Tweets on mideast-2021

Title Date Im-
press
En-
gage
Ex-
pand
URL-
clicks
Like Re-
tweet
Link to Text Link to Tweet
Mutual ignorance and hubris. 2021-12-28 25 0 0 0 0 0 1475851382850605056 1475851382850605056
Israelis now regret encouraging Trump. 2021-12-01 29 0 0 0 0 0 1465933848781283335 1465933848781283335
How big a threat is Iran? 2021-11-15 14 0 0 0 0 0 1460386236879695876 1460386236879695876
Military fails to investigate probable war crimes. 2021-11-15 12 0 0 0 0 0 1460046383365251079 1460046383365251079
Kissinger in the Middle East - solving problems and 2021-11-05 116 0 0 0 0 0 1456681784838529029 1456681784838529029
Somalia - another expensive endless war not worth fighting? 2021-10-24 45 0 0 0 0 0 1452299487351869456 1452299487351869456
It all comes back to Kashmir. 2021-09-25 441 2 0 2 0 0 1441762671439712256 1441762671439712256
Forever wars keep going on forever. 2021-09-23 89 0 0 0 0 0 1441043734854995975 1441043734854995975
Is it worthwhile to try to retain Pakistan as an ally? 2021-09-22 64 0 0 0 0 0 1440564510494892037 1440564510494892037
Other Islamic Arab states have found ways forward to join 2021-09-20 67 0 0 0 0 0 1439979549119315972 1439979549119315972
Another weak government supported by the US at great cost 2021-09-19 18 0 0 0 0 0 1439696252384382977 1439696252384382977
What happens when you let private contractors fight wars? 2021-09-17 77 0 0 0 0 0 1438729692853403651 1438729692853403651
Is there a way to help the Afghan people without helping 2021-09-17 98 0 0 0 0 0 1438690165271064577 1438690165271064577
The Taliban is good at fighting - but what about governing? 2021-09-16 40 0 0 0 0 0 1438504940306010126 1438504940306010126
"war is interested in you" 2021-09-11 41 0 0 0 0 0 1436545100792750081 1436545100792750081
bin Laden was better at predicting the future, and making 2021-09-10 56 0 0 0 0 0 1436375907925585921 1436375907925585921
Are Al-Qaeda and Islamic State going to fight it out 2021-09-10 44 0 0 0 0 0 1436372533326991368 1436372533326991368
Another view of bin Laden's victory. 2021-09-10 75 4 1 3 0 0 1436184543195590660 1436184543195590660
The Taliban is not a monolithic bloc. We can expect 2021-09-09 38 0 0 0 0 0 1436010717115654179 1436010717115654179
Like Biden, the "victorious" Taliban is having a tough 2021-09-09 45 0 0 0 0 0 1435759602482565120 1435759602482565120
Americans were unwilling to "go anywhere and pay any 2021-09-05 34 0 0 0 0 0 1434410582623457284 1434410582623457284
Taliban political theory - "Some of the principles of 2021-09-02 64 0 0 0 0 0 1433433003716321292 1433433003716321292
Another reason Afghanistan is insoluble. 2021-09-02 61 1 0 1 0 0 1433413562110656514 1433413562110656514
Who says the GOP is inconsistent? 2021-09-02 51 0 0 0 0 0 1433280704461238280 1433280704461238280
How the West lost the war. 2021-09-02 44 0 0 0 0 0 1433272882721787912 1433272882721787912
In Afghanistan, who is the greatest threat to Afghanistan? 2021-09-02 59 0 0 0 0 0 1433232391087087618 1433232391087087618
The last thing the GOP wants is the whole truth. 2021-08-31 48 0 0 0 0 0 1432548197759553536 1432548197759553536
The (almost forgotten) success of American mideast 2021-08-31 50 0 0 0 0 0 1432531268499959808 1432531268499959808
It all boils down to one question - will whoever ends up 2021-08-31 47 0 0 0 0 0 1432525361745575939 1432525361745575939
We lost Afghanistan but not yet the war. The Taliban 2021-08-31 56 1 0 1 0 0 1432523187317735428 1432523187317735428
Afghanistan is not a direct long-term threat to American 2021-08-30 59 0 0 0 0 0 1432211795163312128 1432211795163312128
The last day of Kabul. 2021-08-29 104 7 1 5 1 0 1431850654700498946 1431850654700498946
"This is what happens when you lose a war" 2021-08-28 46 0 0 0 0 0 1431612161155948548 1431612161155948548
Lucky Trump! The Taliban have given him a ticket to 2021-08-28 70 0 0 0 0 0 1431491342350241793 1431491342350241793
Bipartisan foreign policy? Not necessarily a good 2021-08-28 54 0 0 0 0 0 1431475535398330373 1431475535398330373
We are stuck with the Taliban and they with us. For how 2021-08-28 90 0 0 0 0 0 1431473014361653254 1431473014361653254
Can the Taliban govern? 2021-08-28 88 4 1 2 0 0 1431438240196689923 1431438240196689923
Worse than the Taliban! 2021-08-27 141 0 0 0 0 0 1431094914180210688 1431094914180210688
