{"version":"https://jsonfeed.org/version/1","title":"Micro.blog - Issandr Amrani","home_page_url":"https://micro.blog","feed_url":"https://micro.blog/posts/arabist","_microblog":{"about":"https://micro.blog/about/api","id":"3684","username":"arabist","bio":"Blog on Arab politics and culture, mostly, by Issandr Amrani.","pronouns":"","is_following":false,"is_you":false,"following_count":18,"discover_count":0},"author":{"name":"Issandr Amrani","url":"http://arabist.net","avatar":"https://avatars.micro.blog/avatars/2023/12/3684.jpg"},"items":[{"id":"92097061","content_html":"

Why China Hasn’t Helped the U.S. with Iran | International Crisis Group

\n

Because it sees the war as a strategic liability for the US from which it stands to benefit.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://arabist.net/2026/06/13/why-china-hasnt-helped-the.html","date_published":"2026-06-13T09:42:30+00:00","author":{"name":"Issandr Amrani","url":"http://arabist.net","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2023%2F12%2F3684.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"arabist"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-13 09:42","date_timestamp":1781343750,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@arabist/116742144267180096","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dgc64pocw5yrdu4lli2lqwfv/post/3mo5xovpgmp2p"]}},{"id":"92025434","content_html":"

Ian’s Is Still The Best Site For Tying Your Shoelaces | Aftermath

\n

This is what tears me apart about AI - with here Chris Person writing about a fantastic example, Ian’s Shoelace Site, which is both a wonderful relic of an earlier type of website (with late 1990s vibes) and an actually super-useful compendium of very specific, very nerdy information.

\n
\n

Ian, more than many writers and publishers on the internet, sees with cold clarity the catastrophic effect of AI on the continued survival of an independent web. “Today, my website is constantly being harvested by AI bots,” he said. “That content is then...

\n
arabist.net","summary":"","url":"https://arabist.net/2026/06/12/ians-is-still-the-best.html","date_published":"2026-06-12T07:45:14+00:00","author":{"name":"Issandr Amrani","url":"http://arabist.net","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2023%2F12%2F3684.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"arabist"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-12 07:45","date_timestamp":1781250314,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@arabist/116736022021366336","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dgc64pocw5yrdu4lli2lqwfv/post/3mo3aovsvde25"]}},{"id":"91980207","content_html":"

Israel Set to Rapidly Expand West Bank Settlement

\n

Before elections later this year. Plus ça change….

\n","summary":"","url":"https://arabist.net/2026/06/11/israel-set-to-rapidly-expand.html","date_published":"2026-06-11T16:09:48+00:00","author":{"name":"Issandr Amrani","url":"http://arabist.net","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2023%2F12%2F3684.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"arabist"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-11 16:09","date_timestamp":1781194188,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@arabist/116732342570613433","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dgc64pocw5yrdu4lli2lqwfv/post/3mnzmfnwgjp2i"]}},{"id":"91972605","content_html":"

China and the Mediterranean | China Books Review

\n

Liuyu Ivy Chen reviews two books, one historical and another contemporary.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://arabist.net/2026/06/11/china-and-the-mediterranean-china.html","date_published":"2026-06-11T13:58:18+00:00","author":{"name":"Issandr Amrani","url":"http://arabist.net","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2023%2F12%2F3684.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"arabist"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-11 13:58","date_timestamp":1781186298,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@arabist/116731825863859983","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dgc64pocw5yrdu4lli2lqwfv/post/3mnzf2nn67s2e"]}},{"id":"91960998","content_html":"

En Tunisie, les autorités coupent Internet pour éviter la triche au baccalauréat | Le Monde

\n

The Tunisian government has widely jammed or crippled the internet in the country to prevent cheating in high school exams. More staggering incompetence from Kaïs Saïd.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://arabist.net/2026/06/11/en-tunisie-les-autorits-coupent.html","date_published":"2026-06-11T09:51:54+00:00","author":{"name":"Issandr Amrani","url":"http://arabist.net","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2023%2F12%2F3684.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"arabist"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-11 09:51","date_timestamp":1781171514,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@arabist/116730856881878948","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dgc64pocw5yrdu4lli2lqwfv/post/3mnyxbysxd32p"]}},{"id":"91960489","content_html":"

