cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/47584733

Trita Parsi May 18, 2026

We should first recognize that restarting the war amounts to an admission that Trump’s previous escalatory gambit — the blockade of the blockade — has failed. That, in turn, was itself an admission that the war had failed. Which was an admission that the threats of war in January had failed. As I have argued before on my Substack, this relentless search for an escalatory silver bullet capable of bringing Iran to its knees is not unique to Trump; it has become a defining pathology of American Iran policy for decades.

Although negotiators have made meaningful progress on several fronts, talks have thus far failed to produce an agreement, largely because of irreconcilable differences over Tehran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile. And as Washington has come to realize that the blockade is backfiring, a new and dangerous dynamic has emerged: both sides now believe another round of fighting will strengthen their hand in the negotiations that follow.

  • KelvarCherry [They/Them]@piefed.blahaj.zone
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    1 month ago

    Have you seen the Republican primaries this month? Trump’s endorsements won across the board. Even Thomas Massie; a Republican who rallied against data centers, big tech remotely controlling cars, and AIPAC; lost his seat because Trump bashed him. It doesn’t seem like voters regret backing Trump at all, as evident by how much shit Trump’s administration is getting away with.

      • Final Remix@lemmy.world
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        29 days ago

        The whole republican party needs something done to them that likely involves 2-stroke engine driven machinery.

    • HumanOnEarth@lemmy.ca
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      1 month ago

      All the more reason to tell any American trying to say “but we’re not all bad” to shut up and get to work. This gets a lot worse the longer you leave it.

    • Tollana1234567@lemmy.today
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      1 month ago

      any R that opposes P47 will get primaried immediately by the gop thats a fact, Mccains daughter for example, MTG quit before being primaried. kAZINGER is another one. nope none, they fully bought into the cult, to think otherwise is uncomfortable to them. 4 years of trump being aired 24/7 +manosphere helped cement his support, and all the gaffes he did prior to the election too, anti-vaxxers are just an extra cherry on top.

        • Tollana1234567@lemmy.today
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          29 days ago

          he helped brought TRUMP to where he is right now, and plus entrenching the scotus picks to be “permanently” conservative. hes just bailing before he gets the blame for it, plus when he was a Majority leader he had so much sway in the senate too, even when compared to lame duck chuck.