Might Iran emerge from the war stronger than before? It’s possible, says Hussein Banai, and 180° opposite of what the Trump administration intended. Full episode below: https://historyasithappens.libsyn.com/eyewitness-to-annihilation

“The bullshitter is neither on the side of the true or the side of the false. His eye is not on the facts at all. He does not reject the authority of the truth, as the liar does, and oppose himself to it. He pays no attention to it at all.“ — Harry Frankfurt

Trump is stuck between reality and his narrative of that reality, I told The Hill: thehill.com/homenews/adm...

My piece in New Lines Magazine last week got the attention of the opinion editor at The Japan Times, who thought the commentary on Trump's escalatory rhetoric spoke directly to the memory of collective punishment in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2...

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Trump is running an interesting experiment in how many self-identified Christian Americans have actual religious commitments and how many are just into it because it provides a means for the socially defensible expression of bigotry bsky.app/profile/bria...

Has there been a more singularly embarrassing set of foreign visits by a sitting US Vice President in recent memory than Vance’s itinerary from this past week?

Always a good use of time to read @hbanai.bsky.social , especially when he’s writing about Iran. Clear, incisive analysis of why the U.S. and Israeli goals in this war of choice are incompatible.

Excellent article by Hussein Banai — a must read. 👇 1/ "A leader who entered a war he did not understand, in pursuit of objectives he had not reconciled, and who now confronts a situation ... newlinesmag.com/argument/the...

When it comes to Iran, the United States and Israel are pulling in different directions, writes Hussein Banai. And this gap between the two partners’ goals has convinced Tehran “that its enemies’ partnership will not hold, with or without a cease-fire.”

If you’re not following @hbanai.bsky.social for Iran analysis, you should be.

My essay in Foreign Affairs on how diverging views and aims rendered the US-Israel war against Iran incoherent from the start and allowed the regime in Tehran exploit it to prolong its survival. www.foreignaffairs.com/iran/america...

"These two theories of the case are not complementary. They pull in opposite directions, and the tension between them has produced a campaign that is operationally coordinated but strategically adrift," writes @hbanai.bsky.social in @foreignaffairs.com. Read: www.foreignaffairs.com/iran/america...

Trump backed down (good), but this is a win for Iran. Legitimates Iran’s control of the strait. He chose humiliation over escalation. For now. Or until he realizes he chose humiliation. cc @dandrezner.bsky.social

I don’t care how this came about because my family members in Iran get to live on. I feel like a crew member aboard USS Alabama in Crimson Tide.

Huuuuuuge sigh of relief at the end of a very long and stressful day.

BREAKING: Trump agrees to suspend 'bombing and attack of Iran' for two weeks reut.rs/3PU6iny

🎞️ Short video based on political scientist @hbanai.bsky.social's diagnosis of the corner Trump has backed himself into w/Iran—and its potentially catastrophic consequences—in his @newlinesmag.bsky.social essay “The Last Temptation of Trump at the End of a Failed War” www.youtube.com/shorts/KrjQN...

Trump "has made a catastrophic mess of this confrontation and appears to care only about his own self-image. That is, in the end, what makes this moment different from other moments of great-power recklessness..." writes @hbanai.bsky.social . newlinesmag.com/argument/the...

“These are the utterances of a man casting about for an act of sufficient magnitude to substitute for the coherent strategy he never bothered to contemplate,” @hbanai.bsky.social writes in a tour-de-force, must-read @newlinesmag.bsky.social essay. newlinesmag.com/argument/the...

Excellent by @hbanai.bsky.social "A leader of steadier temperament, focused on the preservation of American national interests, might find in this accumulation of costs a reason to move toward the negotiating table..." But no. Millions voted for an erratic bully. newlinesmag.com/argument/the...

MUST-read by @hbanai.bsky.social at @newlinesmag.bsky.social

Drop whatever you're doing and read this @newlinesmag.bsky.social article by the political scientist @hbanai.bsky.social, which is the single most incisive — and chilling — piece of analysis I believe has been published, anywhere, on this subject of ultimate urgency. newlinesmag.com/argument/the...