A catastrophic endgame might have been more or less 2021-08-20 45 1 0 0 1 0 1428725028695146498 1428725028695146498
Violent revolutions usually make things worse. 2021-08-19 81 0 0 0 0 0 1428226375215812609 1428226375215812609
The Taliban funding model - tax trade. 2021-08-19 72 0 0 0 0 0 1428222399690862595 1428222399690862595
Taliban's winning strategy. 2021-08-19 77 0 0 0 0 0 1428221485815001091 1428221485815001091
Ultimately, we were just tourists. The Taliban was 2021-08-18 76 1 0 1 0 0 1427875972301299715 1427875972301299715
Even governments that supported the Taliban are uneasy 2021-08-18 84 0 0 0 0 0 1427870964084207623 1427870964084207623
The Friendship Bridge - a tombstone in the Graveyard 2021-08-17 72 1 0 1 0 0 1427737022387560456 1427737022387560456
What have Americans learned? Probably nothing. 2021-08-17 82 0 0 0 0 0 1427678851727908865 1427678851727908865
History repeats itself - 2021-08-14 71 0 0 0 0 0 1426540926143320069 1426540926143320069
Leadership and lies - 2021-08-10 68 0 0 0 0 0 1425089577908269056 1425089577908269056
Our next middle eastern war? 2021-08-09 74 0 0 0 0 0 1424746071083782146 1424746071083782146
Vietnam is no "graveyard of empires" but in the end the 2021-08-05 55 4 1 2 1 0 1423074869248364547 1423074869248364547
Just like Vietnam - we ended up "turning the corner" 2021-07-18 28 0 0 0 0 0 1416905923054825477 1416905923054825477
"Iran's ruling clerics cultivate and celebrate conflict 2021-06-16 47 0 0 0 0 0 1404990584096321536 1404990584096321536
The future of Afghanistan. 2021-06-11 74 0 0 0 0 0 1403332598575685637 1403332598575685637
Deposed Trumpist personality cultists all sound alike! 2021-06-10 49 0 0 0 0 0 1403083364366651392 1403083364366651392
Netanyahu proves he's a Trumpist to the end - 2021-06-07 41 0 0 0 0 0 1401782794599030784 1401782794599030784
"Netanyahu supporters slammed right-wing parties planning 2021-05-31 38 0 0 0 0 0 1399431972175310853 1399431972175310853
Holding children for hostages - that's what dictators do. 2021-05-21 46 0 0 0 0 0 1395583082141392898 1395583082141392898
"the fire always breaks out just when it's most convenient 2021-05-20 38 0 0 0 0 0 1395376019888955392 1395376019888955392
Netanyahu sees the war as a convenient means to save 2021-05-20 44 0 0 0 0 0 1395246889683935234 1395246889683935234
An unstable tipping point that could easily tip into a 2021-05-13 63 0 0 0 0 0 1392926317834768387 1392926317834768387
Trump gave Netanyahu the go-ahead to de-facto annex the 2021-04-23 37 0 0 0 0 0 1385389759531405315 1385389759531405315
The graveyard of empires wins again. 2021-04-14 57 0 0 0 0 0 1382160398065967106 1382160398065967106
Pluralism isn't doing well in the graveyard of empires. 2021-03-26 45 1 1 0 0 0 1375440500111470592 1375440500111470592
Why Afghanistan seems destined to remain the Balkans 2021-03-24 40 0 0 0 0 0 1374564525295292416 1374564525295292416
Another insoluble problem? 2021-03-23 43 0 0 0 0 0 1374229258889949186 1374229258889949186
How much is it worth to defend Afghans who embraced 2021-03-09 30 0 0 0 0 0 1369430053940043778 1369430053940043778
What happens to those left behind? 2021-03-08 30 0 0 0 0 0 1368929570301177859 1368929570301177859
Not just lives wasted in the graveyard of empires. 2021-03-03 35 0 0 0 0 0 1367183940029607936 1367183940029607936
Just like Vietnam! 2021-03-03 43 0 0 0 0 0 1367000098731790336 1367000098731790336
The Middle East - once you're in, it's hard to get out. 2021-02-25 59 0 0 0 0 0 1364992485085257728 1364992485085257728
Soldiers of fortune and merchants of death. 2021-02-20 44 0 0 0 0 0 1362940524303249416 1362940524303249416
The Graveyard of Empires wins again. 2021-02-16 61 1 1 0 0 0 1361674261421719553 1361674261421719553
2021 Afghanistan = 1975 Vietnam. The curtain is coming 2021-02-15 50 1 1 0 0 0 1361441379780489218 1361441379780489218
Back to the traditional playbook. 2021-01-14 32 0 0 0 0 0 1349519004885401600 1349519004885401600
Will Trump's fantasies about bringing the troops home 2021-01-05 47 0 0 0 0 0 1346460377266044928 1346460377266044928
What happens when we leave Afghanistan. Like everybody 2021-01-04 59 0 0 0 0 0 1345953262764101632 1345953262764101632
More inconsistent messaging. What is Iran going to 2021-01-03 47 0 0 0 0 0 1345822636845060098 1345822636845060098

