| 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 |
The table above has these entries:
========== 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