Adam N Weinstein
@AdamNoahWho
Followers
10,401
Following
4,055
Media
787
Statuses
17,567
Deputy Director, ME Program @quincyinst - security, trade, S. Asia. NRF @tabadlab . Attorney. KPMG USMC alum. Words @RStatecraft , @ForeignPolicy , etc. ⛔️ taarof.
NYC
Joined March 2015
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
Dortmund
• 478266 Tweets
iPad Pro
• 102701 Tweets
Palestino
• 100165 Tweets
FOURTH BE MINE 10M🩵
• 90464 Tweets
Grok
• 87856 Tweets
People In Support
• 78892 Tweets
YAIBA
• 71349 Tweets
Rangers
• 47050 Tweets
#SoloLasMas
• 35569 Tweets
ノーリーズン
• 32837 Tweets
ズゴック
• 30599 Tweets
Demichelis
• 27894 Tweets
Shai
• 26397 Tweets
backnumber
• 24318 Tweets
Canes
• 18704 Tweets
ゼウスシルエット
• 17502 Tweets
プレス機
• 16826 Tweets
PRABOWOsiapkan DgnFOKUS
• 14257 Tweets
Chará
• 13899 Tweets
リュウケンドー
• 13765 Tweets
Chet
• 13623 Tweets
UntukNEGARA UntukRAKYAT
• 13549 Tweets
ムラサメ改
• 12810 Tweets
C-Pher
• 11712 Tweets
Pinned Tweet
Join
@Masood__Khan
, Pakistan's Ambassador to the US & Steve Rynecki, Director for USAID’s Office of Climate and Sustainable Growth at the
@usembislamabad
.
JANUARY 31, 2023
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM NY/DC
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM in Pakistan
ZOOM WEBINAR
1
21
41
Whatever happens in Pakistan tomorrow, today PTI offered a master class on how to overcome severe restrictions, including the jailing of Imran Khan, intimidation of party leaders, mass arrest of party workers, elimination of party symbol, & polling station shenanigans
NEW: Despite jailing & sidelining, Imran Khan’s party leading in Pakistan elections
A showdown over valid election results could, however, place Washington in a precarious position,
@AdamNoahWho
writes in
@RStatecraft
88
3K
5K
71
2K
3K
To my followers in Pakistan:
This person being interviewed is a relative nobody who Fox found to fill a slot. Her affiliations date back more than 2 decades ago & are tenuous at best. Speaks for nobody. It takes a nobody to know a nobody😉. So take it from me.
But Twitter…
If anyone had any doubts abt US regime change conspiracy this video should remove all doubts as to why a democratically elected PM & his govt were removed. Clearly the US wants an obedient puppet as PM who will not allow Pak choice of neutrality in a European war;
7K
50K
97K
333
1K
3K
I try not to fuel the toxic whataboutism that infects South Asia policy discussions. But it’s simply a fact that if Pakistan pulled this we’d see international outrage. To deny that verges on gaslighting.
It’s deeply troubling and should be global front page news. Do better.
38
751
2K
I bit my tongue yesterday out of respect for the fallen. But many of the same pundits hanging their hats on 13 dead troops also spent the last year claiming a slow trickle of a dozen to twenty dead Americans annually was a small sacrifice to make going forward.
Pick one.
14
318
2K
First night in Karachi after several years & I had to begin with my favorite health and fitness club.
58
88
2K
It’s heartbreaking that Afghans got killed when 20 y/o Marines returned fire at ISKP. It’s depressing more flag draped coffins landed in Dover. It’s sickening that children were killed in our latest strike.
Remember that next time someone glibly proclaims this war sustainable.
36
230
2K
Foreigner here. There’s tourism potential in Pakistan & Ramadan/alcohol isn’t the barrier.
- allow foreigners to purchase flights w/o a CNIC or travel agent.
- regulate taxi stands at airports.
- cancel invitation letters.
- create a “Pakistan Pass” for major tourist sites.
I am sick of hearing that Pakistan has tourist potential. Is this tourist potential only local? If we want foreigners, do we want them to come here and observe Ramadan and follow our culture and not do as they please. Yet they should be asked to do it?
118
38
444
39
296
1K
1. Using a country’s foreign reserves to compensate 9/11 victims may make sense in the windowless confines of a courtroom but defies basic logic. To the world, this looks like nothing short of theft, not compromise or sound legal reasoning.