Columns of Tweet Tables

The table above has these entries:

UPDATED Sun 30 Oct 2022 07:24:40 AM PDT

==========


Mutual ignorance and hubris.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/12/28/iran-nuclear-talks-vienna-ignorance-mistrust/

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 25
time 2021-12-28 15:29 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1475851382850605056

==========


Israelis now regret encouraging Trump.

https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-middle-east-iran-jerusalem-israel-02d0a0480a163f56af0852cf44cf137f

It's a regret all Trump encouragers eventually feel.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 29
time 2021-12-01 06:40 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1465933848781283335

==========


How big a threat is Iran?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/11/15/iran-talks-israel-vienna-fear/

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 14
time 2021-11-15 23:16 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1460386236879695876

==========


Military fails to investigate probable war crimes.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/13/us/us-airstrikes-civilian-deaths.html

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 12
time 2021-11-15 00:45 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1460046383365251079

==========


Kissinger in the Middle East - solving problems and
creating them.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/26/books/review/master-of-the-game-martin-indyk.html

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 116
time 2021-11-05 17:56 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1456681784838529029

==========


Somalia - another expensive endless war not worth fighting?

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/24/world/africa/al-shabab-somalia-us-cia.html

Is propping up a corrupt government the best use of
our money?

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 45
time 2021-10-24 15:42 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1452299487351869456

==========


It all comes back to Kashmir.

https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-afghanistan-islamabad-national-security-kabul-5e852add2a0b83a8c3c42462c89f2ff0

Pakistan will end up in the Chinese sphere as they both
are skirmishing with India.      Pakistan might take
Afghanistan along with it.

#PS1mideast

=====

engage 2
engage-rate 0%
impress 441
time 2021-09-25 13:53 +0000
urlclicks 2
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1441762671439712256

==========


Forever wars keep going on forever.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/biden-wars-afghanistan-iraq-syria/2021/09/22/cc090ff0-1b08-11ec-914a-99d701398e5a_story.html

Congress is incaptable of taking action to change things.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 89
time 2021-09-23 14:16 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1441043734854995975

==========


Is it worthwhile to try to retain Pakistan as an ally?
It seems to be closer to China, since China and India are
at odds.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/09/21/us-pakistan-quad-biden-isi-afghanistan-taliban-end-reliance/

It always seems to boil down to Kashmir, where neither
India nor Pakistan have behaved honorably.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 64
time 2021-09-22 06:31 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1440564510494892037

==========


Other Islamic Arab states have found ways forward to join
the modern world.    What about Saudi Arabia?

