“For a movement seeking a return to an ultraconservative, intolerant 15th century society, this use of modern perception management and anarchic 21st century technology is no less than genius.” My piece in @washingtonpost #Afghanistan — washingtonpost.com/opinions/…

“You cannot erase women from public life.” The Last Ambassador — a powerful documentary on the voice and leadership of H.E. Manizha Bakhtari — screens in London this week. 📍 24 Feb — Bertha DocHouse 📍 25 Feb — Austrian Cultural Forum (Sold Out) 📍 26 Feb — Frontline Club 🎟 Tickets: 24 Feb: dochouse.org/event/the-last-… 26 Feb eventbrite.co.uk/e/screening… @BerthaDocHouse

This is what makes Jerusalem - Jerusalem.

Spoke with El País @el_pais @TDeiros: There is no "clean" regime change in Iran. Anyone promising surgical strikes and swift victory is delusional. What it actually requires is a prolonged, messy and bloody campaign. elpais.com/internacional/202… via @el_pais

Just leaving this here ⤵️

Mike Huckabee is a very, very dangerous fanatic and what he is advocating here will bring war and bloodshed to millions.

This entire interview is just brilliant

Where the Saudi-UAE rift leaves Oman, Qatar Many thanks to @amwajmedia for publishing my latest piece, which includes insights from @khoury_nabeel and @andreas_krieg. amwaj.media/en/article/where…

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that 15,000 to 20,000 people, including Islamic State affiliates are now at large in #Syria, after an exodus from a camp that held jihadists’ families By @jmalsin & @dnvolz "Sharaa ignored U.S. warnings not to proceed with his offensive, a lightning takeover that brought about the end of a Kurdish-controlled autonomous zone that posed a challenge to his efforts to consolidate control over the country. The Pentagon’s intelligence arm found that Sharaa’s government has demonstrated the willingness to work with the U.S. to fight terrorist groups but that the Damascus’s efforts are “limited by a lack of trained, qualified personnel, and the nascent state of security institutions,” wsj.com/world/middle-east/u-… via @WSJ

The bad information on Al-Hol never ceases to amaze me. Every responsible report on this should mention that most of the people were children, and that the others were adult women. It should also mention that they were destained in 2019 and had links to ISIS and dumped in Al-Hol without a right to due process, with no investigations or trials; a complete denial of basic rights and logic. They didn’t “escape” and they are not “at large”…you can’t escape from being detained in limbo forever without charge. They are not charged with any crimes. If someone wanted to charge them, there were 90 countries in the coalition and they could have supported a judicial process. They chose not to. Any report should wrestle with the basic facts. 50,000 women and children were dumped in Al-Hol, the adults had links to ISIS; no one bothered to investigate them. They just left them there. People from 60 countries. Many young children. This was a bad policy. Wrapping it up is a good thing. You can’t do this forever. Charge the worst women with crimes and let the others move on. If you can pay to deradicalize them, great . That’s the only failure here is funding for education and integration back to society. Don’t excuse the bad policy that led to Al-Hol. In Iraq they didn’t keep all the ISIS wives and children detained. In Syria we dropped the ball in terms of figuring this out and kicked the can down the road. Any report should mention how we got here and who these people are.

RT @CarolinAbrah77: I would much rather stand with authentic Muslim Iranians who uphold humane values than with self-described “Christian”…

Protesters demanding the release of political prisoners in Azerbaijan say they were attacked by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s bodyguards in Washington, D.C. The incident occurred around President Trump’s Board of Peace meeting. wapo.st/4qLqmFe

If Trump launches a "small attack," the only exit Tehran sees is to fight back, inflict as much pain as possible on the U.S., and hope that this causes Trump to back off or accept a more equitable deal. responsiblestatecraft.org/tr…

.@RichardHaass is no Iran dove, but he joins in warning against the folly of a new war of choice. Important realist voice.

By offering a capable, affordable alternative to Western and Russian fighters, Pakistan is reshaping procurement choices for mid-tier states, write @tgoudsouzian and @ialmarashi responsiblestatecraft.org/pa…

This ... isn't gonna work responsiblestatecraft.org/tr…

Air power exports aren't just a Western thing anymore ... responsiblestatecraft.org/pa…

Is Pakistan getting into the air power export game? responsiblestatecraft.org/pa…

NEW @tgoudsouzian @ialmarashi Pakistan and Turkey are showing how emerging states are gaining leverage through democratization ... of airpower responsiblestatecraft.org/pa…

Some geopolitical reading for the weekend ! @RStatecraft @tgoudsouzian @EmilyTasinato

NEW @tgoudsouzian @ialmarashi: for much of the modern era advanced airpower demanded massive defense budgets, well-developed tech ecosystems and political alignment with Western security networks. Not anymore. responsiblestatecraft.org/pa…