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Reposted by Ishaan Tharoor

Gordon Gray @ambgordongray.bsky.social · 17h

@ishaantharoor.bsky.social observes that "Israel’s tactical triumphs over the past two years have not resulted in clear strategic success."

wapo.st/4oaWMZ8

Column | After two years, Israel’s Gaza war has reshaped the Middle East

Israel’s hard power preeminence in the Middle East seems paramount. But the country’s leaders — and the entire region — still face an array of political challenges.

wapo.st

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Howard Eissenstat @heissenstat.bsky.social · 2d

George Carlin, eat your heart out.

The federal government's list of words to be scrubbed is more than seven, and it is growing fast.

pen.org/banned-words...

Federal Government's Growing Banned Words List Is Chilling Act of Censorship

Banned words list 2025: The federal government is banning a growing number of words to comply with executive orders from President Trump.

pen.org

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Gordon Gray @ambgordongray.bsky.social · 7d

@ishaantharoor.bsky.social spoke with Rob Malley, co-author of "Tomorrow is Yesterday: Life, Death, and the Pursuit of Peace in Israel/Palestine," for his column.

@imes-gw.bsky.social was pleased to host Rob Malley yesterday (9/30) for a discussion with @abuaardvark.bsky.social.

wapo.st/46LcR0f

Column | A veteran of Middle East peace talks reflects on a history of failure

Robert Malley, a key diplomat in the Clinton administration, talks Oct. 7, ending the war in Gaza and the collapse of the two-state solution.

wapo.st

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Dave Levitan @davelevitan.bsky.social · 10d

Again, the man with the single greatest access to real and true information in the history of the world

David Roberts @volts.wtf · 10d

"I spoke to the governor, she was very nice," Trump said. "But I said, 'Well wait a minute, am I watching things on television that are different from what's happening? My people tell me different.'"

Almost ... a glimmer ... "am I in an anti-reality bubble populated by sycophants?" ... and gone.

Trump seems to back off Portland military plan: 'Am I watching things on television that are different from what's happening?'

President Trump had said he will send troops to Portland to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, which he said were "under attack."

www.kgw.com

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Democracy Now! @democracynow.org · 14d

The U.S. and Israel are increasingly isolated on the world stage as more Western countries recognize Palestinian statehood, says @washingtonpost.com global affairs columnist @ishaantharoor.bsky.social.

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Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 16d

Designating Antifa as a “domestic terrorist organization” is legally meaningless.

But ominous.

Designating narcos as “terrorists organizations” didn’t authorize use of force, but nonetheless paved the way for lethal strikes in the Caribbean on “terrorists.”

www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

Designating Antifa as a Domestic Terrorist Organization

Section 1. Antifa as a Terrorist Threat. Antifa is a militarist, anarchist enterprise that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States

www.whitehouse.gov

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Gordon Gray @ambgordongray.bsky.social · 19d

The latest international affairs commentary by @ishaantharoor.bsky.social

wapo.st/4punw8l

Column | As the world frets over Palestine’s status, Israel flattens Gaza

At the United Nations, Palestine is top of the agenda. But maneuverings at the U.N. are unlikely to change the brutal reality on the ground in Gaza.

wapo.st

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Ishaan Tharoor @ishaantharoor.bsky.social · 20d

There’s a simpler way to describe anti-anti-fascism.

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Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · 23d

Check out this scatterplot of health spending per capita (x axis) & life expectancy (y axis) in OECD countries (lines = averages).

The United States sits alone in the bottom right area due to its very high spending rate and below-average life expectancy.

More www.oecd.org/en/publicati... 🧪

Figure 1.7 illustrates the extent to which countries that spend more on health have better health outcomes.
There is a clear positive association between health spending per capita and life expectancy at birth (Figure 1.7). Among the
38 OECD countries, 18 spend more and have higher life expectancy than the OECD average (top right quadrant). A further
11 countries spend less and have lower life expectancy than the OECD average (bottom left quadrant).
Of particular interest are countries that deviate from this basic relationship. Eight countries spend less than the OECD average
but achieve higher life expectancy overall (top left quadrant). This may indicate relatively good value for money of health systems,
notwithstanding the fact that many other factors also have an impact on health outcomes. These eight countries are Korea, Spain,
Italy, Israel, Portugal, Chile, Costa Rica and Slovenia. The only country in the bottom right quadrant is the United States, with
much higher spending than all other OECD countries but lower life expectancy than the OECD average.

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Ishaan Tharoor @ishaantharoor.bsky.social · 23d

In a different era, the answer to a lot of stupid conversations on Twitter would be to have some wise, overly-engaged take about those stupid conversations. Now, the obvious thing is not to engage those conversations at all.

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Jeff Wasserstrom @jwassers.bsky.social · 26d

Most interesting commentary on events in Nepal I’ve seen so far, by the consistently worth reading @ishaantharoor.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Column | Nepal’s uprising was a generation in the making

A young Nepali who witnessed both the 2006 uprising and this week’s upheavals says “it’s the uncertainty that lies ahead that now scares me.”

www.washingtonpost.com

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Reposted by Ishaan Tharoor

Gordon Gray @ambgordongray.bsky.social · 29d

The latest analysis by @ishaantharoor.bsky.social follows. It makes me wonder: Has a Major Non-NATO Ally ever bombed the capital of another Major Non-NATO Ally before?

www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Column | Israel says it’s bombing its way to peace. The region fears more chaos.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strike on Doha could “open the door to an end of the war.” Nobody in the region is buying it.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Ishaan Tharoor @ishaantharoor.bsky.social · Sep 8

My latest
In Sudan and Afghanistan, disaster upon disaster
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · Sep 8

The laws have not changed, the precedent has not changed.