https://apnews.com/article/business-religion-united-states-dubai-middle-east-e45792b7a1db1d9dd16a71c147a29f5b

bin Laden's ultimate aim was to rid his own country, Saudi
Arabia, of western influence.     He was more successful
influencing the west.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 67
time 2021-09-20 15:47 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1439979549119315972

==========


Another weak government supported by the US at great cost
and losing ground to insurgents.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/09/18/somalia-political-crisis-shabab/

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 18
time 2021-09-19 21:01 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1439696252384382977

==========


What happens when you let private contractors fight wars?

https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-middle-east-business-afghanistan-taliban-3f66d407542879a95b26608eee08a07e

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 77
time 2021-09-17 05:01 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1438729692853403651

==========


Is there a way to help the Afghan people without helping
the Taliban?   No.  Is there a way to punish the Taliban
without punishing the Afghan people?    No.

https://apnews.com/article/business-health-afghanistan-coronavirus-pandemic-middle-east-2af7c7c8c2022c7a7cdf17b0697e5784

It's a familiar quandary with authoritarian governments
of distressed nations.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 98
time 2021-09-17 02:23 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1438690165271064577

==========


The Taliban is good at fighting - but what about governing?
They succeeded in smashing a puppet government of foreign
powers - but how can they govern without financial help
from new foreign powers?

https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-afghanistan-kabul-taliban-abdul-ghani-baradar-56455c9c2e145c3e5bf57d697d968834

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 40
time 2021-09-16 14:07 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1438504940306010126

==========


"war is interested in you"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/09/10/20-years-later-americans-kid-themselves-if-they-think-war-born-911-is-over/

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 41
time 2021-09-11 04:20 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1436545100792750081

==========


bin Laden was better at predicting the future, and making
it happen, than any US president, secretary of state,
or secretary of defense.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/09/10/i-met-osama-bin-laden-three-times-im-sorry-say-his-story-isnt-over/

But bin Laden had plenty of unaware American helpers.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 56
time 2021-09-10 17:07 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1436375907925585921

==========


Are Al-Qaeda and Islamic State going to fight it out
in Europe?

https://apnews.com/article/europe-united-states-western-europe-madrid-terrorism-5756d66287def630882b123bdaf86123

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 44
time 2021-09-10 16:54 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1436372533326991368

==========


Another view of bin Laden's victory.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/09/opinion/the-ways-bin-laden-won.html

It didn't come about the way he expected, but it came
about greater than he expected.

#PS1mideast

=====

engage 4
engage-rate 5%
expands 1
impress 75
time 2021-09-10 04:27 +0000
urlclicks 3
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1436184543195590660

==========


The Taliban is not a monolithic bloc.     We can expect
plenty of cognitive dissonance -

https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-afghanistan-qatar-kabul-taliban-171fa64b4ed5514b44834257b4d5d457

https://apnews.com/article/business-afghanistan-taliban-803457fb69e6092967f5e9538cef53b0

as different factions exercise control in different times
and places.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 38
time 2021-09-09 16:56 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1436010717115654179

==========


Like Biden, the "victorious" Taliban is having a tough
autumn.   They only know one way to deal with problems
and criticism - a beating first and then murder.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/08/world/asia/taliban-protests-pakistan.html

More at

https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1493804647630716

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 45
time 2021-09-09 00:18 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1435759602482565120

==========


Americans were unwilling to "go anywhere and pay any
price," in the words of JF Kennedy.

The Taliban were.     So they won by waiting and wearing
US out.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/us-taliban-diplomacy-obama-trump-biden/2021/09/04/b11b6fca-0ce5-11ec-aea1-42a8138f132a_story.html

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 34
time 2021-09-05 06:58 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1434410582623457284

==========


Taliban political theory - "Some of the principles of
democracy are in contradiction with the principles of
Islam. In a democracy, the people are sovereign. In Islam,
God is sovereign. The Quran is sovereign."

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/01/world/asia/afghanistan-taliban-victory-governing.html

And who interprets the Quran?

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 64
time 2021-09-02 14:13 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1433433003716321292

==========


Another reason Afghanistan is insoluble.

https://apnews.com/article/kashmir-cd1c1b8b9f35a74dfc959a9c61a560b4

Kashmir conflict affects who supports whom in Afghanistan.