59
420
1K
Indian elites are outraged over Trevor Noah. Is a South African comedian in the US really a threat to privilege in a region where Dalits are beaten for sporting a mustache, Muslims are lynched on livestream, & BJP politicians openly praise rape? Please. Deflection at its height.
'Racist', 'offensive': Trevor Noah called out for comments on India-Pakistan tension
757
646
2K
33
409
898
Afghans are starving. They need at least part of the cash which belongs to them. Economies need cash.
Not nuance or insightful panels.
Not 8 month policy reviews.
Being anti-starvation is not a Taliban position, it’s a human one.
24
243
922
Millions of Afghans are at risk of starvation.
@POTUS
—their lives are not bargaining chips.
“Using aid or releasing funds as a carrot to influence Taliban behavior is the epitome of shooting the hostage in order to punish the hostage taker.”
67
326
857
1. I see the beer/tourism is on again. I know tourism won’t make a dent in Pakistan’s economy.
But Pakistan’s airports are among the worst in the world & the problems are cosmetic/logistical. They could be fixed tomorrow. Yet the intellectual elites are discussing beer.
28
158
864
Dubai markets itself to tourists as a resort so it needs alcohol.
I’ve heard the alcohol excuse a million times. But I promise you Western tourists who choose to go to Pakistan aren’t looking for alcohol. We can get a drink in Miami.
Dubai doesn’t have the Badshahi Mosque:
@greygh0st_
@AdamNoahWho
If Dubai prohibits today there will be not only be a drastic reduction in tourism but also companies moving regional HO’s. It will be a disaster for UAE. Just look at Sharjah, it’s a dry Emirates with no economic activity.
9
0
5
31
133
813
Interesting report from & frankly not surprising to anyone following South Asia Twitter. Also sheds an objective light on a phenomenon that was often dismissed as Pakistani propaganda.
REVEALED: Indian Chronicles – how a massive 15-year influence operation successfully targeted the EU & UN with 750+ fake local media and 10+ zombie-NGOs.
Executive Summary & full report:
Here are the facts 👇 (1/n)
830
7K
11K
19
228
746
That’s precisely the problem. You LIVE in Pakistan and you’re not a foreigner. I am a foreigner and I’ve visited Pakistan frequently. You’re not the target of an international tourism campaign. I am. Plenty of tourists around the world want a unique experience that isn’t a party.
I live in pakistan buddy. Outside of the northern areas there’s genuinely nothing for the average tourist to do.
No foreigner will plan a family trip to pakistan, nor will a group of friends ever consider spending their spring break here.
The things we offer simply -
38
0
41
42
101
743
The fact the Taliban are showing some restraint in Kabul where the world’s diplomats and journalists are still present demonstrates the need for the world to remain engaged.
Less restraint exists in the provincial places out of view.
20
211
707
Saw their dharna in 2017. I was told they were nothing. And yet they keep growing…
Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) has once again gathered a big crowd at its rally at Faizabad Interchange, the area that connects Islamabad with Rawalpindi.
146
340
1K
71
55
164
Leaving aside my personal reasons for being taken aback by this comparison & recognizing that past US presidents have also said ridiculous things:
Who is in charge of comms here? Very damaging & unfortunate display of pettiness by the PM of a nuclear power that needs a bailout.
If there is someone who deserves the title of modern-day Joseph Goebbels, chief propagandist for the German Nazi Party, is none other than Imran Khan. He is certainly perfecting the art of lying.
How convenient of IK to forget how he incited his cult followers to violence over…
4K
1K
4K
24
238
655
Terrible day for the people of Pakistan today. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiun.
8
55
641
The Incredible India tourism campaign was so effective that if you asked the average person in NY, London, or Tokyo where this is, they’d probably answer with India.
Pakistan needs its own marketing campaign if it’s actually serious about increasing the tourism sector.
31
123
657
How to drastically improve Pakistan’s airports in a month:
1. Multiple exit control desks (rather than 1!)
2. End colonial-esque “protocol”—it looks insane & slows lines.
3. Ban crowds at arrivals.
4. Regulated taxi stand.
5. 24/7 currency exchange.
6. Real food options.
1. I see the beer/tourism is on again. I know tourism won’t make a dent in Pakistan’s economy.
But Pakistan’s airports are among the worst in the world & the problems are cosmetic/logistical. They could be fixed tomorrow. Yet the intellectual elites are discussing beer.
