Marie Harf

Mission creep at warp speed

The 5 Big ‘Known Unknowns’ of Donald Trump’s New War With Iran The all-out air assault on the Islamic Republic might be the biggest gamble of the president’s career.

As we come up on five days of this war - and as Congress gets briefed and votes on a war powers resolution - this piece by @vermontgmg.bsky.social is worth a read. Five questions still largely unanswered about this latest American war in the Middle East.

Refreshing to see a real subject matter expert! Highly recommend you follow @marieharf.bsky.social on Iran.

Thank you so much for this @nadabakos.bsky.social!

PWH Executive Director @marieharf.bsky.social spoke on Fox News Sunday on the U.S. and Israel's strikes on Iran. Watch here:

In response to a question in this presser, Secretary Hegseth was wholly unable to articulate what the objectives of this war are. Used a lot of words about Iran not getting a nuclear weapon, not being able to project power in the region. No clear goals stated. And nothing about freedom or democracy.

Middle East crisis live: Kuwait mistakenly shoots down three US fighter planes, as US says Iran’s ‘reckless’ attacks threaten regional stability Israeli military says fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah could take ‘many’ more days; US crew bailed out safely after crash-landing, says Kuwait

Saudi Arabia shut its biggest refinery after drone strikes caused a fire there.

www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

Why more Democrats need to be on Fox 👇

Tactical success does not equal strategic victory. See: Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq. Lots of unknowns still, but no evidence yet that there’s a plan for what comes after the bombs stop falling for the people of Iran.

My thoughts on Fox News Sunday after the first 24 hours of war with Iran: This is a war of choice. We all want a free and democratic Iran. But overthrowing authoritarian leaders with force has not historically led to democratic, pro-U.S. governments rising in their place.

International Relations Is Not a Morality Play: What To Expect From the War With Iran The Trump administration has no plan and no path to a good outcome.

"The most relevant question is not 'is this government bad?' or 'do they deserve it?' The most relevant question is 'will this use of military force make things better, enough to be worth the death and suffering it’ll impose?'

It’s hard to see how this will." www.liberalcurrents.com/internationa...

Seems like the emerging policy is: you people out there are responsible for setting up your own governments, but if the US doesn’t like who ends up in charge we’ll just assassinate or kidnap them and then the ball is back in your court.

At War With Iran A rapid-response event discussing the crisis in the Middle East

Register today for our rapid response event on the crisis in Iran. Our expert panel (@hbanai.bsky.social; @dassakaye.bsky.social; @marieharf.bsky.social) will discuss what this means for the region and the world more broadly, possible next steps, and more. www.eventbrite.com/e/at-war-wit...

This is very good and stands among lots of first takes out there - worth a read

Iran’s retaliation in the Gulf had been more extensive than I would have expected, striking all GCC states other than Oman and hitting civilian targets.

This will only increase Iran’s isolation and is doubtful to change Trump’s calculus (after all they tried to prevent war and failed)

i’m so excited for peace in the Middle East. we’re only one war away.

definitely big news if confirmed. but killing the SL is not yet the end of the Islamic Republic. it's a deeply entrenched system.

recall killing Sinwar did not destroy Hamas; killing Nasrallah has not eradicated Hezbollah. they are weakened but not gone.

Trying to follow what’s happening in the Middle East? Follow @perryworldhouse.bsky.social @marieharf.bsky.social @mchorowitz.bsky.social @hbanai.bsky.social for thoughtful analysis.

The US has launched a war on Iran. But why? The short answer is nobody really knows. Vox’s @zackbeauchamp.bsky.social explains why the incoherence at the heart of Trump’s latest, biggest war is particularly scary.

You can read more coverage here: www.vox.com/politics/481...

Exclusive: Prior to Iran attacks, CIA assessed Khamenei would be replaced by hardline IRGC elements if killed, sources say In the run-up to the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Saturday, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency assessed that even if Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the operation, he would likely be replaced by hardline figures from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), two sources briefed on the intelligence said.

Exclusive: Prior to Iran attacks, CIA assessed Khamenei would be replaced by hardline IRGC elements if killed, sources say reut.rs/4l9SCAs

At least Bush had a flawed plan for what came after 2003 invasion. Trump has none. He seems content to just let it burn - oh and BTW they still have enough uranium for 6 bombs somewhere.

Insight from Perry World House and Penn Washington leadership on the U.S.'s strikes against Iran:

@marieharf.bsky.social, Perry World House Executive Director:

Key follows for today and going forward if you want to know what’s happening in Iran and the region: @hbanai.bsky.social @dassakaye.bsky.social @abuaardvark.bsky.social
@arashtehran.bsky.social @dahliasc.bsky.social @yjtorbati.bsky.social

War is not a morality play.

The relevant question isn’t: Are the targets bad people who have done bad things?

The relevant question is: Will going to war make things better, achieving something that’s worth the death and suffering it causes?

Opinion | The U.S. should wage war only when it must. This isn’t one of those times. Trump criticized the Iraq War. Now he’s making the same mistakes.

JD Vance said there is “no chance” the US would be drawn into a lengthy war. But isn’t that what Bush thought before Iraq & LBJ before Vietnam? Wars are risky & unpredictable.The US should engage in them only if it absolutely has to. There is no reason to think this war is necessary. wapo.st/4seF5K1

@nbcnews.com’s Peter Alexander and Laura Jarrett are doing a very good interview with Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi, who is in Tehran, on weekend Today Show right now.

For the first time, more Americans sympathize w/ the Palestinians than the Israelis via Gallup. Some of this is undoubtedly bad faith criticism, but it’s upsetting that many supporters of Israel (a group I include myself in) are wholly unwilling to look at what Bibi has done & assign him any blame.

Desdemona Rose

side garden view

backyard

roses

You're getting pictures of my garden on this dark winter night because your feed deserves better.

Dozens of FBI records apparently missing from Epstein files, including Trump accuser interviews | CNN Three interviews related to a woman who accused President Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her decades ago appear to be among the missing files in the DOJ release.

Dozens of FBI witness interviews from the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein appear to be missing from the files released by the Department of Justice last month, according to a CNN review – including interviews related to a woman who accused President Trump of sexually assaulting her decades ago.

Justice Department withheld and removed some Epstein files related to Trump An NPR investigation finds the public database of Epstein files is missing dozens of pages related to sexual abuse accusations against President Trump.

An NPR investigation finds the public database of Epstein files is missing dozens of pages related to sexual abuse accusations against President Trump. n.pr/4qTItsU