question of what is becoming of any remaining AQ “guests” in Iran.

The US and Israel called on the Iranian people to rise up. The people of Bahrain took the offer up instead. 😅 x.com/Irantoday_19...

It would be cool to have a legislature that acted to defend its own constitutional prerogatives and, maybe as a treat, the interests of the people it represents too.

The strikes on Iran are blatantly illegal. I explained in June why the strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities were unlawful under US and international law. Everything I wrote then is true today, but this is a far larger assault with far graver consequences. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/23/o...

Wonder what @sodrock.bsky.social has to say about this

never look at your phone when you get up to take a leak. someone might have started an idiot war