28
158
864
27
120
616
Today's theft of the Afghan people's money will go down in history as a travesty. Your grandchildren won't read your damn EOs or legal opinions.
Punishing an entire people for a crime they did not commit & kneecapping them into forever dependence should offend every American.
1. Using a country’s foreign reserves to compensate 9/11 victims may make sense in the windowless confines of a courtroom but defies basic logic. To the world, this looks like nothing short of theft, not compromise or sound legal reasoning.
59
420
1K
25
221
596
Correct me if I’ve missed it but I haven’t seen one statement from the WH, State, or US Embassy in Islamabad condemning an attempted assassination of a former prime minister.
I find that extremely unfortunate. Any reasons not to issue one are far outweighed by basic decency.
32
174
582
A poorly equipped and tactically unsound insurgency overrunning cities because they have the resolve to fight and thousands of ANDSF do not.
Territory will continue to fall until Afghan leaders identify the reason for this and fix it. They can start by looking in the mirror.
Crazy footage showing the scenes when Taliban launched major assault on police HQ in Herat city.
#Afghanistan
29
188
364
42
156
527
I was last in Peshawar in 2017 & the world was a very different place. It was great to return today & enjoy its food & meet friends. Always vibrant. Always hospitable. Always resilient. No cold hearts or headlines will ever change that.
11
38
518
Imagine being so disconnected from racial dynamics in America that you think Harris is viewed as 'Black' because it is somehow a more privileged identity than 'Hindu' or Indian American. Astoundingly out of touch piece in
@ThePrintIndia
.
American Hinduphobia makes Kamala Harris’ identity a liability. So she is described as ‘Black’ in US media
Makarand R. Paranjape
@MakrandParanspe
writes in his series
#BeingIndian
for ThePrint
403
259
1K
27
154
483
Maybe this is a joke but there’s no productive country in the world where mid-level bureaucrats get cars and houses. The institutional culture of Pakistan’s government services is absurd.
If you go to DC you will see colonels riding the subway.
After passing CSS (the most elite govt service exam in Pakistan) in 2017, this is all I am getting now as a Grade 18 officer: Rs. 1 lakh cash only (about three times the minimum wage for an unskilled manual laborer). No house / car / nothing.
I ain't corrupt but I should be.
409
59
312
8
134
447
This is not intended to suggest that PM Imran Khan would not have gone to Russia if President Biden had given him a call. But the reality is Putin has called Khan 3 times since August.
There is a cost to one-dimensional FP towards regional powers & compartmentalizing relations.
19
99
411
Somewhere between power, political expediency, corruption, & democracy there is a field—I’ll meet you there (and kiss your hand).
18
82
383
The last US C-17 left Afghanistan. We have a clear choice in front of us. We can enter a shadowy era of disengagement, sanctions, & drone strikes. Or we can find a more sustainable way to engage with the world & remember Afghanistan is still a country of almost 40 million souls.
23
87
393
3. B/c we associate Afghanistan w/ 9/11, it's simply assumed its reserves should pay victims. But the people of Afghanistan are as far removed from the hijackers as anyone. Why not ask FL to pay because the flight schools were located there? Sounds crazy. So is this.
7
61
383
The US deserves plenty of criticism in Afghanistan but Karzai speaks as if he was a mere bystander with no agency.
Former Afghan President
@KarzaiH
tells me the United States did not fight successfully or honestly in Afghanistan and would not be welcome back.
600
412
1K
35
69
362
Under new
#MuslimBan
ISIS leader al-Baghdadi can apply for a US visa appointment. Syrian child refugee and Iranian PhD student cannot.
17
260
361
The Biden administration has a one time opportunity to evacuate remaining SIV applicants and human rights defenders, particularly women. There's no second chance at this. The troops are there and the planes are there.
6
107
360
2. Secondly, the idea that alcohol is somehow a measure of a tolerant society is flawed. Bottom line is the alcohol excuse for lack of tourism in Pakistan is a metaphor for inside the box thinking and lack of imagination. Sorry.
4
42
348
5. Afghanistan’s reserves belong to the people of Afghanistan, not the Taliban. By implying it belongs to the Taliban and can be used to pay off a judgment against them, we have undermined the very rule of law we claimed to instill for twenty years.