A New Tone and Better Cards in Kyiv | International Crisis Group

\n

How Ukraine is emerging a winner out of the Iran war, at least in terms of establishing itself as an exporter of security to the Gulf:

\n
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine relied at first on Türkiye for drones – just as it depended on other foreign partners to deliver other armaments, from artillery shells and missiles to tanks and fighter planes. But since then, Ukraine’s domestic industry has re-emerged and reformed, driven by need and entrepreneurship, to produce millions of drones per year. Ukraine’s...
arabist.net","summary":"","url":"https://arabist.net/2026/06/11/a-new-tone-and-better.html","date_published":"2026-06-11T09:39:34+00:00","author":{"name":"Issandr Amrani","url":"http://arabist.net","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2023%2F12%2F3684.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"arabist"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-11 09:39","date_timestamp":1781170774,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@arabist/116730808392144505","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dgc64pocw5yrdu4lli2lqwfv/post/3mnywlwv3l425"]}},{"id":"91958711","content_html":"

Saudi Economic Contraction: How MBS Debt-Led Growth Is Creating a Strategic Financial and Geopolitical Trap for Saudi | MENA Unleashed

\n
The International Monetary Fund concluded its 2026 Article IV mission to Riyadh this week with a verdict dressed in the careful language of approval. The Saudi economy, it said, is proving resilient in the face of the war, supported by strong fundamentals and diversified infrastructure. Growth this year will come in notably lower but holding up at around 2%, down from 4.5% in 2025, contingent on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz normalising in the coming months....
arabist.net","summary":"","url":"https://arabist.net/2026/06/11/saudi-economic-contraction-how-mbs.html","date_published":"2026-06-11T08:38:23+00:00","author":{"name":"Issandr Amrani","url":"http://arabist.net","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2023%2F12%2F3684.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"arabist"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-11 08:38","date_timestamp":1781167103,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@arabist/116730571882692976","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dgc64pocw5yrdu4lli2lqwfv/post/3mnytaiwf3e2t"]}},{"id":"91902901","content_html":"

Congress Is Trying to Permanently Integrate U.S. and Israeli Defense Tech | The Intercept

\n

Critical reporting by Austin Campbell:

\n
Lawmakers and military experts told The Intercept that Section 224, named “United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative,” is highly irregular — and closely resembles a bipartisan bill backed by the pro-Israel lobby that died in Congress earlier this year.\n

“I can’t think of another example of Congress formalizing integration of critical national security technologies with a foreign power,” said retired Air Force Lt. Col. William Astore.

\n

Unlike traditional...

\n
arabist.net","summary":"","url":"https://arabist.net/2026/06/10/congress-is-trying-to-permanently.html","date_published":"2026-06-10T13:59:53+00:00","author":{"name":"Issandr Amrani","url":"http://arabist.net","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2023%2F12%2F3684.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"arabist"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-10 13:59","date_timestamp":1781099993,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@arabist/116726169433857432","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dgc64pocw5yrdu4lli2lqwfv/post/3mnwuofhrty2i"]}},{"id":"91898516","content_html":"

Le Maroc élimine un haut responsable du Front Polisario | Le Monde

\n

Morocco carries out drone killing of Polisario leader near Western Sahara berm.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://arabist.net/2026/06/10/le-maroc-limine-un-haut.html","date_published":"2026-06-10T12:48:49+00:00","author":{"name":"Issandr Amrani","url":"http://arabist.net","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2023%2F12%2F3684.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"arabist"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-10 12:48","date_timestamp":1781095729,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@arabist/116725889853968105","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dgc64pocw5yrdu4lli2lqwfv/post/3mnwqpaxnal2s"]}},{"id":"91889547","content_html":"

