Christian Caryl

Columnist @ForeignPolicy. Insomniac, naturalist, frequenter of diners. Ex-WaPo, ex-Newsweek. Own worst enemy.

[Christian Caryl @ccaryl]

I firmly believe that Putin has miscalculated, and that his war will only lead to the outcomes he didn't want. Here's why
https://t.co/hJr6gNX8Ub

[Siobhán O'Grady @siobhan_ogrady]

“We see that the United States is fully focused on the issue of Iran, and it would be wrong to simply wait until the war in Europe returns to the center of its attention.
Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us — and you.
I am proposing a meeting.”

[MUNQITH DAGHER @MUNQITHDAGHER]

The Iranian regime under new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is now functionally, even structurally, different from the one of the preceding forty-seven years—and that is reshaping Tehran’s influence in Iraq and leaving Iraq’s militias rudderless.
My piece ( Iraq’s militias are fracturing as Iran turns from theocracy to juntocracy)
on The Atlantic Council today

https://t.co/6Po6Mo81bB

[Jacob Heilbrunn @JacobHeilbrunn]

My look at: https://t.co/AvQpjcow55

[Nicholas Kristof @NickKristof]

On June 4 this year, as every year, I think back to that terrible night in 1989 when I watched China's army fire on the crowd that I was in and massacre unarmed protesters. I'll never forget the courage I saw that night, as well as the cruelty. #Tiananmen https://t.co/ySyNR1yjzM

[Nazanin Boniadi @NazaninBoniadi]

I’m deeply saddened to hear of the loss of Marjane Satrapi.

Marjane was a towering artist, a singular voice, and a steadfast advocate for the Iranian people. Beyond her remarkable achievements, I will remember a woman of extraordinary passion and heart.

We bonded over our shared love for Iran, our connection to Rasht, and a belief in the power of art to transcend politics.

When her beloved husband, Mattias, died last year, she spoke of a grief that had become a fire—one that grew larger, not smaller, with time. It was impossibles to read her words and not be moved by the depth of her love and loss.

The world knew her as the creator of Persepolis. I will remember her sharp wit, fearless candor, and unwavering love for our homeland.

Marjane leaves behind an extraordinary legacy—not only through her work, but through the authenticity with which she moved through the world.

Rest gently, dear Marjane.

[Christian Caryl @ccaryl]

For the past quarter century, Putin has relied on Ramzan Kadyrov to keep the peace in Chechnya. But their partnership may be coming to an end. My latest for @ForeignPolicy

https://t.co/qN6GIwdcgL

[Washington Monthly @monthly]

In October, the @monthly warned that Trump’s strikes on drug boats off the coasts of Venezuela and Colombia, aside from being illegal, wouldn't even make a dent the drug trade. Today, reporting from the @nytimes confirmed as much.

https://t.co/xWglrwokBL

[Edward Luce @EdwardGLuce]

So Trump casually threatens to blow up Oman - an ally, a helpful friend in the region, a responsible Gulf power. He releases an AI meme showing Iran with the stars & stripes. And there are people on this site who still think he's a deal-making genius. Galactic idiocy.

[Christian Caryl @ccaryl]

This is is spot on, I’m afraid

[FT Opinion @ftopinion]

How Brexit made Britain a European country — Janan Ganesh https://t.co/47MlvwCz5N

[Washington Monthly @monthly]

After years of warning that the Europe needs “strategic autonomy,” Emmanuel Macron has won the argument abroad—and lost his public at home. @gillenTmartin on why the French president can’t convince his voters to rearm.
https://t.co/h5muHaQgK8

[Edward Luce @EdwardGLuce]

"As case studies of how to throw away strong hands, Putin and Trump are without peer. As the lap into which most of their cards have fallen, China is the main beneficiary." My column.
https://t.co/HJl0rMXsNy

[Jacob Heilbrunn @JacobHeilbrunn]

My look at Churchill and de Gaulle: https://t.co/mIclx36LeH @ccaryl @EdwardGLuce @Beaconsfieldist

[Christian Caryl @ccaryl]

Important 🧵

[Martin Laine @Martinlaineolen]

🚨Breaking news:

Leaked docs from a Kremlin-controlled propaganda machine reveal a campaign backing far-right parties in EU elections and spreading disinformation to undermine Ukraine.