What has changed is that you have a President who says "I have an Article 2 where I have the right to do whatever I want as president' and a Supreme Court who agrees.

Lawrence Hurley @lawrencehurley.bsky.social · Sep 8

Supreme Court, via an order issued by the Chief Justice, allows Trump to fire FTC member in direct contravention of a 1935 ruling that is still on the books:
www.nbcnews.com/politics/sup...

Supreme Court allows Trump to fire FTC commissioner

Trump's actions are in direct tension with a 1935 ruling that upheld restrictions on the president's ability to remove FTC commissioners without cause.

www.nbcnews.com

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Melissa Chan @melissakchan.bsky.social · Sep 3

"Trump has plunged the world into an uncertain era of economic coercion and combat, one where many countries might see the merits in taking China’s side," writes @ishaantharoor.bsky.social in this must-read:

Column | Thanks to Trump, China claims mantle of the post-World War II order

Trump has plunged the world into an uncertain era of economic coercion and combat — one where many countries may see the merits in taking China’s side.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Ishaan Tharoor @ishaantharoor.bsky.social · Sep 3

My latest, on how China seizing the mantle of the post-war era, for all its opportunism and cynicism, is more plausible than it would have been a year ago.

Read more sans paywall here: www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

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Reposted by Ishaan Tharoor

Save VOA @savevoa.bsky.social · Sep 3

Columnist @ishaantharoor.bsky.social reiterates Joseph Nye’s point: “If Trump thinks he can compete with China while weakening trust among American allies, asserting imperial aspirations, destroying USAID, silencing Voice of America,” … “he is likely to fail.”

Column | Thanks to Trump, China claims mantle of the post-World War II order

Trump has plunged the world into an uncertain era of economic coercion and combat — one where many countries may see the merits in taking China’s side.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Reposted by Ishaan Tharoor

Shibley Telhami @stelhami.bsky.social · Sep 3

"Thanks to Trump, China claims mantle of the post-World War II order: Trump has plunged the world into an uncertain era of economic coercion and combat — one where many countries may see the merits in taking China’s side," @ishaantharoor.bsky.social
wapo.st/47lqYvm

Column | Thanks to Trump, China claims mantle of the post-World War II order

Trump has plunged the world into an uncertain era of economic coercion and combat — one where many countries may see the merits in taking China’s side.

wapo.st

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Reposted by Ishaan Tharoor

Nate Schenkkan @nateschenkkan.bsky.social · Sep 2

Taking the competitive out of competitive authoritarianism

bianet English @bianet-eng.bsky.social · Sep 2

Court annuls CHP İstanbul congress, removes provincial leadership in critical verdict

The main opposition party is also facing annulment of its national congress held in Nov 2023, which could affect the position of the current party leader. bianet.org/haber/court-...

Court annuls CHP İstanbul congress, removes provincial leadership in critical verdict

The main opposition party is also facing annulment of its national congress held in Nov 2023. If that process is also annulled, it could affect the position of current party leader.

bianet.org

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Reposted by Ishaan Tharoor

Philip Bump @pbump.com · Aug 30

Some kids see their parents snatched away by unidentified immigration officials. My kids got a toy Border Patrol badge. www.pbump.net/o/returning-...

Returning from vacation

I had a dream last night in which my daughter (I do not have a daughter) was in an apartment as ICE moved in. She escaped to the daycare across the street, where she was taking refuge in a piece of lu...

www.pbump.net

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Ishaan Tharoor @ishaantharoor.bsky.social · Aug 27

Not even in the lowest depths of Arsenal’s banter era did it ever get this bad. The indignity of being a Man Utd fan, my word.

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Reposted by Ishaan Tharoor

Ishaan Tharoor @ishaantharoor.bsky.social · Aug 27

My latest, after a vacation hiatus

On Israel's unprecedented slaughter of journalists
Non-paywalled link: wapo.st/4oSWffh

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Ishaan Tharoor @ishaantharoor.bsky.social · Aug 27

My latest, after a vacation hiatus

On Israel's unprecedented slaughter of journalists
Non-paywalled link: wapo.st/4oSWffh

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Reposted by Ishaan Tharoor

Ben Rhodes @rhodesben.bsky.social · Aug 16

So Putin gets a red carpet welcome, a ride in the presidential limo, speaks first at the presser, frames the meeting as a successful talk among equals, while making absolutely no concession on the conduct or outcome of the war.

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Resist, Don't Retreat! @wgachesa.bsky.social · Aug 13

Thanks for reporting on this. More Sudanese will suffer and starve to death and yet could be saved had USAID continued operating.

Trump and Musk withdrew funding and destroyed 500 metric tons of food aid. Bastards!
apnews.com/article/emer...!

US says it destroyed 500 metric tons of expired food aid but it won't affect future distribution

The State Department says its destruction of 500 metric tons of emergency food aid that was stored in a warehouse in the Middle East was required because it had expired.

apnews.com

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