Former Foreign Service Officer
Washington, DC
Joined September 2010
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Richard retweeted
"Putin will wage war. I don’t know when, but he will. And you, Europeans, will be surprised to discover that this war is aimed at you, too... You think that what is happening in Moscow has nothing to do with you—that it’s our problem.
Putin hates people like me, certainly. But through us—in Russia, or through the revolutionaries in Ukraine or Georgia—it is you he hates: your democracy, your society, your freedoms.
Do you think his regime is merely a threat to us? Your awakening will be brutal."
Anna Politkovskaya, in Paris, 2005.
She was assassinated in the lobby of her apartment building on October 7, 2006—Putin’s birthday.
Richard retweeted
If there is absolutely one essay you must read this weekend
“Those who fail to reckon with the horror that took place in Gaza cannot be trusted to act differently in the future.”
Richard retweeted
Two watercolors of Palestinian Sunbirds (Cinnyris osea) by Roberto Prusso 1865 and John Gerrard Keulemans 1876
There is something extraordinary about the Palestinian sunbird, a creature so small, yet so deeply woven into the natural heritage of its homeland.
The male is a jewel of shifting light, his iridescent plumage shimmering with emerald, violet and midnight blue, colours that reveal themselves as he moves beneath the sun. The female wears a quieter beauty, clothed in soft olive-brown and golden-grey, her colours drawn from the earth itself.
Together, they raise their young in a delicate, suspended nest, intricately woven from grasses, fibres and spider silk. Within its fragile walls, tiny chicks begin their lives, dependent upon the devotion of their parents until they are ready to take their first uncertain flight.
These little birds belong to the gardens, orchards, hillsides and flowering landscapes of Palestine. They move among blossoms, feeding on nectar and insects, playing their own quiet part in the intricate relationships that sustain the natural world.
For Palestinians, the sunbird has become something more than a beautiful creature. It is a living emblem of belonging, a reminder that the identity of a land is carried not only in its people, its history and its ancient olive trees, but also in the smallest lives that inhabit it.
And perhaps there is something especially moving about the sight of a mother and father tending their chicks beneath a Palestinian sky. A simple, universal act of love and continuity, unfolding in a land where so much life has been uprooted.
Yet still, among the branches, nests are built. Eggs are laid. Young birds emerge into the light.
For even the smallest wings carry the inheritance of a homeland.
Richard retweeted
Every day, the U.S. sinks a little deeper into infamy and disgrace.
Not only is it complicit in russia’s crimes, but now it is prepared to deport Afghans who helped the U.S. military to Pakistan, from where they could be handed over to the Taliban, who will torture them to death.
Breaking News: The Trump administration has detained dozens of Afghan immigrants in Louisiana — including relatives of those who helped the U.S. military — and plans to deport them to Afghanistan, according to U.S. officials. nyti.ms/4jPVvrw
Richard retweeted
The two “journalists” who broke the “Qatargate” scandal admit two things: 1) That their story is bullshit and there is no real corruption scandal involving 1948 Palestinians. 2) That they are sad about that fact and “regrettably” and “unfortunately” they cannot besmirch the entire population in an effort to take away their rights.
Richard retweeted
She was found hanging from a tree branch. Two weeks old. The 'israeli' bomb murdered her entire family and flung her into a tree. No one survived to claim her. No one knew her name. Her nurse adopter her. Named her Malak (angel). She's now 3 years old.
This too is resistance.
In a story that encapsulates the pain of tragedy and the hope of life.. A baby girl was found all alone, hanging from a tree branch following the Al-Sabra neighborhood massacre in Gaza City on November 19, 2023, which claimed the lives of nearly 300 people while others remained missing.
She arrived at Al-Shifa Medical Complex as an infant, barely two weeks old. With no one to claim her, she remained unidentified for a full month until nurse Amal Ismail adopted her, naming her “Malak” and choosing October 29 as her official birthday.
