MEMRI just published an interesting report following the loss of multiple U.S. aircraft during Operation Epic Fury. The aircraft reportedly lost include the same types of systems Washington sold or approved for Qatar: the F-15 Strike Eagle, the AH-64E Apache, and the MQ-9 Reaper. When the Pentagon approved the sale of advanced F-15s and AH-64E Apaches to Qatar, it warned that if sensitive hardware and software were obtained by a technologically advanced adversary, they could be used to develop countermeasures that would reduce the effectiveness of those systems. MEMRI also highlights the 2010 security cooperation agreement between Qatar and Iran. Article 2 provides for the exchange of information on terrorist organizations and their members. Article 11 calls for the exchange of security related data and scientific research. Article 14 provides for the exchange of experts and specialists in the various security fields covered by the agreement. In 2019, Iran designated CENTCOM a terrorist organization and declared that providing military, intelligence, technical, educational, or logistical support to CENTCOM constitutes terrorism. So Qatar has a security agreement with Iran that provides for the exchange of information, research, experts, and specialists. Iran officially treats CENTCOM as a terrorist organization. And Washington still approved the transfer of some of America's most sensitive military systems to Doha while acknowledging, in writing, the risk that those technologies could be used by a sophisticated adversary to develop countermeasures. Difficult to understand why anyone thought this was a good idea. Definitely worth reading. 🔗👇

Earlier this year, Tyler Oliveira released a video on Kiryas Joel that generated millions of views. There's nothing wrong with asking difficult questions or highlighting real problems. Every community has them. The issue is that watching Caleb Snyder's recent visit, it's hard to escape the conclusion that Tyler had a story he wanted to tell and built the video around that story, rather than allowing viewers to see the community as it actually is. One of the reasons people have lost trust in the mainstream media is that outrage and negativity drive attention. A dramatic expose will almost always get more clicks than an honest look at a functioning community. That's understandable. The problem is that much of alternative media, which built its audience by criticizing those incentives, has started falling into the exact same trap. Caleb's video isn't a puff piece. He doesn't pretend Kiryas Joel is perfect. He simply spends time with people, shows viewers parts of the community Tyler ignored, and allows the audience to see a place that is far more normal and far more human than the caricature that went viral. Well done Caleb! Full video linked below.