.President Biden has long warned PM Netanyahu that invading Rafah would be a 'red line” — it would result in untold civilian death & destruction, and undermine our efforts to return the hostages.

I applaud him for making clear today that the U.S. will not be complicit in this suffering.

The world must renounce Putin's irresponsible nuclear threats, but the danger is real. He is a dangerous autocrat, surrounded by yes-men, who has surprised us too many times before. I explain here:

theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

A marker of mistrust: Not only has Xi embraced the conspiracy theory, but he is willing to promulgate it out loud and in Europe.

Very direct signaling here with a snap nonstrategic nuclear weapons exercise in the Southern Military District. ‘Response to western statements’ as reason = maybe, probably also in response to recent rumored strike on Iskander launch site in Crimea. /1 politico.eu/article/russia…

'When commentators lament isolationism — and compare it to a more enlightened internationalism — they've performed a clever rhetorical trick.' Spot on, Jennifer Lind: blueblaze.substack.com/p/enough-with-…

Looking forward to talking 'America against America' and 'USA against China' this weekend in Genoa.

“If the United States is to properly compete with China, it’s going to require healthy, balanced policymaking that protects U.S. national security without compromising core American values.” nytimes.com/2024/05/06/opi…

Smith argued that the 50-plus U.S.-led Ramstein Group nations need to help Ukraine to build a strong enough military to hold onto the territory they've reclaimed.

But he called for direct talks with Russia as Ukraine gets stronger.

'I think we need to be more aggressive about…

“Don’t be scared” of the collapse of a country with 5,000+ nuclear warheads is not a responsible statement.

Incredibly proud of Columbia University student leaders who wrote the single best analysis of recent events available anywhere. Shame on The New York Times The Wall Street Journal and other media for failing to accurately report their views. theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

Remarkable that U.S. officials are spending time right now working out the terms of a U.S. commitment to go to war to defend Mohammed bin Salman's Saudi Arabia.

“Overstating the power of propaganda risks amplifying not only the original falsehood, but also an even more corrosive and polarizing narrative — that American politicians are somehow remote-controlled, and that U.S. citizens don’t have agency.”

WATCH-- Chris Hayes: It's easier to argue about what college kids are doing than to confront the human misery and destruction that's happening in the actual conflict which is, of course, the source of these protests.

Democratic Party warns if Trump wins we'd see security forces harass/arrest people opposing his policies, he'd not enforce all laws to favor his allies & abroad he'd ignore human rights abuses & not use leverage fairly to resolve international conflicts.

Sean McCormick Two parties favor different terms for a ceasefire/hostage deal. Yet only one of them is said to be standing in the way? Adding to the irony: stated U.S. preferences — for a permanent ceasefire and against an invasion of Rafah — are contrary to Israel’s reported conditions.

A pleasure to join the The U.S. Programme Podcast, RSIS podcast while in Singapore. I argue that U.S. military retrenchment from the Middle East and Europe would enhance stability in the Indo-Pacific, contrary to fears that pull-backs anywhere would cascade into 'isolationism' everywhere. Here's why:

Blinken said earlier: “We are determined to get a ceasefire that brings the hostages home and to get it now, and the only reason that that wouldn’t be achieved is because of Hamas.” What Blinken said is not accurate.

How about we have a foreign policy that brings Americans together rather than drives them apart?

I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s chat with my friends Fiona Hill and Chris Chivvis. Hope you can join us in person Carnegie Endowment.

Registration info below 👇

One of my main takeaways from studying history is that things which are very bad can always get much worse and that the difference between very bad and much worse is a real and significant one for the people affected.