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Bessma Momani

@bmomani

Professor at the University of Waterloo and Senior Fellow at CIGI, interested in International Affairs and Geopolitics of Technology.

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13.09.2023
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Latest posts by Bessma Momani @bmomani

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Should the defense spending ramp-up also tackle climate change? Should the defense spending ramp-up also tackle climate change?

As defense leaders prioritize tanks and ammunition, front-line nations warn that ignoring climate change as a risk multiplier is a costly strategic failure.

07.03.2026 01:05 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Pardon Industry Offers Rich Offenders a Path to Trump

NEW: Pardon seekers are routinely being asked to pay $1m+ to lobbyists & lawyers claiming access to Trump, often with bonuses if clemency is granted.

I investigated the Trump Pardon Industrial Complex, & detailed the backstory behind 1 interesting pardon.

06.03.2026 15:09 πŸ‘ 366 πŸ” 202 πŸ’¬ 13 πŸ“Œ 15
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FAO Food Price Index rises in February for first time in five months New forecasts also point to reduced wheat plantings in 2026 as farmers respond to lower prices.

Food prices were already rising before this latest war began... with oil and fertilizer prices rising, food prices are likely to rise further and drive up world food insecurity.

www.fao.org/newsroom/det...

07.03.2026 01:26 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Iran war updates: Trump wants β€˜unconditional surrender’ as attacks continue These were the updates on the US-Israeli attacks on Iran for Friday, March 6.

β€œFamilies who had barely begun rebuilding their lives are now forced to flee once again."

Norwegian Refugee Council says 300,000 people have already been displaced in β€œless than 100 hours” since Israel launched its war on Lebanon: www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblo...

07.03.2026 01:25 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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US troops were told war on Iran was β€˜all part of God’s divine plan’, watchdog alleges Religious freedom group says 200 troops sent complaints of superiors using extremist Christian rhetoric to justify war

One service member said their commander had β€œurged us to tell our troops that this [Iran war] was β€˜all part of God’s divine plan’ and he specifically referenced citations out of the Book of Revelation referring to Armageddon and imminent return of Jesus Christ”.

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

04.03.2026 05:54 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1

Algorithmic targeting systems are the perfect tools to obliterate rules of engagement, as humans who are considered bottlenecks to decision making,"rubber stamp" machine decisions after seconds of deliberation, & acceptable level of collateral damage is increased to reflect expanded ability to kill.

06.03.2026 12:33 πŸ‘ 35 πŸ” 13 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 1
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Exclusive: US investigation points to likely US responsibility in Iran school strike, sources say Military investigators believe it is likely that U.S. forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls' school that killed scores of children on Saturday, two U.S. officials told Reu...

Reuters Exclusive

"U.S. military investigators believe it is likely that U.S. forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls' school."

"The strike would rank among the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of U.S. conflicts in the ​Middle East."

06.03.2026 02:50 πŸ‘ 9833 πŸ” 5181 πŸ’¬ 617 πŸ“Œ 623
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06.03.2026 12:52 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Opinion: In the age of AI, the fog of war thickens Amid the global seduction of using AI in all aspects of work, the military is now leaning on AI tools to carry out the ugly business of war

My latest op-ed. The fog of war in the age of AI will become thicker. Science fiction has become realist and under the Trumps administration, any potential guardrails are being degraded at warp speed 🧡https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-in-the-age-of-ai-the-fog-of-war-thickens/

06.03.2026 12:51 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Widespread inability to understand the way global energy markets work is a genuine risk factor right now. The kicker is the way the policies that flow from these misunderstandings have been joined up with a concerted effort to demolish alternatives and the ability to hedge against price shocks.

05.03.2026 23:23 πŸ‘ 55 πŸ” 16 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 3
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Opinion: In the age of AI, the fog of war thickens Amid the global seduction of using AI in all aspects of work, the military is now leaning on AI tools to carry out the ugly business of war

β€œWithout urgent international action, we risk sleepwalking into an era where wars begin, escalate & kill at machine speed, all while humans watch events they no longer fully control – & possibly comes at the risk of their own extinction.” @bmomani.bsky.social www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

05.03.2026 21:37 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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ChatGPT Health 'under-triaged' half of medical emergencies in a new study Researchers tested different medical scenarios with the chatbot. In more than half of cases in which doctors would send patients to the ER, the chatbot said it was OK to delay care.

"Researchers tested different medical scenarios with the chatbot. In more than half of cases in which doctors would send patients to the ER, the chatbot said it was OK to delay care."

05.03.2026 04:42 πŸ‘ 63 πŸ” 33 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 4

This is a profound continental divide. Canadians overwhelmingly view other Canadians, even those unlike them, as being good people. Americans, more than any other country, view their neighbours and fellow citizens as bad people. Anti-Americanism flourishes in the United States

05.03.2026 15:51 πŸ‘ 426 πŸ” 227 πŸ’¬ 29 πŸ“Œ 14
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From FT comments

05.03.2026 13:47 πŸ‘ 4319 πŸ” 1496 πŸ’¬ 193 πŸ“Œ 106
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Iran school and nearby military base struck multiple times, satellite image reveals Iranian authorities say the attack, which took place on Saturday, killed 168 people.