Brussels Institute for Geopolitics – The ideological roots of MAGA’s anti-European offensive

\n

On three luminaries behind the national-conservatives' view of Europe. Interesting to see the Israeli link and the whiffs of “Eurabia”.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://arabist.net/2026/06/10/brussels-institute-for-geopolitics-the.html","date_published":"2026-06-10T09:58:54+00:00","author":{"name":"Issandr Amrani","url":"http://arabist.net","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2023%2F12%2F3684.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"arabist"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-10 09:58","date_timestamp":1781085534,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@arabist/116725222138406166","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dgc64pocw5yrdu4lli2lqwfv/post/3mnwh7p6bat2h"]}},{"id":"91885799","content_html":"

The State of the Strait: The Role of Hormuz in the Middle East War So Far | International Crisis Group

\n

Comprehensive explainer with quite useful graphics.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://arabist.net/2026/06/10/the-state-of-the-strait.html","date_published":"2026-06-10T08:37:42+00:00","author":{"name":"Issandr Amrani","url":"http://arabist.net","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2023%2F12%2F3684.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"arabist"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-10 08:37","date_timestamp":1781080662,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@arabist/116724902533166977","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dgc64pocw5yrdu4lli2lqwfv/post/3mnwcobkivp2j"]}},{"id":"91746952","content_html":"

Trump’s Defense Department Sees Growing Espionage Threat From Israel - The New York Times

\n

Tel Aviv upping spying on Witkoff and other top officials negotiating Iran talks.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://arabist.net/2026/06/08/trumps-defense-department-sees-growing.html","date_published":"2026-06-08T10:17:40+00:00","author":{"name":"Issandr Amrani","url":"http://arabist.net","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2023%2F12%2F3684.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"arabist"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-08 10:17","date_timestamp":1780913860,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@arabist/116713970947927778","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dgc64pocw5yrdu4lli2lqwfv/post/3mnrhd7bbc72t"]}},{"id":"91743408","content_html":"

The Birds of Palestine (Arabic) – Shop Palestine

\n

Lovely poster available for sale to raise funds for the Middle East Children’s Alliance (via Kottke)

\n\"\"\n","summary":"","url":"https://arabist.net/2026/06/08/the-birds-of-palestine-arabic.html","date_published":"2026-06-08T08:36:07+00:00","author":{"name":"Issandr Amrani","url":"http://arabist.net","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2023%2F12%2F3684.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"arabist"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-08 08:36","date_timestamp":1780907767,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@arabist/116713571927143323","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dgc64pocw5yrdu4lli2lqwfv/post/3mnrbnqmcjq25"]}},{"id":"91743501","content_html":"

The Last Traces of a Family the Assad Regime Marked for Destruction - New Lines Magazine

\n

Morgan Laffer, reporting on the long struggle to discover the fate of six children kidnapped by Assad’s security force.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://arabist.net/2026/06/08/the-last-traces-of-a.html","date_published":"2026-06-08T08:34:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Issandr Amrani","url":"http://arabist.net","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2023%2F12%2F3684.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"arabist"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-08 08:34","date_timestamp":1780907640,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91743313","content_html":"

Iran’s Care for Orphans Has Been Transformed by War - New Lines Magazine

\n

Fateme Karimkhan, writing on how the war has changed fostering and other practices for Iranian orphans.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://arabist.net/2026/06/08/irans-care-for-orphans-has.html","date_published":"2026-06-08T08:33:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Issandr Amrani","url":"http://arabist.net","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2023%2F12%2F3684.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"arabist"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-08 08:33","date_timestamp":1780907580,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@arabist/116713560344832171","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dgc64pocw5yrdu4lli2lqwfv/post/3mnrbiha2io2i"]}},{"id":"91743128","content_html":"

