“[T]hat absence of direction became the soil in which my radicalization took root.”
A really interesting read on pathways into and out of white supremacy, almost nine years after Charlottesville. Highly recommend.
A terrific resource for this perilous moment in #Iran: Losing the Long Game: The False Promise of Regime Change in the Middle East, by @philgordondc.bsky.social (@stmartinspress.bsky.social, 2020).
Good piece by my former @cfr.org colleague @philgordondc.bsky.social in the @economist.com, warning that “Mr Trump is taking a massive and unnecessary gamble—not just with his presidency but with the lives of countless Americans, Iranians and others.”
Unparalleled insights from @hoffmanbruce.bsky.social for @cfr.org, as always!
This might seem overly clinical to those in the mood for "fuck this dumb evil shit," (which often includes me!), but this gets right at the incoherence of the whole operation:
For more on #Iran’s irregular warfare strategy, I would highly recommend Seth G. Jones’s brilliant Three Dangerous Men (@wwnorton.com, 2021). Includes a deep dive into Qassem Soleimani and the role he played in crafting the Islamic Republic's regional approach.
Relatedly: “Iran appears to be pursuing an asymmetric war of attrition focused on exhausting U.S., Israeli, and allied defensive resources.”
Probably the most interesting and thought-provoking piece I’ve read on the war in #Iran. Joe Funderburke argues in Small Wars Journal that we’ve misunderstood Iran's center of gravity. “The nuclear program was the headline. The proxy network was always the story.”
“The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events.”
@sangernyt.bsky.social
A thought-provoking primer on war in #Iran by Ali Ansari in @engelsbergideas.bsky.social. Operation Epic Fury is challenging the Islamic Republic’s monopoly on violence. @standrewshist.bsky.social
Good. Too late, but hopefully not too little.
"The consequences are profound and tragic and unfixable. When you're talking about dead children, there's just no going back." @davidebybc.bsky.social
Reflections on our long national nightmare:
“It was before this became an American epidemic.”
“That was our community’s 9/11.”
"Everybody ... knows that this is a good community that they’d be proud to live in, and, therefore, it could happen anywhere.”
Reminds me of Jennifer Gonnerman's terrific Nov. 2023 @newyorker.com profile of a school shooter's sister. "I've never reached a moment where I was just mad at him and needed to forgive him. There's no way his behavior was a choice."
"It's confusing. It's painful. It's like being victimized but not really being a victim."
So grateful to @mikebaker.bsky.social for telling the heartbreaking story of Bryan Kohberger's family — and what happens to a mass murderer's loved ones.
Easily the greatest article title I have ever seen. The article itself, in which @devorahmargolin.bsky.social and @joanacook.bsky.social assess #ISIS detainee breakouts in northeast Syria, is well worth reading. @washinstitute.bsky.social
The #SOTU2026 highlight was undoubtedly the Medal of Honor awarded to CW5 Eric Slover. I fortunately came across a remarkable earlier story of Slover's heroism and courage under fire, reported over a decade ago by Jay Price. A real American hero.
"In #Ukraine, I’ve just had more opportunity to travel throughout the country and witness how they respond to atrocity and oppression. They have – in spades – the 'courage to continue.'" @betterworldorg.bsky.social
“Hearts Not Minds”
On resistance and territorial defense in Ukraine 🇺🇦
"[N]one of the current lineup of organizational leaders enjoys influence beyond their specific organization or area of operations."
Always great to hear @triciabacon.bsky.social and Elizabeth Grimm weighing in on leadership of the global jihadist movement. @lawfaremedia.org
"... Half the people that come before us for trial are going to be unhappy with the result. But it had never before reached the level where the president & the attorney general & the president's staff were making hypercritical comments and calling judges monsters and referring to a judicial coup."
"If there's no sanction from within either party, within community members, to say, 'This is unacceptable in our politics,' then that behavior will continue." 🎯 @shannonhiller.bsky.social
"There has been a very marked decline in civility."
Vital reporting on the leading threat to American democracy, by Melissa Quinn and Jacob Rosen in @cbsnews.com. Especially relevant after Trump's comments on the Supreme Court tariff ruling.
One of the most outrageous and infuriating stories I have read in a long time. An unforgivable dereliction of duty.
“ChatGPT maker opted against informing authorities about Jesse Van Rootselaar’s descriptions of violence last June.” @georgiawells.bsky.social
"A NJOHSP review of open-source NVE incidents in 2025 revealed that a majority of NVE suspects were between the ages of 18 and 29. These subjects primarily target their victims on mainstream and gaming platforms to discuss ideology or post threats and solicit/share CSAM."
“Two years of the #Gaza war with its attendant humanitarian catastrophe have fractured the pro-Israel consensus that shielded the country.”
An important update from former senior U.S. intelligence analyst Amir Asmar for @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social.
"Senior officials at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) say anti-feminist ideology is becoming 'increasingly relevant' to Canada's national security landscape and may lead to radicalization and violent extremism."
Last month, @courtwatch.bsky.social reported on a Texas criminal defense that terrorist threats on Roblox were not "a true threat" because they were issued in an online game. This seems a more egregious case. Would such an argument also apply here? @seamushughes.bsky.social @pwbeck.bsky.social