BBC Verify has pieced together verified videos, satellite imagery and expert views after a deadly attack near a primary school in Minab, souther Iran, which suggest the area was hit more than once "by multiple simultaneous or near-simultaneous strikes".

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

05.03.2026 19:14 πŸ‘ 536 πŸ” 361 πŸ’¬ 14 πŸ“Œ 29
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OK, as the actual journalist who has been unwittingly caught up in the Claude rumor this morning (who also covers AI disinformation) let me clear this one up for the record.

To recap: Claude kind of implicated itself in the Iran school bombing citing (in part) my reporting...

05.03.2026 17:23 πŸ‘ 213 πŸ” 105 πŸ’¬ 12 πŸ“Œ 21
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Thousands of Africans are fighting for Russia in Ukraine Russia recruits thousands of African fighters for its war in Ukraine, often through deceptive agencies promising civilian jobs but forcing military contracts instead.

Russia recruits thousands of African fighters for its war in Ukraine, often through deceptive agencies promising civilian jobs but forcing military contracts instead.

05.03.2026 18:35 πŸ‘ 25 πŸ” 20 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 2
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The drop in the price battery storage is incredible, joining onshore wind and solar as now cheaper than coal, on average globally. about.bnef.com/insights/cle...

05.03.2026 18:30 πŸ‘ 34 πŸ” 22 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 2

NEW: A source from the Iranian Kurdish group Komala denies reports that it launched a ground offensive into western Iran.

Source: www.rudaw.net/kurmanci/kur...

04.03.2026 22:02 πŸ‘ 178 πŸ” 73 πŸ’¬ 8 πŸ“Œ 15
🚨Lebanon’s Health Ministry says 50 people have been killed and 335 wounded in Israeli strikes over the past two days, including at least seven children.

The toll follows Israel’s bombardment of southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs after Hezbollah launched missiles toward Israel on Monday for the first time in more than a year.

No casualties have been reported in Israel from the Hezbollah attacks.

🚨Lebanon’s Health Ministry says 50 people have been killed and 335 wounded in Israeli strikes over the past two days, including at least seven children. The toll follows Israel’s bombardment of southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs after Hezbollah launched missiles toward Israel on Monday for the first time in more than a year. No casualties have been reported in Israel from the Hezbollah attacks.



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Israeli airstrike on Aramoun

See new posts Conversation Pheebs @galpalpheebs Israeli airstrike on Aramoun

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🚨Lebanon’s Health Min. says 50 people have been killed & 335 wounded in Israeli strikes over the past 2 days, including at least 7 children.

The toll follows Israel’s bombardment of southern Lebanon & Beirut’s southern suburbs after Hezbollah launched missiles toward Israel on Mon. for the 1st...

04.03.2026 22:11 πŸ‘ 67 πŸ” 50 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
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Trump's Iran endgame unclear after mixed messaging on war aims The US president laid out some of his objectives on Monday, but made no mention of what Iran's future might look like after the war.

The incoherence of the US justification for military action against Iran is striking. Trump has offered several different reasons. More tellingly, there’s no clear end goal. Increasingly, this looks like a war of opportunity. 🧡 /1
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

04.03.2026 13:31 πŸ‘ 21 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 21
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Yes this is real: Karoline Leavitt just said in response to why Trump launched the war on Iran: "The president had a feeling, again, based on fact, that Iran was going to strike the US." So this is the first US war based on vibes. #VibesWar

04.03.2026 19:55 πŸ‘ 876 πŸ” 342 πŸ’¬ 125 πŸ“Œ 66
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Iran's Supreme Leader Is Dead, but Its People Remain in Peril As questions persist about the fate of the regime, the country braces for what's next, grappling with a reality that has no precedent.

"A near-total internet blackout has once again taken hold in Iran. Connectivity has become a privilege. Only those with access to Starlink and other forms of circumvention have been able to connect to the outside world."Β 

04.03.2026 20:02 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
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Trump’s War on Iran Could Screw Over US Farmers The Middle East supplies a huge amount of the world’s fertilizer. Conflict in the region has sent prices soaring ahead of the critical spring planting season.

there's a lot going on right now but did you know a massive amount of the world's fertilizer flows through the middle east, and did you know that that fertilizer needs to be shipped to the us *right now* for planting season, and uh did you know we are at war with iran

04.03.2026 19:10 πŸ‘ 1386 πŸ” 597 πŸ’¬ 83 πŸ“Œ 112
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The war in Iran is already hugely expensive Aircraft carriers and stealth bombers are expensive to use.

did a little back of the envelope math for how much all this shit is costing. on the order of $1-2 billion per day just in direct spending, maybe 10 times that much in indirect effects

03.03.2026 18:31 πŸ‘ 848 πŸ” 279 πŸ’¬ 35 πŸ“Œ 30
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The war in Iran is already hugely expensive Aircraft carriers and stealth bombers are expensive to use.

πŸ‘€ "All told, The Wall Street Journal reports that simply getting all those forces into position cost $630 million, and Anadolu reports that the first 24 hours of the attack cost $779 million.

Then, of course, this operation is going to lead to much more future military spending." @ryanlcooper.com

03.03.2026 18:39 πŸ‘ 68 πŸ” 34 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 4

Spain and its leaders understand their international legal obligations and are acting accordingly.

03.03.2026 18:15 πŸ‘ 144 πŸ” 74 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 4