Unmaking the Middle East | Andrew Arsan | The New York Review of Books

\n

Review of Fawaz Gerges' two most recent books, What Really Went Wrong and The Great Betrayal: The Struggle for Freedom and Democracy in the Middle East.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://arabist.net/2026/06/08/unmaking-the-middle-east-andrew.html","date_published":"2026-06-08T08:28:07+00:00","author":{"name":"Issandr Amrani","url":"http://arabist.net","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2023%2F12%2F3684.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"arabist"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-08 08:28","date_timestamp":1780907287,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@arabist/116713541375820908","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dgc64pocw5yrdu4lli2lqwfv/post/3mnrb7z53qc2k"]}},{"id":"91742642","content_html":"

The World Misunderstands the India–UAE Relationship - Gulf International Forum

\n","summary":"","url":"https://arabist.net/2026/06/08/the-world-misunderstands-the-indiauae.html","date_published":"2026-06-08T08:15:32+00:00","author":{"name":"Issandr Amrani","url":"http://arabist.net","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2023%2F12%2F3684.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"arabist"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-08 08:15","date_timestamp":1780906532,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@arabist/116713490650971128","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dgc64pocw5yrdu4lli2lqwfv/post/3mnraizdo6g2i"]}},{"id":"91742501","content_html":"

The U.S. Needs Its Mideast Bases - WSJ

\n

It’s astonishing to see this kind of piece, by pro-war longtime neocons Reuel Marc Gerecht and Ray Takeyh, as if the US disbanding its Gulf bases is now in question:

\n
Whatever credibility Washington still has in the Middle East depends on its willingness to maintain bases in the Gulf and in Iraq—and that places U.S. forces in harm’s way. Given our failure so far to fight the Battle of Hormuz and our inability to defend our allies adequately, this lever has lost some of the deterrence that once scared the Islamic Republic’s rulers. But it’s all we have now in an...
arabist.net","summary":"","url":"https://arabist.net/2026/06/08/the-us-needs-its-mideast.html","date_published":"2026-06-08T08:12:26+00:00","author":{"name":"Issandr Amrani","url":"http://arabist.net","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2023%2F12%2F3684.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"arabist"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-08 08:12","date_timestamp":1780906346,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@arabist/116713478635061080","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dgc64pocw5yrdu4lli2lqwfv/post/3mnradbrpbj2l"]}},{"id":"91742210","content_html":"

If I Were Chuck Schumer | The New York Review of Books

\n

Joseph O’Neill, interviewed by Daniel Drake:

\n
\n

If I were Senator Schumer, I would take stock of the polls, which reveal an amazingly unpopular Democratic Party that is despised by its own base. I would take stock of the collapse of DNC and DSCC fundraising. I would ask myself if I was responsible for this disastrous state of affairs. I would answer this question in the affirmative. Because I, Chuck Schumer, and my network of politicians, consultants, and donors, have for decades controlled the Democratic Party—its policy platform, its brand...

\n
arabist.net","summary":"","url":"https://arabist.net/2026/06/08/if-i-were-chuck-schumer.html","date_published":"2026-06-08T08:07:29+00:00","author":{"name":"Issandr Amrani","url":"http://arabist.net","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2023%2F12%2F3684.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"arabist"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-08 08:07","date_timestamp":1780906049,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@arabist/116713459142850357","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dgc64pocw5yrdu4lli2lqwfv/post/3mnra2fzskz2n"]}},{"id":"91741962","content_html":"

What Visual Evidence Tells Us About Israel’s Use of White Phosphorus in Lebanon - The New York Times

\n","summary":"","url":"https://arabist.net/2026/06/08/what-visual-evidence-tells-us.html","date_published":"2026-06-08T08:01:34+00:00","author":{"name":"Issandr Amrani","url":"http://arabist.net","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2023%2F12%2F3684.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"arabist"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-08 08:01","date_timestamp":1780905694,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@arabist/116713436160267186","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dgc64pocw5yrdu4lli2lqwfv/post/3mnr7q27niq2e"]}},{"id":"91741659","content_html":"

