Iftikhar Firdous

On a sabbatical, killing my boredom. Founder and Editor, The Khorasan Diary.Cogito Ergo Boom! No serious discussion can explain this funny world.

[Iftikhar Firdous @IftikharFirdous]

The more you understand structured militancy and global terrorism, the more you realise the basic unit of conflict is the absence of the state, failure to deliver timely justice, address inequality & impose itself through service delivery rather than force.

[Ihsanullah Tipu Maseed @IhsanTipu]

Attended multiple sessions in Moscow organized by Russia’s MFA during Russia’s 2026 CSTO chairmanship. Sessions, including member state foreign ministers, discussed global geopolitics, NATO’s military buildup, regional security, counter-terrorism, drug trafficking and cybercrime.

[Iftikhar Firdous @IftikharFirdous]

Iran’s warning to target U.S. bases in Europe carries wider strategic implications. Rezaei met Putin in Moscow on Nov 5; the Pentagon’s European force-posture options were due Nov 6, with the review set for December.
Is Tehran, with Moscow’s tacit backing, seeking to turn America’s European military footprint into a strategic liability?

[Iftikhar Firdous @IftikharFirdous]

@blackhut162041 Airstrikes are tactical gambits that may reinforce the optics of deterrence, but they are no substitute for a coherent, sustainable long-term strategy.

[Iftikhar Firdous @IftikharFirdous]

At least 13 police personnel have lost their lives and almost a dozen injured in twin attacks in two separate districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Two police vehicles were first targeted and then set on fire in the Kohat district to the South of the Province, while another police van was targeted in Swabi district.
The group behind the attacks, TTP has claimed responsibility and announced a new organisational structure of the banned outfit.

[Iftikhar Firdous @IftikharFirdous]

@shoaibmarwat Aaj to kami ka elan hai I think.

[Iftikhar Firdous @IftikharFirdous]

Two significant developments on November 10, underscore persistent threats to Gulf shipping and the diplomatic deadlock despite ongoing regional mediation efforts.

UAE, ADNOC confirms one of its vessels was attacked and damaged in UAE territorial waters in the Arabian Gulf.
Iran’s Senior security official Mohsen Rezaei says no negotiations with Washington are currently underway, with Tehran awaiting a U.S. response to seven conditions, including those concerning the Strait of Hormuz.

[Levent Kemal @leventkemaI]

Syrian officials told the Associated Press that Damascus will join the Mecca Pact.

Syria’s accession to the pact was expected to be discussed and approved at the meeting scheduled for late November or December.

It seems things have moved faster than anticipated.

[Zeeshan Yousafzai @Zeeshan_usafzii]

Pakistan has not invited the Afghan Taliban government to participate in the upcoming ECO Council of Ministers meeting, @ForeignOfficePk official familiar with the matter told Dunya news. The meeting is scheduled to be held in Islamabad on November 15–16.

[Iftikhar Firdous @IftikharFirdous]

@nayyabalipk @yazdanifauzia Many congratulations and well deserved.

[Iftikhar Firdous @IftikharFirdous]

The third meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee (SPDC) under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement is tentatively expected to take place in Islamabad on 27–28 November 2026. A formal announcement will be made after finalisation of the agenda.

[Iftikhar Firdous @IftikharFirdous]

G7 foreign ministers meet in Paris on 9–10 November, with Iran, maritime security, energy and Lebanon on the agenda. Saudi Arabia and Egypt are invited to selected discussions. France is reportedly exploring a new UN-backed security framework for southern Lebanon involving European forces.

[Iftikhar Firdous @IftikharFirdous]

The Iran–U.S. tensions remain unresolved as Washington and Tehran continue indirect negotiations through Qatar. Iran claims navigation systems in the Strait of Hormuz have been destroyed, while the UAE warns a comprehensive settlement remains difficult. Trump is expected to meet Qatar’s PM today.

[Iftikhar Firdous @IftikharFirdous]

ہاں جو جفا بھی آپ نے کی قاعدے سے کی
ہاں ہم ہی کاربندِ اصولِ وفا نہ تھے
(فیض)

[Khalid Munir @Khalid_Munir]

یاد دھیانی کرا دوں کہ ریفرینڈم کرانا صدر کا اختیار ہے -

[Iftikhar Firdous @IftikharFirdous]

@IhsanTipu ISKP has a bigger reward than Iran’s nuclear program.

[Iftikhar Firdous @IftikharFirdous]

@cybertosser No they weren’t, it’s a local innovation with night vision at times. And some videos were electronically altered.