8
74
342
7. Today was a miscarriage of justice brought to you by the Courts and by the White House. My thoughts are with the 9/11 families who lost their loved ones. They deserve justice. But my thoughts are also with the Afghans who will die for a crime they did not commit.
11
66
341
I went to click on Ajmal Ahmady’s profile to find he blocked me despite us never interacting. Corrupt elites wasted time trolling & blocking on Twitter as their country fell apart around them. A small metaphor for how we got here.
17
49
318
4. I suspect some folks shrouded in nuanced yet contrived legalisms will dismiss my simple comparisons. Frankly, I don't give a damn. The idea that the reserves went from belonging to the Afghan people to being the transferable property of the US is nothing short of colonial.
9
73
331
Don’t look away from what’s happening in Pakistan. It’s our collective future. They have the unenviable position of being at ground zero. But we turn away at our own peril. We must help and we must prepare.
6
91
333
2. Making an innocent party pay for a crime they should not commit should offend every American. Please spare me replies about property interest, material support, joint & several liability, etc. I understand the convoluted legalese arguments behind this action. I reject it.
2
41
319
In which the WaPo chooses a headline that makes a world leader committing war crimes sound like a UFC fighter. Not witty. Not funny. Not cute. Clickbait and shameless.
12
85
306
1. I'm seeing a lot of Global South v. Global North & climate reparations takes. Maybe it's 'speaking truth to power.' It's probably great for personal brands. But I doubt it will help bring relief. Pakistan gets one chance to rally the world.
A short thread on advocacy.
26
98
302
Khalilzad on Afghanistan: “We did not understand this place very well.”
98
38
290
The ignorance in this screenshot is a metaphor for how we got to this moment.
8
39
291
I remember Richard’s sanctimonious meltdowns about the withdrawal. Now he finds the Taliban approachable. American TV news doesn’t have a position on Afghanistan nor is it interested in real reporting. It sells fleeting emotion and curiosity. Full stop.
It’s amazing how quickly the Taliban presence has become the new normal in Kabul. Many fear their intentions, but on the street they’re approachable. I told them i’m from USA. No hostility. Not even surprise really.
797
314
3K
10
56
281
1. There are 2 conflicting realities exposed by
@DisinfoEU
:
- Pakistan's valid security concerns are often dismissed as conspiratorial & those who share them derided as hacks.
-
#IndianChronicles
deliberately chose themes that were believable due to realities inside Pakistan.
Interesting report from & frankly not surprising to anyone following South Asia Twitter. Also sheds an objective light on a phenomenon that was often dismissed as Pakistani propaganda.
19
228
746
21
104
251
1. The condescension & lack of depth of US coverage of
#ElectionsPakistan2018
w/ clickbait headlines & Tom Friedmanesque "playboy turned extremist" ledes is unfortunate. The issue isn't criticism of IK but the shallowness of the examination of
#Pakistan
. We can do better.
20
155
244
The kind of unhinged conspiratorial thinking that helped sink the Republic in its final days.
REMEMBER: IS-K is a Pakistani scheme to rent its airspace to the US led Over The Horrizon (OTH) operations in Afg, remain a partner with the West & monetize/sustain the Taliban junta rule in Afg. Families of key IS-K operatives including 600 freed by the Taliban are in Pak today.
239
475
3K
12
44
236
6. Biden is splitting up the reserves b/c he fears disingenuous & politically motivated attacks ahead of midterms. This story does not begin & end w/ Biden’s decision to split the reserves but is rooted in years of politicians using 9/11 to make opportunistic political attacks.
3
37
242
Life is full of moral compromise. Some people run away with stolen bags of cash, others pose for photos.
Afgh pple were shocked to see their cricket team smilingly pose in a pic with boss of suicide terrorists HQN chief & dine with him & remain silent on all injustices including erasing of girls from edu. So the sanctioning & ban of Afg cricket team is a meaningul move. ETHICS 1ST.
1K
298
3K
16
30
233
For the inner circle around Ghani there was always a Plan B. For the other 40 million Afghans there is only Afghanistan.
Excellent detective work by
@harounrahimi
shows that this photo, appearing to show
#Afghanistan
's former minister of peace Sadat Naderi and nat'l security adviser Hamdullah Mohib driving a Bentley through Marylebone, London, was taken sometime after early July, 2021.
33
162
435
9
66
232
Some folks think I'm an idiot for harping on Pakistan’s tourism, tech, & IT export potential. They claim Pakistan has problems that no other country has faced, & nothing can improve until the system is overhauled. Maybe. But Pakistan needs $ & growth takes decades.
