Elizabeth N. Saunders
@profsaunders.bsky.social
Professor of Political Science, Columbia. New Book: The Insiders' Game: How Elites Make War and Peace https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691215808/the-insiders-game
The US military is very, very good at 3-4 things, and none of them is going to bring Iran to the kind of surrender Trump wants. That it has come to crowdsourcing ideas from the military shows what a devastating strategic failure this war already is, not to mention the effect on morale.
Carl Quintanilla@carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 2d agoPENTAGON: Anyone got any ideas? @cnn.com www.cnn.com/2026/08/03/p...
Still can’t over the fact that the president of the United States just told an entire state to pound sand after getting cyberattacked by a foreign adversary because they didn’t vote for him and it was treated like a Tuesday lol
Not bombing is always better than bombing. The spin cycle is getting pretty ridiculous though.
The Associated Press@apnews.com · 4d agoBREAKING: President Trump claims Mideast allies have reached parameters of a deal to end the Iran war and says U.S. will hold off on new strikes.
There is no indication — based on reporting from us & others — that any proposal currently being discussed amounts to “an end to Iran’s nuclear threat.” And details related to the strait remain extremely limited. Sources only making clear it involves some sort of potential agreement with Oman.-CNN
Apropos of the president repeatedly backing down from public threats of a new military offensive, anyone remember this? 👇👇👇👇👇
Elizabeth N. Saunders@profsaunders.bsky.social · 5d agoApropos of nothin, remember how Trump in 2016 attacked Obama for publicly discussing an impending offensive against ISIS and called for a "sneak attack"? Lots of reasons to publicize, as @carriealee.bsky.social wrote @warontherocks.bsky.social. Still, memory-holed. warontherocks.com/warning-orde...
When you are defeated in the sense of “unable to achieve your goals” but not defeated in the sense of “unable to continue military operations” then you are perpetually “headed for defeat” until you decide to end it. That’s how you get forever wars.
The issue here isn't the Reflecting Pool (which seems trivial). The issue is the President ordering his subordinates to arrest and prosecute an innocent man on completely fabricated pretences in order to cover for his own corrupt contracting deal.
AFP News Agency@en.afp.com · 4d agoThe US Justice Department dropped its case against a former Olympian accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, saying the hurried renovations ordered by President Donald Trump had been botched. ➡️ u.afp.com/SrvP
They’re going to surrender this time. You’ll see.
post malone ergo propter malone@proptermalone.bsky.social · 5d agoso does any body know what the objective is of this new bombing campaign
Would you say that prosecutors found themselves up a creek without a paddle
Apropos of nothin, remember how Trump in 2016 attacked Obama for publicly discussing an impending offensive against ISIS and called for a "sneak attack"? Lots of reasons to publicize, as @carriealee.bsky.social wrote @warontherocks.bsky.social. Still, memory-holed. warontherocks.com/warning-orde...
Warning Orders: Strategic Reasons for Publicizing Military Offensives
Does publicly announcing an impending military offensive expose assaulting troops to dangers that could be avoided if plans to invade were kept quiet?
warontherocks.com
There are a lot of important things going on. Maybe this isn’t a top twenty concern. But, this is actually workplace harassment, the kind that can get people killed.
@carmenlynn.bsky.social · 5d agoThe Koch Nazis are back “A shadowy network of conservative activist groups, backed by Koch-linked dark money, is deploying hidden cameras and mass public-records requests to hunt down and destroy the careers of college professors and administrators — and it's working.”
"Universities like Columbia are not better off for having capitulated last year. They compromised their independence and suffered reputational damage, yet are still subject to [Trump's] arbitrary behavior." Read @ryanenos.bsky.social on need to resist Trump: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/07/27/o...
Yale shouldn’t cut a deal with Trump - The Boston Globe
Yale should resist rather than negotiate away its independence.
bostonglobe.com
Many point to Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, a natural instinct and there are indeed many parallels. The US track record is appalling (as I've written abt all of them). One key difference w/ Vietnam/Afgh at least: other presidents (even Trump 1.0!) decided not to attack Iran (and Iraq's regime). 1/
Elizabeth N. Saunders@profsaunders.bsky.social · 2w agoCan't get numb to this: The United States is stuck in a war it started, cannot end, and may further escalate to no avail, having dismantled its diplomatic apparatus, depleted its military stockpile, and destroyed its credibility. A historic strategic mistake harming millions in many different ways.
