It was a pleasure to join THE LEFT HOOK with Wajahat Ali earlier today, alongside Waj and Omar Baddar. My apologies for the lack of advanced notice; this came together last-minute-ish.
Waj, Omar, and I focused on President Trump’s inept attempts to extricate the US (and himself, personally) from the illegal and ill-fated disaster that has characterized the US-Israeli war against Iran. We also analyzed Trump’s latest laughably absurd gambit to get Saudi Arabia and other Arab and Muslim countries to join the Abraham Accords as part of a deal with Iran. (Good luck with that, Donald!)
Meanwhile, Trump has neither the self-control nor any adults in the room with him to stop from posting things like this on his social media:
Iran expert Vali Nasr of Johns Hopkins-SAIS put it well: “It is this kind of grotesque behavior that undermines diplomacy and unites Iranians in defense of their country.”
In addition to discussing the Iran war quagmire, Waj, Omar, and I spoke about the DNC’s belatedly released autopsy report and its failure to mention the impact of President Biden’s disastrous Gaza policy, from which VP Kamala Harris failed to distance herself. While a number of Democratic candidates and elected officials are moving away from uncritical support for Israel, the DNC and Democratic leadership in Congress continue to lag behind.
As we made clear, the policies of Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu — combined with the sadistic optics of his National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir — are doing long-term and quite possibly irreparable harm to core Israeli interests, including Israel’s relations with the US and the rest of the world.
If Israel’s opposition is able to unseat Netanyahu and his coalition, it will need to do more than just change the optics and end the attacks on what remains of Israeli democracy, in order to win back the US and the world. It would have to fundamentally change Israel’s policies toward Palestinians and regional states. Unfortunately, there is no indication that a Prime Minister Naftali Bennett would do so.
I hope you find this podcast insightful. As always, I welcome your feedback!
Friends, I’ve been working hard to bring you top-tier, multifaceted analysis to keep you informed throughout the US-Israeli war against Iran. I need your help in order to continue this work. If you appreciate the insights The Debrief brings you, please consider becoming a paid subscriber now. You can also show your support with a one-time donation in any amount. Thank you.
There’s Much More Coming Up This Week on The Debrief!
TOMORROW, May 26, at 12pm Eastern:
I’ll be hosting the great Matt Duss of the Center for International Policy, who folks will know as a top progressive foreign policy thinker and former advisor to Senator Bernie Sanders.
Matt is a prolific writer and I’m especially keen to talk with him about his recent piece on the Abraham Accords. We’ll also discuss what the Democratic Party’s foreign policy platform should look like going forward.
THURSDAY, May 28, at 12pm Eastern:
I’ll be honored to speak with Jaser Abu Mousa, a Palestinian political analyst and Yale Peace Fellow who survived the genocide in Gaza and is now a Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute.
Check him out right here on Substack! He’s putting out a Gaza Biweekly that’s a must-read to understand what’s happening in the Strip (especially now that the Iran war has completely pushed Gaza from the headlines). Here’s the latest installment, entitled “Moving On Without Peace.” He also published this heart-wrenching piece about his son Hmaid on what should have been Hmaid’s 21st birthday.
Wishing you all a meaningful Memorial Day!
Warmly,
Debra