13
31
230
The Pearl family never slanders or disrespects Pakistan even though their son was beheaded there. If only the people who hurl whataboutisms & abuse at them had a tenth of their integrity. Good for the government of Pakistan for appealing.
11
33
214
Plenty to criticize in PTI’s handling of COVID-19 but a serious focus on Khan’s clothes is nothing more than red meat for cheap vacuous elitist gossip. The international community doesn’t care if he is in Khaadi, Armani, or whatever the below is supposed to be.
Prime Minister Khan’s heartfelt appeal to the world community for debt relief towards developing nations amidst COVID-19. PM Khan points out the dilemma of developing world comparing it to the developed nations & asks global community to join hands.
#Global_Initiative_Debt_Relief
235
1K
5K
8
51
200
This sentence is not intended for
#Pakistan
but is meant for the rest of the world. India has carefully curated a secular image even as sectarianism and Hindutva extremism rises exponentially under the watch of the BJP. This extremism doesn't target Westerners so it's ignored.
"Pakistan should turn secular if it wants good ties," says Army Chief Bipin Rawat
426
45
258
9
117
193
Frankly, the same laughable charges are levied against Dr.
@YusufMoeed
in reverse back in Washington. The real vulnerability of Pakistan is a focus on the wrong threats & preventing top talent from advancing the country forward. Atif Mian comes to mind.
4
68
187
In a country that no longer has any Jews it is still used as the ultimate insult 🤷♂️
The speeches in the National Assembly are insane today, calling for Imran Khan's hanging, calling him a Jew and a traitor, asking for him to be tried in a military court etc.
Meanwhile the rabid Mullahs outside Supreme Court bark at the Chief Justice.
Their last two hurdles.
115
3K
7K
21
30
192
With respect to Dr. Cheema’s valid point, as a foreigner exposed to Pakistan and its attempts at soft power, I can tell you that one of the main impediments is constantly comparing Pakistan to India. It’s not useful.
India doesn’t compare itself to Pakistan.
World Knowing India Culturally and that is Soft Power
What are Pakistan’s Soft Power Tools ?
Person Below is Australian PM
2K
2K
23K
19
19
193
ICYMI: "America sought to transform Afghanistan but in the end it could not even manage its own Special Immigrant Visa program."
9
58
201
Keep in mind, this unhinged sociopath got a security clearance, while an untold number of firstgen Americans & anyone else with experiences that may foster empathy & cultural awareness are shown the door when they want to serve America.
This man wearing a green jacket was berating and harassing a halal cart vendor off 83rd and 2nd Ave in NYC. Does anyone know who this man is? Planning to report to the authorities.
5K
16K
45K
4
58
187
The arrest of Imran Khan takes an already escalating political firestorm & douses it with petrol as the nation inches off an economic cliff. It will harden negative views toward the military & PDM and unleash chaos in the streets. But it is also a blow to IK.
7
63
177
1. So "anti-Americanism" will be a feature of international coverage of Pakistan's politics for the foreseeable future & I have a feeling it is going to be sensationalized. So I am writing a thread from inside Pakistan to try to define what my experience suggests it is & isn't.
15
63
162
This map offers a bleak picture but it lacks some details:
1. Where do people live?
2. What does control/contested mean? Sometimes it means a couple Hilux trucks & a TB flag.
The situation is concerning but this map inadvertently gives the Taliban more credit than its due.
22
50
165
Over the next week, people sitting comfortably in DC will tell us that invading Iraq was worth it. The hundreds of thousands who bled out, burned alive, suffocated on fumes, or withered away from war-related diseases will be reduced to mere footnotes in a grotesque display.
7
60
173
Nobody is traveling to Pakistan for the party scene. There’s plenty to do.
Still wont work.
The problem is that there’s essentially nothing to do here.
A handful of poorly maintained historical sites in the major cities and dozens of high end restaurants and thats it. No legal party scene no entertainment nothing
11
2
17
10
16
167
Someday years in the future we will look back at sanctions & freezing an entire country’s reserves as little more than a murderous tantrum.
General licenses, claims about litigation a world away, & wonky gibberish will be a footnote.
The lede will be how many we murdered.
14
50
157
G7 leaders need to stop worrying about sanctions they will primarily use for domestic purposes & instead figure out how to avoid starvation in Afghanistan—a country the G7 helped make dependent on its aid.
