Increasingly Americans want: -A US arms embargo on Israel -A diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine -To stop enriching the military industrial complex at Americans’ expense -To maintain peaceful relations with China It’s time for Washington to listen to Americans, not hawks

Remember a few months ago when Netanyahu said he was fine phasing out US military aid? That's because he had a better idea. Section 224 of this year's defense bill would fuse the US and Israeli military sectors so deeply that the billions we send to Israel no longer require a congressional vote or any meaningful oversight. Basically, it would take the question of military aid to Israel out of voters - and even their government's -hands.  That's what we're breaking down on the latest Always at War. youtu.be/uh3vNmScH_I?si=5qeX…

Lawmakers introduced a bill yesterday that would require the Pentagon to review any acquisition giving private equity a 25% or greater stake in a defense contractor. The numbers explain why it's overdue: PE firms have acquired more than 1,500 defense contractors over the last two decades and invested a record $17.7 billion in the sector in just the first ten months of 2025. While that may sound like a lot of money, the typical acquisition is funded with 60% to 90% debt, which means these firms are binding themselves to the Pentagon with borrowed money, collecting management fees, and leaving taxpayers holding the risk. These firms aren't bringing capital to the defense industry. They're bringing debt and collecting a fee for the privilege. responsiblestatecraft.org/de…

These two, almost simultaneous, tweets should be read together in order to better understand what is going on...

The same military spending bill pushing to fuse US and Israeli military sectors also wants to gut the revolving door restrictions that keep Pentagon officials from immediately lobbying their former colleagues. As part of its FY2027 NDAA proposals, the DoD is asking Congress to eliminate the two-year cooling off period that prevents recently departed officials from lobbying on behalf of defense contractors. Experts warn it "just makes it easier for companies to win contracts on the basis of their connections instead of the quality of their work." Full story: responsiblestatecraft.org/re…

This is by far the biggest foreign lobbying contract I've ever seen

Section 224 has gotten attention. Section 622 hasn't, but it should. Buried in the 192-page Senate intelligence authorization bill is a provision that would require US intelligence agencies to share classified intelligence on virtually every topic of Middle East interest with Israel. Any pause or reduction would require congressional approval from a Congress that has shown little appetite for restricting Israel. This is the same strategy as Section 224: take what used to be a public, congressionally appropriated relationship — one the public could pressure lawmakers to restrict — and move it somewhere less visible, less accountable, and harder to reverse. Read our full story here: responsiblestatecraft.org/us…

I’m excited to announce that my forthcoming book, coauthored with Ian Lustick, is now available for preorder! Israel's Lobby: America in the Grip of a Foreign Power exposes the networks of US and Israeli oligarchs capturing the policymaking process. bookshop.org/p/books/israel-…

Read the full story from @nick_clevelands for @RStatecraft here responsiblestatecraft.org/us…

Is something is shifting between Washington and Tel Aviv? The White House says the US did not provide missile defense for Israel in its latest exchange of fire with Iran. That's a first. It suggests Trump may finally be putting his foot down with Netanyahu. That matters because US-Iran talks are at a critical moment. If Trump can show he can actually rein in Israel, Iran has reason to believe a deal is possible. The next 72 hours will tell us whether that window stays open -- or whether Netanyahu moves to slam it shut. @tparsi in @RStatecraft responsiblestatecraft.org/tr…

It's hard to stop a country from waging endless wars when the ones who keep pushing for them are the only people being listened to. This weekend @PeterBeinart cited our research in the @nytimes showing that the think tanks who sold you the Iraq war are still the most-invited experts before Congress. Until that changes, don't expect the wars to stop.

There is a deal to be made between the US and Iran. But the window is closing. @tparsi breaks it down for the @TheYoungTurks with @AnaKasparian Iran's escalation on US Gulf allies wasn't random. After concluding that proportional responses were letting the US strike at will without real cost, Tehran announced it would respond at 1.5x the scale for every American attack. Their goal seemed to be forcing the US to the table by making the alternative genuinely costly, and the math backs them up. The Pentagon's claims about destroying Iranian launchers and missiles weren't true. As Trita explains, Iran still has the arsenal to make a full escalation very painful for everyone. Trump knows this, which is why his administration is playing down the damage from this week's strikes rather than escalating further. A deal is possible. But Trump's ability to actually deliver one might shrink after the midterms, when he risks losing the House and becoming a lame duck. The time to move is now. As Trita put it, "wasting time at times is a negotiation tactic that everyone uses, but when you overuse it and you miss the window, you have shot yourself in the foot." youtube.com/watch?v=z9etUbt9…

My recent interview on @AmPrestigePod is now open to all! We discussed in detail my new research: how US foreign policy world abruptly redefined China as alien to the US system. What broke the relationship was less China’s actions than the sharp US crisis of authority in 2018.

I told @Newsweek a comprehensive deal that advances US commercial interests, bolsters national security helps rebuild Cuba's economy is well within reach if the administration's saber-rattling & maximalist demands for regime change can be put to the side newsweek.com/more-cuba-sanct…

Told @NewsNation that there is no universe in which a deal can be struck with Iran that does not entail the unfreezing of their assets. So though Trump will get attacked for it, he should go on the offensive and tell the American public what he got instead of what he gave.

The window for negotiating an end to the Ukraine war is closing as escalation risks grow. QI's @lieven_anatol in @thenation: "The Ukrainian air campaign against Russia is beginning to do serious damage (and of course the Ukrainians feel entirely justified, since their infrastructure has been under Russian attack for the past three years). As a result of this and tiny Ukrainian advances on the ground in the Donbas, Western official and unofficial figures are beginning to declare again that Ukraine can “win.” "If by this they mean that Ukraine could fight Russia to a standstill and bring about a compromise peace, they are almost certainly correct. Indeed, Ukraine, with Western help, has already demonstrated its ability to do this. If, however, these supposed friends of Ukraine mean that Ukraine can defeat Russia and bring about the fall of the Putin administration and system, they are being profoundly foolish. Recent Ukrainian advances on the ground in the Donbas have been just as small as Russian advances in the opposite direction. Indeed, this is hardly a matter of “advances” at all. The omnipresence of drones has created a “killing zone” more than a dozen miles wide in which only tiny groups of soldiers can operate, occasionally occupying an individual building or ruined hamlet, and often then having to scuttle quickly back to their own lines." "It is equally foolish to believe that limited aerial bombardment will lead to a revolt against Putin. Much heavier Russian bombardment of Ukraine over a much longer period has not broken the will of the Ukrainian people to resist. In fact, relying purely on aerial bombardment of civilian targets as a strategy has never worked, whether employed by the Luftwaffe, the RAF Bomber Command, or the USAAF." "It is true that war weariness is growing in both Ukraine and Russia, and this is leading to increased calls on both sides for a compromise peace. The problem is that among hardliners on both sides this is leading instead to increased pressure to break the stalemate by drastic escalation." Read the piece: thenation.com/article/world/…

"Under the aid model, @BenFreemanDC said, a voter who objects to Israeli military actions can call a member of Congress & demand a vote against aid But under the procurement model, 'You have no one to call' [It would intentionally obscure] how much US money is going to Israel”

Update: The House Armed Services Committee just rejected an amendment that would have removed this provision. A recorded vote was NOT requested, meaning the American public will never know which Members supported or opposed this pivotal legislation.