#PS1mideast

=====

engage 1
engage-rate 2%
impress 61
time 2021-09-02 12:56 +0000
urlclicks 1
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1433413562110656514

==========


Who says the GOP is inconsistent?

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/01/us/politics/republicans-afghanistan-withdrawal-support.html

They consistently blame Biden for everything, even for
implementing Trump policies.       They never say what
they would have done differently.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 51
time 2021-09-02 04:08 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1433280704461238280

==========


How the West lost the war.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/31/afghanistan-combat-interpreter-baktash-ahadi-us-cultural-illiteracy/

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 44
time 2021-09-02 03:37 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1433272882721787912

==========


In Afghanistan, who is the greatest threat to Afghanistan?
The Taliban.

In Afghanistan, who is the greatest threat to America?  IS.

American and the Taliban need each other to destroy IS.
But is that sufficient incentive?

https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-ap-top-news-afghanistan-evacuations-kabul-c134d2abf8977b87d2965d9fe3e1565f

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 59
time 2021-09-02 00:56 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1433232391087087618

==========


The last thing the GOP wants is the whole truth.
Because they were part and parcel of it from the beginning.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/27/mccarthy-gop-afghanistan-troop-deaths/

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 48
time 2021-08-31 03:38 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1432548197759553536

==========


The (almost forgotten) success of American mideast
adventures - no more attacks on US soil since 2001.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/26/robert-kagan-afghanistan-americans-forget/

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 50
time 2021-08-31 02:30 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1432531268499959808

==========


It all boils down to one question - will whoever ends up
running the Taliban honor the commitment to actively excise
foreign terrorists in order to gain foreign investment?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/30/afghanistan-forever-war-vs-quick-retreat-not-binary-choice/

Such clear-cut resolutions are hardly part of the Afghan
tradition.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 47
time 2021-08-31 02:07 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1432525361745575939

==========


We lost Afghanistan but not yet the war.    The Taliban
leadership has probably figured out that if they keep
foreign terrorists out they will probably get vital
economic help from the West.    But can they keep all
their adherents in line?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/30/michael-leiter-afghanistan-safety-terrorism-9-11/

#PS1mideast

=====

engage 1
engage-rate 2%
impress 56
time 2021-08-31 01:58 +0000
urlclicks 1
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1432523187317735428

==========


Afghanistan is not a direct long-term threat to American
credibility.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/29/opinion/afghanistan-withdrawal-history.html

Trumpist isolationism is the long-term threat - to our
allies but most of all to ourselves. More at

https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1487075594970288

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 59
time 2021-08-30 05:21 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1432211795163312128

==========


The last day of Kabul.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/08/28/taliban-takeover-kabul/

How easily it went down.     But the war was lost before
it started.

#PS1mideast

=====

engage 7
engage-rate 7%
expands 1
impress 104
likes 1
time 2021-08-29 05:26 +0000
urlclicks 5
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1431850654700498946

==========


"This is what happens when you lose a war"

https://apnews.com/article/health-coronavirus-pandemic-d7a5461707d1b3d4ad6c78090b42e816

You get the blame, even if the war were lost before it
even started.     Just ask the Soviets and British.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 46
time 2021-08-28 13:38 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1431612161155948548

==========


Lucky Trump!  The Taliban have given him a ticket to
re-election no matter what Biden does or doesn't do, since
Trump doesn't have to fix it.   That takes the heat off
Trump,  for his covid disaster.

https://apnews.com/article/immigration-151d588fd9f4b33b0a71b9a1226e589b

More at

https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1485700145107833

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 70
time 2021-08-28 05:38 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1431491342350241793

==========


Bipartisan foreign policy?     Not necessarily a good
thing.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/26/opinion/afghanistan-us-withdrawal.html

Too much foreign intervention has been taken on bipartisan
faith.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 54
time 2021-08-28 04:35 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1431475535398330373

==========


We are stuck with the Taliban and they with us.  For how
long?    Depends on Islamic State.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/27/us/politics/us-taliban-partnership.html

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 90
time 2021-08-28 04:25 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1431473014361653254

==========


Can the Taliban govern?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/kabul-bombing-taliban-challenges-security/2021/08/27/fd55735e-0736-11ec-b3c4-c462b1edcfc8_story.html

Their opposition is much more diverse and their allies
expect rewards.