Read further:

https://t.co/rzmW5kfDJT

Let’s dive into the #FactoryofFakes🕵️‍♂️🧵

1/15

[Ragıp Soylu @ragipsoylu]

Kilicdaroglu is currently trying to subdue the Turkish main opposition CHP headquarters through police force to seize the building in Ankara.

Real shame.

This is the party which has founded the Republic of Turkey.

[Danny (Dennis) Citrinowicz ,داني سيترينوفيتش @citrinowicz]

It’s hard to overstate how deeply Netanyahu views this moment as a possible personal and political defeat. A U.S.–Iran agreement under Trump would be a major blow to him mainly diplomatically, but above all politically.

For years, Netanyahu built his political identity around being “Mr. Iran,” the leader who insisted that only pressure, deterrence, and force could stop the Iranian regime. And now, after multiple rounds of operational successes but one resounding strategic failure, and after finally succeeding in drawing the United States into direct confrontation with Iran, he may be forced to accept an agreement that not only legitimizes the very regime he sought to weaken, but also exposes the collapse of his long-standing Iran doctrine.

His approach was based on the belief that more pressure, more military power, and tighter coordination between Israel and the United States would eventually either force Iran into submission or destabilize the regime itself. Instead, the result has been a more radicalized, more resilient, and more dangerous Iran, one that even Washington now hesitates to confront militarily again.

If this confrontation ends with an agreement, an even bigger strategic question emerges: what future American president would be willing to commit U.S. forces to another major Middle Eastern conflict after seeing the political and military costs of this one?

Netanyahu had what may have been his greatest opportunity to prove his central strategic theory: that a close Israeli-American military partnership could fundamentally reshape Iran and perhaps even threaten the regime’s survival. By every indication, that assumption failed.

Against this backdrop, reports of a tense conversation between Trump and Netanyahu become much easier to understand. They also help explain the extraordinary level of pressure now coming from Jerusalem, and the extent to which Netanyahu is trying to persuade, or pressure, the administration not to move toward a deal with Tehran.

The bottom line is that a U.S.–Iran agreement would not only signal the failure of the military confrontation Netanyahu pushed for, but also the collapse of the broader strategic doctrine he has championed since entering Israeli politics, all on the eve of what could be the most critical election of his career.

In that sense, the next Israel’s leadership need to learn the fundamental lessons of this war. More than ever, this conflict demonstrates the urgent need for Israel to develop a different long-term strategy for dealing with Iran and especially to understand the following:

Israel’s confrontation with Iran will not bring normalization with the Arab world, nor will it resolve Israel’s most fundamental security challenges, first and foremost, the Palestinian issue.

The belief that regime change in Iran would transform Israel’s position in the Middle East was always detached from reality. In fact, the consistent opposition of Gulf leaders and major Arab states to further escalation against Iran has demonstrated this repeatedly throughout the conflict.

Israel will not be able to use the “Iran card” as a substitute for addressing the core political issues shaping the region. Anyone arguing that military confrontation with Iran alone can unlock normalization is mistaken and, more importantly, misleading others about the strategic reality of the Middle East.

Because despite the undeniable tactical and operational achievements of the campaign, this failure may ultimately leave Israel facing a more dangerous strategic reality, one that has not fundamentally improved its position in the Middle East.

#IranWar‌

[Ece Temelkuran @ETemelkuran]

This is the official end to democracy in Türkiye. The main opposition party, the founding party of the Turkish Republic, is taken over by the regime, and the new puppet “leader” is installed by Erdogan. If European leaders continue their dealings with Erdogan as if it is still business as usual, they will be partners in crime and will bear the burden of shame.

[Foreign Policy @ForeignPolicy]

World Cup bookings are already lagging behind expectations, and industry professionals are fretting over a possible “washout,” writes columnist @ccaryl. https://t.co/p8WUppfrBN

[Christian Caryl @ccaryl]

The expert on this show doesn’t seem to be aware that Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan are not part of the Russian Federation (5:48). Kazakhstan prosecutes people who fight for foreign militaries. Russian recruitment does not depend on Central Asia.
https://t.co/75AMKMEmul

[Borzou Daragahi 🖊🗒 @borzou]

What an opening paragraph

[Foreign Policy @ForeignPolicy]

The United States was the only major destination to log a decline in international visitors in 2025, writes columnist @ccaryl. https://t.co/p8WUppfrBN