Malak turns three surrounded by the love of Amal, who raised her as her own child, while hope endures that her relatives will one day recognize her so she can reclaim her roots and identity.
في قصة تختصر ألم الفاجعة وأمل الحياة.. طفلة وُجدت وحيدة ومعلقة على غصن شجرة بعد مجزرة حي الصبرة بمدينة غزة يوم 19 نوفمبر 2023، والتي راح ضحيتها نحو 300 شهيد بينما بقي الآخرون في عداد المفقودين.
وصلت إلى مجمع الشفاء الطبي رضيعة يغمرها الفقد، بعمر لا يتجاوز الأسبوعين. لم يسأل عنها أحد، وبقيت مجهولة الهوية شهراً كاملاً، حتى تبنتها قلباً وقالباً الممرضة “أمل إسماعيل” التي رعتها وأطلقت عليها اسم “ملاك”، واختارت يوم 29 أكتوبر ليكون تاريخ ميلادها.
تكمل ملاك عامها الثالث في أحضان أمل التي احتضنتها كقطعة من روحها، بينما يظل الأمل قائماً بأن يتعرف عليها أحد أفراد عائلتها يوماً ما، لتستعيد جذورها وحقها في الهوية.
Richard retweeted
Israeli lawyer Michael Sfard: don't be misled by the idea that there are 'bad apple' settlers on the Zionist tree. There is "one machine".
Richard retweeted
On behalf of the free people of #Palestine, I had the honour of presenting @macklemore with a symbolic gift at the end of his electrifying show in London tonight.
A small piece of Palestine: olive wood craft, made specially for him, holding two glass tubes. One contains Palestinian soil, representing our roots, steadfastness and sacrifice; the other holds olive leaves, symbolising our enduring hope for peace and justice.
Free Palestine.
Free all.
Richard retweeted
Gorbachev was obviously quite smart, but even the smartest communists bought into really dumb Marxist ideas.
Gorbachev thought that once a country moved from capitalism to socialism, it could never go back. He believed this was a scientific law of history.
He also thought that Poland, Hungary, and the rest of Eastern Europe would be so grateful for their communist regimes that they would always be loyal to the Soviet Union.
Sarah Paine explains how Gorbachev’s Marxist ideas undermined the USSR:
Richard retweeted
Today's straw poll at the UN revealed that the PR campaign aimed at giving the impression that Lana Nusseibeh's (UAE) was a lock was just that - a PR campaign.
Nusseibeh finished 4th, with only 7 encourages and 6 discourages (!)
Unclear whether any P5 voted against her.
Richard retweeted
There is something beautiful about this video, yet every time I watch it, I feel my soul weeping.
#Gaza
Richard retweeted
🔥😢🇵🇸❤️🫡
Zeyne: The Free Palestine Tour, Paris, France. Thank you Macklemore.
#Zeyne #MacklemoreParis
Richard retweeted
It's publication day for "Palestine in a Time of Genocide." Am honored to have contributed a chapter along side amazing folks like @nevegordon & Richard Falk. May there b accountability 4 the criminals & justice 4 the victims of this genocide in r lifetime taylorfrancis.com/books/edit…
Richard retweeted
"They don't serve in the army, most of them want to destroy the state."
Channel 14 journalist Shimon Riklin and Yeruham head of council Nili Aharon made racist comments about the participation of Palestinian citizens of Israel in the elections.
Richard retweeted
THE MOST INCOMPETENT WAR IN HISTORY: SARAH PAINE ON TRUMP’S IRAN DISASTER
Dr. Sarah Paine, a leading historian of great-power conflict and strategy, delivers a blunt verdict on the Iran war. She calls it one of the most incompetent wars in human history. The decision ignored basic principles of assessment, put maximum costs on America itself, and left permanent damage to the country’s power and alliances. This is not hindsight—it is the predictable result of hubris meeting reality.
THE CORE VERDICT
➡️ “The Iran war is probably one of the most incompetent wars in human history.”
