Ben Ashraf

Analyst @opennuclear

[Ben Ashraf @ashrafzeneca]

Neither New Delhi nor Islamabad asked Kashmiris if they want their homeland to be a pawn in a nuclear 'game of chicken'.

We watch the headlines. Kashmiris live with the consequences. The world must pay attention — now.

My latest in @The_NewArab

https://t.co/BSGcASF5yo

[Trita Parsi @tparsi]

If you read one article today, it should be former CIA analyst Paul Pillar’s alarm bell of how the Senate wants to force the US to share sensitive intel with Israel at the expense of the US itself.

“In intelligence, Israel is more of an adversary than an ally. Being an adversary in intelligence means indulging in the hostile act of espionage. Israel has a long record of conducting that type of hostile act against the United States.”

https://t.co/KpdR33YrTw

[Yasir Abbas @miryasirabbas]

Interesting points raised by Lt. Gen. Nauman Zakaria of Pakistan at the Shangri-La Dialogue. Much of what he said is certainly indicative of Pakistan’s military posture vis-à-vis India in the years to come. important to note that he commands Pakistan’s newly formed rocket forces and is widely regarded as one of the most swashbuckling and operationally competent generals in the Pakistan Army. His words offer bits and pieces of the doctrinal shift.

[andy twelves @andytwelves]

EXC: .@GoodwinMJ’s new book “Suicide of a Nation: Immigration, Islam, Identity” is out now, and I’m only 5 chapters in and have found a huge amount of what appears to be false quotes and basic misinterpretations of data, that appear to be AI hallucinations.

Matthew, can you explain the claims you made in the book that I’ve outlined in the below thread?

[Mai El-Sadany @maitelsadany]

The Iranian regime is an autocratic one that has devastated lives at home and abroad. Its people deserve so much better.

So much better does not come through illegal strikes involving a genocidal actor that drag multiple countries into conflict and kill more civilians.

[Vali Nasr @vali_nasr]

Iran’s aim now is to absorb US and Israeli attacks, hold its position and signal expansion of war, and wait for worried regional actors to mediate a ceasefire. They expect that if Trump does not get a quick win then he will look for an exit, and negotiations afterwards will be different.

[Richard Gowan @RichardGowan1]

Essential background on the escalation between #Pakistan and #Afghanistan in new report @CrisisGroup.
https://t.co/HEfLN9soVF

[Secunder Kermani @SecKermani]

It's clear Pakistan has air superiority over Afghanistan

It's also clear the Taliban have worn down more powerful armies in the past (NATO)

There's little point engaging in nationalistic & disputed claims / counter claims about which side has captured more soldiers or military posts along the border right now

What's important is the relationship between these two countries that is stuck in quagmire around the status of the Pakistani Taliban

Will airstrikes persuade the Afghan Taliban to reign them in? Seems unlikely based off past history... What would work? What could reset a relationship that's important for ordinary people in both countries?

[Trita Parsi @tparsi]

This is one of the most bizarre pro-Shah AI videos I have seen. Whoever made this depicts Ayatollah Khamenei as a representative of the Persian Achemenidian King Xerxes, and the son of the former Shah as the Spartan King Leonidas. All the while, the monarchists claim the Pahlavis as heirs of the Great Persian Empire led by Xerxes and his father Darius, and Leonidas as the enemy of the Persians. Literally, they are depicting Pahlavi as the enemy of Iran.

One could dismiss this as simple ignorance, or perhaps the work of one of the deeply confused Israeli intelligence units giving Pahlavi so much online support.

But it could also be much worse than that.

The makerrs of this video could have chosen so many themes from Iranian mythology, including the story of Thraētaona and Aži Dahāka. But instead they chose the theme of the movie 300 - as if all they know about Iran comes from Hollywood and Marvel-style movies.

It could be that this is a reflection of what @RezaZiaEbrahimi calls Dislocative Nationalism, the idea that Iran is actually White and European and has only ended up in the Middle East by misfortune. As such, these monarchists genuinely identify more with Leonidas than with Xerxes...(!)

Or perhaps their audience is Western and, as a result, they chose familiar Western themes. Which would reflect that Pahlavi is not seeking to gain power through an Iranian revolution, but rather by having Trump install him as king from the outside...