7
35
158
The fact that so many reactions in DC are focused on how our "foreign enemies" might delight in yesterday's events demonstrates a deep denial about the domestic causes of our decline.
6
35
155
1. I've come across this sentiment across the media, & I get it. The events that unfolded 2 yrs ago shocked the conscience. However, I believe that presenting it as one of the worst moments in US FP history obscures the true gravity of the horrors of our post-9/11 wars.
7
49
157
Gen. Milley when pressed by Sen. Warren about end state if US stayed:"I think the end state probably would have been the same no matter when you did it."
Warren: "I believe leaving a force behind would have necessitated that force staying indefinitely."
Milley: "That's right."
6
39
152
Never missing an opportunity to go low Orya Maqbool Jan is waxing poetic about Mullah Omar. Will he have the same admiration for Noor Wali Mehsud?
عمر ثالث ملا محمد عمر مجاھد رحمتہ اللہ علیہ کی ایکُ تصویر جو ان سے بے خبری میں کھینچی گئی ۔ وہ اس قدر بلند قامت تھے کہ ان کا سر جیپ کی چھت کو لگتا تھا
583
479
3K
19
15
145
Indefinite US airstrikes are put forward as a potential solution to escalating Taliban gains. But I see 3 major ?s left unanswered:
1. What will we do when the Embassy is attacked?
2. What will we do when airstrikes aren't enough?
3. What will we do when we inflict major CIVCAS?
46
33
141
Twitter plays little role in the lives of most Americans & virtually none for most Afghans & Pakistanis. The war won't be won or lost on Twitter. Neither will a future peace. Twitter's only value is to share breaking info, ideas, & debate. If that is silenced, then it is useless.
17
27
135
Today’s TTP attack on the Karachi police chief’s office is very disturbing. The societal degradation that can occur if Pakistan’s police lose their morale & no Pakistani city is safe from TTP terrorism is severe and TTP likely understands this.
12
38
127
A rich & enlightening discussion with Director of Foreign Policy for Jaamat-e-Islami
@asifluqman
. We discussed regional & US-Pakistan relations, importance of diplomacy, Afghanistan’s economy & the need for equal education access there.
14
28
131
If you recently came from Afghanistan to the United States, then apply to this. It likely won't happen again.
7
122
134
From laughable non-answers to the mannerisms, not only do these responses rightfully infuriate Afghans, but it doesn’t serve Pakistan either. The crux of the issue, however, is Pakistan incorrectly thinks it can compartmentalize relations with the world from chaos in Afghanistan.
Pakistan's FM Qureshi says he does not know the whereabouts of Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, Mullah Yaqoub or Sirajuddin Haqqani, adding the Afghan govt should be asked. Watch the interview on TOLOnews, TOLO TV & at 9pm (Kabul time) this Saturday.
56
64
245
23
35
111
Today demonstrates that the Taliban movement is still run by ideologues with a few pragmatists acting as liaisons with the outside world. There are brief moments of pragmatic openness & tolerance. But the idea that the pragmatists can bring lasting structural change died today.
11
31
120
A good example of how terrible & insular-looking messaging causes the Pakistan to constantly squander diplomatic opportunities for influence on the world stage. He could have played a positive role in calling attention to what is happening but instead chose to self-immolate.
Pakistan FM Shah Mahmood Qureshi: "Israel is losing out. Despite their connections, they are losing the media war."
@BiannaGolodryga
: What connections? Qureishi: "Haha, hahaha, deep pockets. They control media."👸🏻: "I would call that an antisemitic remark"
110
96
367
45
10
110
Primer on Bullshitting 101: listing erstwhile prestigious affiliations without your title💁♂️. Also check out the publication history.
I know context doesn’t matter on Twitter but I implore thinking people to use their critical thinking skills.
If anyone had any doubts abt US regime change conspiracy this video should remove all doubts as to why a democratically elected PM & his govt were removed. Clearly the US wants an obedient puppet as PM who will not allow Pak choice of neutrality in a European war;
7K
50K
97K
8
73
112
Trump just alienated the most moderate pro-West Muslim population in the world: Iran. And their hardliners just won a moral windfall.