#PS1mideast

=====

engage 4
engage-rate 5%
expands 1
impress 88
time 2021-08-28 02:07 +0000
urlclicks 2
userclicks 1
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1431438240196689923

==========


Worse than the Taliban!

https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-religion-afghanistan-islamic-state-group-fd3061845f328cbac4ec5eab066482a8

The Taliban is is only interested in "purifying"
Afghanistan.     The international Islamic State intends to
"purify" the entire world.

The US has joined the Taliban against IS in the past.
Maybe again?

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 141
time 2021-08-27 03:23 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1431094914180210688

==========


A catastrophic endgame might have been more or less
inevitable in Afghanistan.   In its bitter internal feuds,
losing is often fatal.

https://apnews.com/article/europe-race-and-ethnicity-taliban-e51255ff3d954e8f95bea4dc1c209b32

Switching to the winning side is accepted practice, as
the tide turns.

More at

https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1480548662289648

#PS1mideast

=====

engage 1
engage-rate 2%
impress 45
likes 1
time 2021-08-20 14:26 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1428725028695146498

==========


Violent revolutions usually make things worse.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/16/opinion/afghanistan-biden-taliban.html

It happened 30 years ago, and it might happen again.
Now they THEY are the central government, the Taliban
can't blame anybody else for what happens.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 81
time 2021-08-19 05:24 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1428226375215812609

==========


The Taliban funding model - tax trade.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/18/opinion/taliban-afghanistan-economy.html

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 72
time 2021-08-19 05:08 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1428222399690862595

==========


Taliban's winning strategy.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/18/world/asia/taliban-victory-strategy-afghanistan.html

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 77
time 2021-08-19 05:05 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1428221485815001091

==========


Ultimately, we were just tourists.     The Taliban was
there to stay.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/17/david-ignatius-afghanistan-government-20-years/

#PS1mideast

=====

engage 1
engage-rate 1%
impress 76
time 2021-08-18 06:12 +0000
urlclicks 1
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1427875972301299715

==========


Even governments that supported the Taliban are uneasy
about the ease of the Taliban victory and what it means
for the future.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/08/16/afghanistan-neighbors-china-india-pakistan/

Almost every country in Asia has militant fundamentalist
Islamic factions.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 84
time 2021-08-18 05:52 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1427870964084207623

==========


The Friendship Bridge - a tombstone in the Graveyard
of Empires.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/16/world/middleeast/afghanistan-taliban-soviet-friendship-bridge.html

#PS1mideast

=====

engage 1
engage-rate 1%
impress 72
time 2021-08-17 21:00 +0000
urlclicks 1
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1427737022387560456

==========


What have Americans learned?   Probably nothing.
That's the greatest tragedy of Afghanistan.

https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-afghanistan-036874ebcb40acb404ac1a7f3db11f1a

The hope is that elite ruling classes in other unstable
countries will learn that US involvement is not forever.

More at

https://www.facebook.com/politicalscrapbooknet/posts/1478521172492397

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 82
time 2021-08-17 17:08 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1427678851727908865

==========


History repeats itself -

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/13/afghanistan-withdrawal-vietnam-embassy-saigon/

but never exactly.      Now nobody claims to have a
secret plan that could have led to a different outcome.
And once the Taliban take over - back to corruption and
tribal infighting as usual.   Such a tragedy.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 71
time 2021-08-14 13:47 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1426540926143320069

==========


Leadership and lies -

https://www.political-scrapbook.net/theory.html#leadership

Just like Vietnam!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2021/08/10/afghanistan-papers-book-dick-cheney-attack/

It's just not possible for most leaders, military,
civilian, or corporate, to admit error or defeat until
it's obvious to everybody.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 68
time 2021-08-10 13:40 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1425089577908269056

==========


Our next middle eastern war?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/05/iran-raisi-biden-administration-nuclear-deal/

Iran's ruling elite is convinced God is on their side and
they will eventually wear out the west, as in Afghanistan,
Syria, etc.

which is why we hold our noses while holding hands with
the Saudis etc.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 74
time 2021-08-09 14:55 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1424746071083782146

==========


Vietnam is no "graveyard of empires" but in the end the
winningest strategy was just to leave.     In Afghanistan
the winningest strategy is the same.     Both times,
the US became associated with foreign imperialism and a
puppet government.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/03/dont-ask-if-we-should-leave-ask-why-we-didnt-win-afghanistan/