➡️ A competent war puts the costs on the enemy and minimizes them for yourself.
➡️ This one did the opposite.
THE COST CATASTROPHE
➡️ It trashed the US economy.
➡️ It blew the US alliance system.
➡️ Iran is hurting, but the collateral damage is taking down the world’s economy.
➡️ That transforms the United States from a partner into an annoyance—and for many, a primary adversary—because it is threatening their economies.
➡️ “That’s breathtakingly incompetent.”
THE STRATEGIC BLIND SPOT
➡️ Any serious assessment looks at the enemy’s strengths and your own weaknesses, plus everyone else who might intervene.
➡️ That was absent.
➡️ The first thing Iran would do is shut Hormuz. Narrow seas close in wartime. Ukraine already showed this with the Black Sea.
➡️ Shore artillery, mines, and other tools stop traffic. There is no mystery here.
➡️ The big naval base in Bahrain becomes unreachable. The fallback is Diego Garcia, 2,500 miles away in the middle of nowhere. “That would be a mess.”
THE HUBRIS THAT MADE IT POSSIBLE
➡️ The people making the calls are historically unqualified for the job. That makes them profoundly dangerous.
➡️ Type A hubris assumes all decisions that matter happen in the United States.
➡️ Type B hubris assumes being good at one thing makes you good at everything.
➡️ Half-court tennis: you only watch your own side and never study the other team.
➡️ The Iranians understand Americans far better than Americans understand them.
THE UNFEASIBLE OBJECTIVE
➡️ Trying to “solve” Iran with 90 million people was never realistic.
➡️ Nazi Germany had roughly 80 million and required an occupation force of about 1.5 million just to hold it after the war—before counting everyone else.
➡️ The goal was unattainable. Pursuing it guarantees overextension and a bad ending.
➡️ The lesson the world takes is simple: get a nuke. The war incentivized proliferation.
➡️ This was a pivotal error. The choices that existed before are gone and will not return. “We will never be the trusted partner ever again. It’s done.”
THE BOTTOM LINE
The Iran war did not merely fail. It maximized American costs, destroyed trust with allies, and handed every rival a clearer reason to treat the United States as a threat to their own prosperity. Competence would have contained the problem at affordable cost. Hubris chose the opposite.
This is what permanent strategic damage looks like.
#IranWar #SarahPaine #StrategicIncompetence #HormuzDisaster #USHubris #AllianceCollapse #CatastrophicMistake
HT: YouTube The Diary Of A CEO
Richard retweeted
A true giant of humanity…
-Francesca Albanese addresses thousands during American rapper Macklemore's concert in Paris.
Richard retweeted
Almost the entire US media and political establishment wants us to ignore this
Richard retweeted
Amidst grief and hardship, Palestinians cling to moments of joy, reaffirming their love for life and heritage.. A Palestinian child spontaneously performs the traditional “Dahyya” dance among men during a wedding celebration in Deir Ballut, west of Salfit.
في خضم الألم والمآسي، يقتنص الفلسطينيون الفرح لتمسكهم بالحياة وتراثهم الأصيل.. طفل فلسطيني يؤدي “الدحية” الشعبية بعفوية بين الرجال خلال أحد الأفراح في بلدة دير بلوط غرب محافظة سلفيت.
Richard retweeted
Pendant que les plateaux TV israéliens se trémoussent dans la haine et débattent de la meilleure façon d'exterminer les Arabes, les enfants de Gaza, eux, espèrent juste survivre à la journée.
Comme cette petite fille. Elle vend du pain. Pas pour s'enrichir, juste pour ne pas mourir de faim. Son père ? Enlevé par l'armée terroriste israélienne. Aujourd'hui, il croupit probablement dans les geôles de l'occupation, sous la torture, loin des caméras.
D'un côté, des éditorialistes au chaud qui réclament du sang en direct. De l'autre, une gamine qui vend du pain en attendant son père. Déchirant.