I started contemplating Trump’s dangerous trajectory a couple of weeks ago and how it could end in a mushroom cloud. It’s been an especially fraught experience since it involves my native homeland. newlinesmag.com/argument/the...

Don't think I've ever been as terrified in all the Trump security crises. As @pkrugman.bsky.social said, "It’s the most astonishing, awful thing that I’ve ever seen, and we’ve all seen a lot of awful things." Mainly as cope, and to teach it, I keep asking why. 1/ open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...

What worries more than Trump’s carefree vulgarity is the trajectory he is on: as he looks more thoughtless than Bush and others by the hour, the temptation for him to resort to something singularly violent becomes greater. Forget power plants & bridges, he may well cherish going bigger than Truman.

People don’t seem to be nearly freaked out enough about US-Israeli bombing Bushehr nuclear reactor and what it could do to the entire Gulf region. This is worth freaking out about.

“If these threatened attacks were to be carried out, they would constitute war crimes . . . Immiserating the civilian population for bargaining leverage is not lawful." Glad to talk to Saeed Shah for this story @theguardian.com: www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

"As any gardener knows, grass is mowed to make it grow better. The act of cutting stimulates lateral growth, strengthens root systems, and produces turf that is denser and more resilient than what came before." open.substack.com/pub/hedgeofs...

This is a truly excellent in-depth, wide ranging, and insightful interview with @suzannemaloney.bsky.social, one of the best, most astute observers of Iran. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Outrageous

Less to do with handling of Epstein than her failure to deliver heads in spikes and make any serious headway on rigging the upcoming elections.

“It seems unlikely that there is evidence for every single one of these cases that really show that each of these strikes are legitimate and proportional and following all of obligations under international law." Strikes on Iranian universities raise war crime questions thehill.com/homenews/edu...

Destroying civilian infrastructure that hurts ordinary people (and is illegal) is one of the more disturbing aspects of this misguided, dangerous, and counterproductive war.

So there’s no major announcement… he’s basically decided to give a prime time address to remind everyone he has no strategy except to praise himself

This is worse than that Miss America speech

The USS Cole was attacked by al-Qaeda, not Iran.

“Green green cash…”

“Never in the history of warfare…” Subtle.

Spot on, this 👇🏽 “Trump does not understand people who believe in things. Recognise this blind spot, and his current struggles abroad become easier to explain.” giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... Trump learns that not everyone has a price

A great humanitarian, Canadian, and example of a life lived with positive purpose. He unlocked a whole new perspective on the world for the 17yo me. There's something hauntingly beautiful in his passing the day after his son became the leader of the NDP. RIP. www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/983642c...

Article on the Iran-Iraq War's long shadow w/ my @newlinesmag.bsky.social colleague @faisalalyafai.bsky.social drawing on insights from @amir-moosavi.bsky.social, Mehran Kamrava, @hbanai.bsky.social, Mehrzad Boroujerdi, Annie Tracy Samuel & @keshavarziana.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/essays/the-l...

Checks out: '"In brief, the proposal ​suggests that Iran would relinquish its ability ‌to ⁠defend itself in exchange for a vague plan to lift sanctions," he said, adding that the proposal ​lacked the ​minimum ⁠requirements for success.'

Grateful for this extended interview with Dan Levitz of DW News on the lack of coherence, transparency, and credibility of the regime in Washington. youtu.be/Ko9Fij6LXPM?...

this is very thought provoking. i also think trump’s ridiculous comments today are a message that iran needs to pay its tribute to trump: thehill.com/policy/energ...

Just followed the author on the strength of this article. 👍🏽

Very interesting and considered article.

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Because future FOIA requests won’t yield any solid evidence of their collusion to attack Iran, reading between the lines of reporting like this is all we’ll have about the extent Jared MBS-Kushner’s long game objectives with this war. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/u...