And, Trump 1.0. This time nobody tried, in any serious way, to stop him.
James Fallows@jfallows.bsky.social · 6d agoLet me tell you, having chronicled Pentagon-style war game on attacking Iran nearly 25 yr ago, every single "surprise," "darkening turn," "narrowing option," spreading warfare," "rising casualties," "no easy exit," etc that comes drip-by-drip is EXACTLY why GHWB WJC GWB OBAMA BiDEN did NOT do this
No professional accomplishment has ever made me happier than this. theonion.com/translator-o...
Translator Of Original ‘Minions’ Epic Poem Slams ‘Sexless, Bloodless’ Film Adaptation
PHILADELPHIA—In a 4,500-word essay published in Harper’s Magazine, Emily Wilson, known for her popular translation of the Minions epic poem, blasted the latest film Thursday as a “sexless, bloodless” ...
theonion.com
Heckuva job you’re doing Marco Rubio. www.reuters.com/world/africa...
US government map of Africa mislabels every country at global conference
A U.S. government map of Africa mislabeled every country during a State Department presentation at a global conference taking place in Brazil this week, causing a stir among attendees who took screen...
reuters.com
Let me tell you, having chronicled Pentagon-style war game on attacking Iran nearly 25 yr ago, every single "surprise," "darkening turn," "narrowing option," spreading warfare," "rising casualties," "no easy exit," etc that comes drip-by-drip is EXACTLY why GHWB WJC GWB OBAMA BiDEN did NOT do this
New research from Berkeley Political Science Prof. @sdhyde.bsky.social + Columbia Political Science Prof. @profsaunders.bsky.social examines how shifts in U.S. presidential power have removed what limited checks remained on U.S. foreign + security policy, putting global order at risk. Read more:
An unconstrained U.S. presidency threatens the global order, new paper argues
Our current historical moment may signal the unraveling of the post-1945 world order, according to researchers from UC Berkeley and Columbia University. Recent shifts in U.S. governance have had rippl...
ls.berkeley.edu
Today in Humiliation and/or Escalation
Shipwreck@shipwreck75.bsky.social · last wk.CENTCOM: At 5:45 p.m. ET today, IRGC forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on U.S. forces based in the Middle East. All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. U.S. forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness.
The risks of an attack on Iran were well understood for years. but now that we're in a post-attack Middle East, we're testing the worst case scenarios in real time. Still tbd how the war will affect Iran's nuclear ambitions but the odds are not great it will curtail them.
Just came across an article I wrote in 2012 warning against an Israeli attack on Iran and how a post-attack Middle East could be the worst of all outcomes, including for Israel. But Netanyahu never believed this and unfortunately neither did Trump.
Israel's Risky Option on Iran
While a nuclear-armed Iran that hasn't been attacked is dangerous, one that has been attacked may be much more likely to brandish its capabilities, to make sure it does not face an attack again, write...
rand.org
".. It is easier to shoot if you are not being shot at,” said Nicole Grajewski, an expert on the Iranian ballistic missile program .. “They are not having to scramble launchers around, so it is a much more favourable operational environment for them.” @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/82ac...
How Iran adapted its missile war with Trump
Recent fighting has provided conditions for Tehran’s forces to launch more precision strikes across Gulf and Jordan
ft.com
We are delighted that Tamar Mitts’ Safe Havens for Hate is the winner of the Best Book Award in the Information Technology and Politics Section, presented by @apsa.bsky.social! Read a preview of the book here: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
WSJ: ".. concerns in Washington about how many missiles the U.S. military has left. It can take between three and five years to make a new missile .. The White House and the Pentagon are pressing defense contractors .., but there’s only so much that can be done." www.wsj.com/politics/ele...
Washington’s Very Sensitive Secret: How Many U.S. Missiles Are Left?
Plus, Darline Graham gets on-the-job training in the Senate, and more House Democrats sour on aid to Israel
wsj.com
Timeline cleanse Karl-Anthony Towns Knows the Knicks’ Win Was Bigger Than Basketball www.nytimes.com/2026/07/25/m...
nytimes.com