#PS1mideast

=====

engage 4
engage-rate 7%
expands 1
impress 55
likes 1
time 2021-08-05 00:14 +0000
urlclicks 2
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1423074869248364547

==========


Just like Vietnam - we ended up "turning the corner"
so many times we ended up going nowhere in the graveyard
of empires.

https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-us-withdrawal-biden-military-analysis-e6aea337670314041ce5a8837799bc73

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 28
time 2021-07-18 23:41 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1416905923054825477

==========


"Iran's ruling clerics cultivate and celebrate conflict
with America and Israel as an essential tool for locking
themselves in power"

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/15/opinion/iran-biden-nuclear-deal.html

Minority rule works the same way everywhere.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 47
time 2021-06-16 02:33 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1404990584096321536

==========


The future of Afghanistan.

https://apnews.com/article/islamic-state-group-shootings-05612533bbcbfa2d836d46d84b82ee92

But it's hard to see how things would be any different if
the US waited another 20 years before withdrawing.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 74
time 2021-06-11 12:45 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1403332598575685637

==========


Deposed Trumpist personality cultists all sound alike!

https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-joe-biden-israel-middle-east-government-and-politics-9785d2410bf55bce06b893b19b3e6234

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 49
time 2021-06-10 20:15 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1403083364366651392

==========


Netanyahu proves he's a Trumpist to the end -

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/netanyahu-trump-capitol-mob-siege/2021/06/06/40a1d10e-c68a-11eb-89a4-b7ae22aa193e_story.html

His rule was a personality cult after all.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 41
time 2021-06-07 06:07 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1401782794599030784

==========


"Netanyahu supporters slammed right-wing parties planning
to join the broad-based coalition, picketed their homes
and in some cases issued threats."

They're righting like hell - very Trumpist, as befits
Netanyahu.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/opposition-parties-could-oust-netanyahu/2021/05/31/6974eecc-be56-11eb-922a-c40c9774bc48_story.html

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 38
time 2021-05-31 18:25 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1399431972175310853

==========


Holding children for hostages - that's what dictators do.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/20/mbss-lawsuit-against-saudi-spy-threatens-spill-secrets-us-should-intervene/

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 46
time 2021-05-21 03:31 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1395583082141392898

==========


"the fire always breaks out just when it's most convenient
for the prime minister"

https://apnews.com/article/hamas-middle-east-israel-748a13f933111e2341fcf1d01f86bdb7

Whether he's leading or following, he always looks out
for #1 - no wonder he gets along so well with Trump.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 38
time 2021-05-20 13:49 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1395376019888955392

==========


Netanyahu sees the war as a convenient means to save
himself politically and legally.

And aligning himself so thoroughly with Trump does not
embellish his character.      Trump pretended that his
support of Netanyahu was support for Israel.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/19/opinion/israel-democrats-united-states.html

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 44
time 2021-05-20 05:15 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1395246889683935234

==========


An unstable tipping point that could easily tip into a
war nobody wants.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/11/opinion/jerusalem-rockets-israel.html

WWI started the same way.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 63
time 2021-05-13 19:34 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1392926317834768387

==========


Trump gave Netanyahu the go-ahead to de-facto annex the
West Bank and eliminate forever the possibility of a
two-state solution.

https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-israel-iran-nuclear-west-bank-afda64d2a213cb8de2ce72e46fe3385f

After all, Trump got lots of campaign donations from
American Jews and none from Palestinians.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 37
time 2021-04-23 00:27 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1385389759531405315

==========


The graveyard of empires wins again.

https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-afghanistan-taliban-d2c54073ce67f3b162c77b4f9f2f0ddd

As everybody else has discovered, you either get out of
Afghanistan or you stay there forever.       Eventually
they all decide ito cut their losses.   The tragedy is
for the ordinary Afghans left behind.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 57
time 2021-04-14 02:34 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1382160398065967106

==========


Pluralism isn't doing well in the graveyard of empires.
The Taliban's offer - let us restore order with a ruthless
theocratic dictatorship or else let violence grow unchecked
- is getting harder to refuse.

