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- NYT: ‘Why Does No One Care About the World Cup This Year?’
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Category Archives: Iran
Iran & Israel Share Some Responsibility For The Actions Of Their Proxies
I just watched a 2024 Finnish mini-series Conflict. Wikipedia says: “The series imagines a scenario where an unidentified enemy invades Hankoniemi during midsummer celebrations, and follows the resulting conflict through the lens of the country’s leadership and among those who … Continue reading
Words, Words, Words & The Iran War
David Pinsof writes: How do we figure out who the baddies are? Usually, we pay attention to whether they’re saying the right things. Are they saying things that make us nod and applaud? Or are they saying things that make … Continue reading
Charting Expert Shifts On The Iran War
Grok says: Key recent dramatic/expert-noted shifts include:Severe degradation of Iran’s offensive capabilities — US-Israeli strikes have destroyed or heavily damaged a large portion of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers, production facilities (e.g., Esfahan Missile Complex), drone bases, and air defenses. Reports … Continue reading
Decoding Trita Parsi & Vali Nasr
In 2026, the contrast between Vali Nasr and Trita Parsi has sharpened as the war in Iran tests their respective theories of engagement. Both men find themselves marginalized by the “Shock and Awe” momentum of the Trump-Netanyahu alliance, yet they … Continue reading
What might be the best historic parallels to the current Iran War?
The current conflict sits at the intersection of several historical war types, and no single precedent fits perfectly. The closest parallels come from conflicts where the goal was not occupation but coercion, infrastructure destruction, or regime weakening. The 1991 Gulf … Continue reading
JPOST: Iran regime change not military goal, creating conditions for it is
The Jerusalem Post’s elite military correspondent, Yonah Jeremy Bob, writes: The defense sources noted that tackling Iran’s ballistic missile threat was among the military’s primary goals in the war. As doubts about the prospect of imminent regime change in Iran … Continue reading
Karim Sadjadpour – Sensemaker of the Iran Aftermath
In the framework of Alliance Theory, Karim Sadjadpour is the High Priest of the Transition Server. As a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a frequent collaborator with Ian Bremmer, he acts as the primary sensemaker … Continue reading
Decoding Trump’s Rhetoric About The Iran War
Donald Trump has not really been speaking with one voice. He has been speaking to five audiences at once. What looks like incoherence is mostly coalition management per David Pinsof’s Alliance Theory. In February 2025, Trump restored “maximum pressure” on … Continue reading
Decoding The International Institute for Strategic Studies
The International Institute for Strategic Studies represents the gold standard for institutionalized strategic logic. It operates less as a traditional think tank and more as a high-level clearinghouse for the global security establishment. Institutional Identity and Flagship Products The London-based … Continue reading
High-Brow New York Times Op/Ed By Iran Expert Destroyed By Reality
Eyal Yakoby posts: “BREAKING: Mojtaba Khamenei was reportedly severely injured, one of his legs has been amputated, and he may not even be aware that he is the Supreme Leader.” I spent my weekend reading the 2025 book “Iran’s Grand … Continue reading