Either way, this is shockingly dumb.

[Tanya Goudsouzian @tgoudsouzian]

When @POTUS was asked who'd execute the policy of a democratic transition, he made a vague reference to “these guys”. These guys certainly have their work cut out for them and history is not on their side. @ialmarashi and I break it down #Venezuela

https://t.co/xPrekuAqej

[Mai El-Sadany @maitelsadany]

A new @arabifactshub investigation looks into the social media campaign against Alaa Abdel Fattah and raises questions on how it started, who's involved, and why it blew up.

Only in Arabic, but Google Translate does a decent job for non-Arabic speakers https://t.co/UzWqGngyqw

[Ben Ashraf @ashrafzeneca]

The first review of @Loubnamrie's Defiance for @The_NewArab. This is THE Syrian War memoir—not expert analysis, not nostalgic elegy, but as a witness. What happens when you're born into Assad's system and choose to defy it? The book Assad's fall demanded.
https://t.co/E0odG7MYSe

[The New Arab @The_NewArab]

Bashar al Assad has officially entered his jump-scare era. Benjamin Ashraf (@ashrafzeneca) explains how we got here.

Nirvana covers. Cillian Murphy deepfakes about him starring in his own biopic. “Allah, Syria, Bashar” remixes. For survivors of these regimes, mocking fear is its own liberation.

But here is the catch. Without context, they become just another meme. Still. The Assad regime wanted to be feared forever. Now it is a joke:

[Meghnad Bose @MeghnadBose93]

🚨 EXCLUSIVE: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), India’s largest Hindu far-right organization, initiated a well-funded lobbying effort in the U.S. earlier this year. The RSS did so without being listed as a foreign entity, in violation of lobbying disclosure requirements, our investigation has found.

Reporting with @BiplobKumarDas for @prismreports

[The Afghan Eye @AFGEYE]

🎙️ New Podcast Episode

Pakistan’s 27th Amendment gives Asim Munir power for life, immunity, control of the constitution, and even the nuclear arsenal.

Journalist @worqas joins The Afghan Eye to explain how Pakistan is sliding into military absolutism
https://t.co/7Fdnlp6IgT

[Asad🗽🍎 @AsadFromNYC]

Phenomenal interview with Mahmood Mamdani. It includes: a conversation on his political memoir; his critique of the boycott movement; his take on conceptual binaries, on scholarship vs. politics, and on academic freedom. Nothing on his son though :) https://t.co/lE7YT1Rr2v

[Ben de Pear @bendepear]

It is disrespectful to ask questions about the @BBC Board the Chairman of the @BBC Board tells the "All staff call" which is meant to do what it says on the tin - be a forum for staff to ask any question they like, except ones they want answered about Robbie Gibb. Orwellian @BBC

[Ben Ashraf @ashrafzeneca]

Always such a pleasure working with you @Lau_Bast Alf Alf Mabrook! No less than you deserve. Keep shining!

[Laura Albast @Lau_Bast]

5. Lastly, my op-ed for @The_NewArab on the Democratic Party’s support for genocide, paving the way for Trump’s fascism, foreshadowed the escalation we are witnessing in the U.S. today. Thanks to editor @ashrafzeneca for always lifting my voice.
https://t.co/kCYuTqNeOy

[The New Arab @The_NewArab]

Zohran Mamdani is leading a US political revolution — and across the Atlantic, Zack Polanski is mounting his own against the rise of UK fascism.

TNA Editorial: @zohrankmamdani and @zackpolanski: Make hope normal again

https://t.co/w8aPfMMv1k

[Waqas @worqas]

All of the worst, most hypocritical people are mad at this story.
In their hypocrisy, dishonesty, and ignorance, they are asking you to do one thing only:
- Normalize govt shooting at crowds.
Today it is a group you hate, but tomorrow it will be you. I promise.

[Joshua White @joshuatwhite]

NEW: I write for @BrookingsFP about the “signal and substance” of the new Saudi-Pakistan defense pact, and its implications for both countries and for the wider region. https://t.co/ZdEJEWXzsr Some key points: 1/