The award-winning historian Elizabeth Thompson, interviewed by @BeirutCalling : "My first hypothesis is that the investigation of why the Arab world lacks democracy today must start with the extension of European colonization after World War I, not Islamic culture or the behavior of particular dictators since independence. Second, a related takeaway is to ask new questions about the rise of authoritarian, violent, and religiously radical movements in the region. My current research explores the ways in which such movements were empowered after the violent destruction of democratic movements after World War I. This puts modern Middle Eastern political history in the same analytical frame of studies examining the rise of anti-liberal, anti-democratic movements in Europe during the same period." Overall, a rich and fascinating interview. carnegieendowment.org/middle…

RT @HamidRezaAz: New U.S. Strikes on #Iran: Coercive Diplomacy or A New Round of War? 🔹By now, it has become clear that coercive diplomacy…

“49 Tomahawk missiles had been fired by the United States at the time we spoke …” As of late April, the U.S. had already expended approximately 30% of its Tomahawk missile stockpile. Estimated pre war Tomahawk inventory was 3,100: cnn.com/2026/04/21/politics/…

NEW: Our visual analysis suggests the United States hit two drinking-water facilities overnight in southern Iran with precision-guided munitions. Deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure could constitute a war crime. w/ @ckoettl @johnismay @ArtemisChats

BIG: Veteran political insider in Tehran with knowledge of Iran-US negotiations alleges that a draft agreement has finally been prepared. Speaking with @amwajmedia late on June 10, the insider said, “The text is ready. It was finalized tonight,” explicitly giving credit to Qatar, which has been separately engaging with both Iran and the US to forge a deal. “If they can get the final approval by tomorrow, it will be initiated,” he added, seemingly referring to the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), which gathers Iran’s civilian and military leadership, and the White House. Spike in Iran-US violence comes amid mixed signaling that suggests possible disconnect between what the respective militaries are doing, and what political leaderships are discussing. Senior Iranian political source interpreted Trump’s decision to conduct strikes for a second night as reflecting anger with an apparent deadlock in negotiations. While describing Trump as “angry,” the senior source lamented that there appeared to be little cognizance in the White House of how real-world armed confrontations “are not a videogame.” While the Iranian leadership has authorized retaliatory strikes on US military facilities in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait—casting doubt on the prospect of a nod to an imminent deal—there are indications that both sides ultimately want to avoid renewed all-out war. Late on June 10, Trump claimed to have ordered a halt to bombings after speaking directly with Iranian officials, alleging that he was asked to cease attacks. The US military on June 10 struck a number of military sites in southern Iran as well as near the capital, Tehran. Although Iranian media have denied the claims about any direct contact, Trump notably alluded to the coming 24 hours being decisive, saying that if an agreement on the table is not signed on June 11, “We’ll bomb the shit out of them.” Separately, Vice President J D Vance said the US is engaged with both moderate and hardline voices in Iran as part of the negotiations. Mindful of the tough rhetoric by military officials in both Tehran and Washington, it is difficult to decipher whether the exchanges of fire are about attempting to set the terms of a deal, or at this point mainly about the optics ahead of an announcement.

Satellite imagery taken Monday appeared to indicate that damage was caused at the Israeli Air Force’s Ramat David Airbase in northern Israel during Iran’s ballistic missile attacks Sunday night. Low-resolution images dated June 8 from the European Commission’s Sentinel-2 satellite, processed by the Copernicus Browser site, showed a discolored patch where a hangar is located at the airbase, possibly indicating that it was hit during the attacks. Read more on The Times of Israel

Wrote about Kojève's grave in Brussels and the idea of a European geopolitics for @nytopinion nytimes.com/2026/06/09/opini…

CNN = Owned by a right-wing billionaire. CBS = Owned by a right-wing billionaire. FOX = Owned by a right-wing billionaire. WaPo = Owned by a right-wing billionaire. WSJ = Owned by a right-wing billionaire. Ah yes, tell me more about how the mainstream media is “far left.”

US strikes on Iran’s civilian drinking water tanks in Sirik are a blatant war crime under Article 54 of the Geneva Convention xompletely disproportionate to the downing of a single military aircraft.

Reports from Iranian media indicate American forces struck critical water infrastructure in Hormozgan province last night. missiles destroyed two strategic reservoirs in region cutting off drinking water to Kuhestak city and surrounding villages #Iranwar #hormuz_strait

One of the most true sentences ever written: "A regional order organized around Israeli impunity requires levels of coercion that are accelerating American decline." Brilliant as always from @QuincyInst NRF Asli Bali bostonreview.net/articles/ob…

Sam Harris is a complete retard to speak about a subject he knows nothing about. Palestinian struggle was not a "jihadi" one before the 2000s, rather a secular revolutionary one in which Christians were overrepresented. A retard.

Not that it matters, but the US blockade of Iran is a war crime, as part of the illegal war of aggression launched Feb 28. International law seems so quaint now. Even legacy media, which until Feb 28 pontificated so much about “rule of law” miraculously lost interest just in time

Naser vil have dig til at tro, at folk som Sir Alex Younger (tidl. chef for britiske MI6), Leon Panetta (tidl. direktør for CIA og USA's forsvarsminister under Obama), James Mattis (tidl. amerikansk forsvarsminister og tidligere chef for US Central Command), Robert Kagan (amerikansk historiker og senior fellow ved tænketanken Brookings Institute) og Matthew Hoh (tidl. amerikansk marineinfanteriofficer og diplomat) bedriver, hvad han kalder "en omgang Iran/Hizbollah/Hamas/Palæstina propaganda". Nej, vel? Min analyse er baseret på facts, ikke værdidomme eller den type civilisationskampstænkning, der reducerer udenrigspolitik til provindsiel kulturkamp. Den æra er forbi, min ven.

For the first time in two decades of polling, more Americans sympathize with Palestinians (41%) than Israelis (36%), a reversal from 55% to 26% in Israel’s favor before to the October 7th attacks. Even 57% of Republicans aged 18 to 49 now disfavor Israel.trib.al/dcUq28Q

What does it say about you if you look at this infant and see a threat that must be eliminated? And what does it say about the values of the countries that defend and enable these murders? This is the 7-month-old Palestinian baby shot & killed by an Israeli soldier yesterday.

Headlines you don’t see in U.S. media.

Graham Platner should have instead said "Not nuking these fucking animals is the only restraint I expect and that's only because the cloud would hurt Israelis" and then the media class would deem him acceptable.