While Trump's
#MuslimBan
impacts SOME Muslims, it impacts ALMOST ALL Iranians. Perhaps just a coincidence
@rezaaslan
@BahmanKalbasi
@lrozen
10
57
77
5
114
105
I always try to make it to Peshawar when I visit Pakistan & always will. Beautiful people & city. And thank you for the discussions & insights
@IftikharFirdous
,
@imranbukharibk
, &
@TheLehaz
.
6
11
110
Khalilzad claims just now that the secret annex on CT in the US-Taliban agreement is classified because the *Taliban* didn’t want their CT commitments made public.
12
54
102
Yesterday I saw hundreds of teenaged girls going/coming from school in Nowshera & Peshawar. A place where the masjids overflow into the streets during jummah namaz & blue burqas are common. A Pashtun place.
And the Taliban’s cultural & religious excuses felt even more hollow.
9
27
106
Plenty to criticize Karzai about but sometimes the criticism assumes that he should have been a loyal agent of the United States.
Another problem with the politics of intervention: we expect “our” foreign leaders to acquire legitimacy AND serve us at once. Doesn’t work.
2
21
112
So no negligence & the “mistaken strike happened despite prudent measures to prevent civilian deaths.”
So the Pentagon admits we have a systemic problem? The very framework of these targeted strikes is rotten. It cannot self regulate or fix itself because it’s inherently flawed.
2
49
103
All due respect to the Ambassador but this is not a productive tweet. Using social media to attempt to cause a head of state to lose face is not an effective way to communicate with partners in
#Pakistan
,
#Afghanistan
, or anywhere else. Culture matters. Diplomatic norms matter.
5
26
99
I’m no expert in nuclear security, but I plan to write a feature for the Atlantic in which I argue that a domestic protest threatens the US military’s control of its nukes. I have no evidence to support my claim so the photo choice is important. Does this one work?
3
31
108
Long Thread
1. During 20 yrs of US-led war in Afghanistan, we privileged aspirational “end states” over reality, exaggerating our strengths & disregarding weaknesses. Even critics of the war often envisioned a "perfect war" rather than anything realistic.
8
48
104
I’ve seen more criticism of Biden’s speech than the last decade of our violent & ineffective war effort. Oval Office tropes & gloss overs stem from hyper-partisan politics.
So past presidents chose to whisper sweet nothings & hope Americans were too dumb or detached to care.
4
25
102
Remember the story about Afghanistan's foreign reserves only ends @ 10 am on Monday morning if YOU let it.
The political, legal, and policy process (fight) over what actually happens to those funds which were blocked & consolidated by EO last week is just beginning.
7
33
104
1. Right now the lives of millions of Afghans are in jeopardy due to competing political calculations by the Taliban and Washington. Thousands of people are going to die slow horrible deaths. I used to write this as a prospective warning but now it’s a near certainty.
12
35
98
I find it hard to believe that Shehbaz Sharif personally wrote this lede. But what a statement.
12
13
96
There's room for debate about how to distribute funds, how much to release at once, and aspects of conditionality.
But arguing that hundreds of thousands of people should starve until a de facto government matches your desires is shitty. Sorry for using the technical term.💁♂️
5
22
99
1. Here’s the inconvenient reality: Whether the US pulls forces out of Afghanistan on May 1 or not, violence WILL increase. The US has very limited influence over that. But one side of the debate pretends that if we stay, we can prevent that violence. What will likely happen?
10
26
100
Like most ‘Afghanistan watchers’ I derided the Taliban’s poppy ban as unserious. Another reminder that predictions are mostly futile. More than ever we need to consider whether our analysis is too influenced by what we think we *should* say…
Remarkable findings from
@mansfieldintinc
re the Afghan drug economy:
“New satellite images reveal a staggering 99% reduction of poppy growing in the main opium cultivation areas of Afghanistan.”
1
60
128
9
17
98
1. If true, this report deserves outrage. US troops, Afghan soldiers, & Afghan civilians shouldn't continue to die for the political fortunes of a few elites. The presence of US troops in Afghanistan encourages this kind of dysfunction which is far from a "partnership."
President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan has refused to let peace talks move forward even though the Taliban and government negotiators have reached a tentative agreement on the talks’ guiding principles, Afghan officials say
81
79
156
19
33
94
The ANDSF died by the tens of thousands throughout this war & faught under horrible conditions.
The ANDSF also folded in the final weeks because the Afghan state suffered a deep crisis of legitimacy & leadership.
Both these things are true & both should give us pause.
4
34
99