Lessons from RightsCon Cancellation for Democracy Promotion

\n

Andrew Friedman and Tara L. Thwing, write here for Just Security on the recent cancellation of RightsCon, a major civil society and human rights gathering, by the government of Zambia. The cancellation, most likely due to Chinese pressure on Zambia...

arabist.net","summary":"","url":"https://arabist.net/2026/06/08/lessons-from-rightscon-cancellation-for.html","date_published":"2026-06-08T07:55:03+00:00","author":{"name":"Issandr Amrani","url":"http://arabist.net","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2023%2F12%2F3684.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"arabist"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-08 07:55","date_timestamp":1780905303,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@arabist/116713411254391694","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dgc64pocw5yrdu4lli2lqwfv/post/3mnr7enhp3z2c"]}},{"id":"91527193","content_html":"

Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu replay 1982 Beirut stand-off | FT

\n

Mehul Srivastava and Abigail Hauslohner on the parallels with Reagan and Begin:

\n
\n

As it battled the Palestine Liberation Organization, Israel had laid siege to Beirut for weeks and had been intensively shelling the city’s suburbs for nearly half a day, killing more civilians than PLO fighters. In Reagan’s own words, “I was angry.”

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“I told him it had to stop immediately, or our entire future relationship was endangered,” wrote Reagan. “I used the word ‘Holocaust’ deliberately and said the symbol of his war was becoming a picture of a...

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arabist.net","summary":"","url":"https://arabist.net/2026/06/04/donald-trump-and-benjamin-netanyahu.html","date_published":"2026-06-04T12:47:56+00:00","author":{"name":"Issandr Amrani","url":"http://arabist.net","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2023%2F12%2F3684.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"arabist"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-04 12:47","date_timestamp":1780577276,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":["https://mastodon.social/@arabist/116691913003984031","https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dgc64pocw5yrdu4lli2lqwfv/post/3mnhnueil4q2c"]}},{"id":"91513706","content_html":"\n

L’artiste franco-iranienne Marjane Satrapi, autrice de la bande dessinée « Persepolis », est morte à l’âge de 56 ans | Le Monde

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Satrapi, author of the blockbuster graphic novel Persepolis, about growing up in the early years of the Islamic Republic, has passed. Her family said that she “died of sadness a...

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Iran’s New Grand Strategy | Foreign Affairs

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A fascinating essay by Narges Bajoghli and Vali Nasr argues that the last year of Iran-Israel-US war has fundamentally changed the way Iran is governed, putting nationalist technocrats in charge instead of Islamist ideologues:

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Before the U.S.-Israeli attack in June 2025, Iran’s rulers had assumed they could indefinitely sustain a no-war, no-peace standoff with the United States and Israel. They were proved wrong, and the reckoning with that complacency began the moment the 12-day war ended. The new IRGC leadership expected the June cease-fire to collapse and...

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“Strategic Balance” under Stress: Egypt and the U.S.-Israeli War with Iran | International Crisis Group

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Since the U.S. and Israel set off their war with Iran, Egypt has been looking for an off-ramp. Cairo has used diplomatic and intelligence channels to help establish indirect communication between Washington and Tehran, which the parties have used to relay red lines, messages and de-escalation proposals. Its mediation attempts are part of efforts by a loosely coordinated bloc that includes Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in support of a durable ceasefire arrangement that is acceptable to both...

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@lalehkhalili.bsky.social And that’s some pretty tough competition.

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@sumitapahwa.bsky.social Because they want Pahlavi not reformists?

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@rokhanna.bsky.social First you need to get Schumer and Jeffries out of the way

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@mattduss.bsky.social Unfortunately many Dems seem to support this, most notably the leadership in Congress.

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@diplomatofnight.com Not surprising, they were also supportive of what Israel war crimes in Gaza, they like Biden are reprehensible and deeply immoral people.

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@abuaardvark.bsky.social Also the defense systems did not work impeccably and the Israeli war effort is extremely expensive and probably not sustainable in a war of attrition against an opponent that may simply be able to endure more pain for longer.

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