[Iftikhar Firdous @IftikharFirdous]

What was considered organisational intent ‘chatter’ in February 2026, is now a reality in November. The FPV drones in Balochistan used by BLA show that the supply chain for such infrastructure is not only intact but delivering . If it has appeared in one province, it’s only a matter of time for it to appear in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This wider technological proliferation means raising the cost of a volatile security landscape and more propaganda intended to hurt investors. The innovation in the aerial dimension also reinvigorates the notion in the medium term of reduced human involvement but more deterrence value in the short to medium term.

[Iftikhar Firdous @IftikharFirdous]

@Balachkhan95809 It was something expected but the change in leadership is not the sign of an organisation that’s cracking rather there’s indication that it’s expanding its approach. Much like ‘Game Theory’. I was writing about it, but considering the time I have, it will take a few weeks.

[Levent Kemal @leventkemaI]

NEW: Turkish Parliament Ratifies Mecca Pact.

[Iftikhar Firdous @IftikharFirdous]

As expected Vance’s post signals a potentially significant shift in American politics: support for Israel is no longer politically cost-free, even within the Republican Party.

[JD Vance @JDVance]

One of the things the data analysts on our side obsessed over was "composition"—whether the electorate looked close enough to 2024 for Republicans to win. And despite polls that showed a Democrat blowout, the data kept on telling us the same story: in some states turnout was merely OK, in other states it was downright amazing, and in no state was it catastrophic. There was a genuine sense of optimism on our team: our people were showing up.

So, I asked the smartest data guy I know, does that mean we're going to shock the world? "No," he told me. "We might do better than the polls suggest. But the data is telling us that a lot of Trump/Vance 2024 voters are pissed and planning to vote for the other guys. Our voters are turning out, but they may not vote for us."

Well, that looks prophetic now. Our voters did show up. In Florida, for example, the electorate was 9 points more Republican than Democrat, just a couple points worse than 2024. Undoubtedly there were places we could have done better on turnout. But the main problem is not turnout. The main problem is that many people who voted for Trump/Vance in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026.

There will be a lot of infighting and arguing over what happened and why that is. One of the pollsters I really respect told me that our economic messaging wasn’t sharp enough down the stretch. I’m sure that’s true.

But the real reason we lost is obvious to almost everyone.

Another pollster—one of the smartest people I know in politics, told me yesterday we’d lose the generic ballot by 13 points. I felt negative going into Tuesday, but even I was shocked by this. In his polling, he saw that a lot of Trump 2024 voters were angry and planning to vote for Democrats. He asked those voters who had abandoned us what would cause them to come back on our team. The top four answers, accounting for nearly all of the responses were:

1) End the war
2) Focus on cost of living/inflation
3) Put America First
4) Change our relationship to Israel

Our voters showed up. And the above four reasons are why many of them voted for Democrats. This is according to a pollster who nailed the results. While many spent Monday attacking Rachel Campos Duffy for calling for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, it turns out her political advice was sound. (She’s also a great person.)

In the next few months, there's going to be a lot of gaslighting. Expect to hear any number of establishment politicians say the solution to our woes is amnesty. I'm open to the idea that we should change enforcement—by focusing more on businesses that hire illegal labor, for instance. But anyone pushing amnesty is lying to you.

The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night.

If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest.

But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there.

I remain hopeful about our country. To the people who are pissed off and want to say, “I told you so”: you’re right, you did tell us so. Take that energy into electing Republicans who share your worldview. To the people who are just pissed at the results, you should be. Let’s take that anger and get back to the work of saving our country.

[Iftikhar Firdous @IftikharFirdous]

While the Republican establishment has lost much of its autonomy the Democratic establishment is now facing an insurgency of its own, which will come into play sooner than later.
Taking Abdel El-Syed’s win from Michigan as an example, although it cannot be interpreted as a whole for US national politics, but it does provide a glimpse into the changing ethos. 30 million dollars from American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) to a defeated Haley Stevens from the Democrats and then Stevens went on to endorse Mike Rogers , a Republican candidate instead of Syed and still lost. El Syed is a progressive and does not even identify as a Democrat!
The Democrat leadership faces a difficult balancing act. It has to retain moderate voters without alienating progressives questioning pro-Israel lobbying organisations.
Perhaps an explanation of why Netanyahu has proposed gradually ending US financial military assistance to Israel, 3.3 billion USD, interpreted as an attempt to reduce Israel's vulnerability to changing American domestic politics. This is possibly just on way of looking at it but happening times in the days to come.