https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-afghanistan-lloyd-austin-kabul-taliban-c497354cd76c2e0fc9dc21bb6d908794

#PS1mideast

=====

engage 1
engage-rate 2%
expands 1
impress 45
time 2021-03-26 13:32 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1375440500111470592

==========


Why Afghanistan seems destined to remain the Balkans
of Asia!

https://apnews.com/article/kabul-afghanistan-taliban-e8545f3c419a0a10a5df66b9cb9846f9

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 40
time 2021-03-24 03:31 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1374564525295292416

==========


Another insoluble problem?

https://apnews.com/article/iran-bashar-assad-middle-east-islamic-state-group-russia-8025c05507326d7e896b85802119f0f4

Bad to stay, bad to leave.    Which is worse?

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 43
time 2021-03-23 05:19 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1374229258889949186

==========


How much is it worth to defend Afghans who embraced
out ideals?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/03/08/biden-keep-us-troops-in-afghanistan/

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 30
time 2021-03-09 23:29 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1369430053940043778

==========


What happens to those left behind?

https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-afghanistan-islamic-state-group-kabul-taliban-e7a746817fb24f45e1ff702ca269ccc5

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 30
time 2021-03-08 14:20 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1368929570301177859

==========


Not just lives wasted in the graveyard of empires.

https://apnews.com/article/world-news-afghanistan-taliban-united-states-b07ccfc12ceb7abefab055fe7bd6cf53

Yet if we leave, al Qaeda and ISIS will be back in no time,
making trouble inside and outside Afghanistan.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 35
time 2021-03-03 18:43 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1367183940029607936

==========


Just like Vietnam!

"We were devoid of a fundamental understanding of
Afghanistan.  We didn't know what we were doing."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/biden-has-to-take-the-loss-in-afghanistan--and-add-it-to-george-w-bushs-record/2021/03/02/f544a300-7b82-11eb-85cd-9b7fa90c8873_story.html

Thanks, Charlie Wilson!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Wilson%27s_War_(film)

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 43
time 2021-03-03 06:33 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1367000098731790336

==========


The Middle East - once you're in, it's hard to get out.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2021/libya-civil-war-russia-turkey-fighter-planes/

Maybe Libya will be permanently divided, like Cyprus.
A Turkish oil colony and a Russian oil colony.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 59
time 2021-02-25 17:35 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1364992485085257728

==========


Soldiers of fortune and merchants of death.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/19/world/middleeast/erik-prince-libya-embargo.html

And pals of Trump and Bannon, of course.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 44
time 2021-02-20 01:41 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1362940524303249416

==========


The Graveyard of Empires wins again.

https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-ap-top-news-afghanistan-troop-withdrawals-gangs-b1e229dcba7cf11e84d1c892c046ec3c

As Charlie Wilson's War winds down into a black hole
of horror.

#PS1mideast

=====

engage 1
engage-rate 2%
expands 1
impress 61
time 2021-02-16 13:50 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1361674261421719553

==========


2021 Afghanistan = 1975 Vietnam.      The curtain is coming
down with nothing to show for thousands of man-years and
billions of dollars of American effort.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/15/world/asia/taliban-afghanistan.html

It's the last act of Charlie Wilson's War.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Wilson%27s_War_(film)

#PS1mideast

=====

engage 1
engage-rate 2%
expands 1
impress 50
time 2021-02-15 22:24 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1361441379780489218

==========


Back to the traditional playbook.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/12/opinion/iran-kidnap-execute-dissidents.html

Iran has competing factions too.

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 32
time 2021-01-14 00:49 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1349519004885401600

==========


Will Trump's fantasies about bringing the troops home
result in another Mideast war?

https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-iran-persian-gulf-tensions-middle-east-3ea75606912652951a3c65c882fd560a

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 47
time 2021-01-05 14:15 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1346460377266044928

==========


What happens when we leave Afghanistan.     Like everybody
before us, we shouldn't have entered if we didn't mean to
stay forever.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/asia/afghanistan-taliban-rule-territory/

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 59
time 2021-01-04 04:40 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1345953262764101632

==========


More inconsistent messaging.    What is Iran going to
conclude?

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/01/us/politics/iran-trump.html

#PS1mideast

=====

impress 47
time 2021-01-03 20:01 +0000
https://twitter.com/politicalscrap1/status/1345822636845060098