Kragdar
@kragdar.bsky.social
1K followers 680 following 1.6K posts
Lawyer, California supremacist, observer of the Middle East / West Asia. فارسی بلدم; biraz Azərbaycanca.
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Reposted by Kragdar
diplomatofnight.com
Doing it in southwestern Syria today too
aymanmak.bsky.social
so it seems Saleh was killed (possibly executed) by an Israeli-armed/backed militia. We've known that Israel has been doing this. The goal: fomenting a civil war between Palestinian factions. Inevitably Israel will "intervene" to quell the clashes. Another tool in its genocidal arsenal.
ayoub.bsky.social
Absolutely horrible news - Saleh was killed today

www.middleeasteye.net/news/saleh-a...
kragdar.bsky.social
On the other hand, a woman who taught my ethics in science GE course, a biology PhD, had a pretty different reaction in the wake of the election. She was kind, compassionate, and opened up the first discussion class by asking us what we thought & how it related to course topics.
kragdar.bsky.social
Still remember vividly going to a lecture on values that the head of our philosophy department gave. Very close to 2016 election, and his entire lecture was on why it was permissible, ethical, and rational for his circle of care to extend only to others similar to and close to him.
kragdar.bsky.social
I was very often one of 2 or 3 women in my philosophy classes, out of 15-30ish students per class. We had a very small c conservative philosophy department that did not consider any non-European or non-American philosophies to be philosophy, but ethnic studies, so no classes on them.
kragdar.bsky.social
The philosophy department at my alma mater was far more Trumpian in faculty and student body composition (and heavily, lopsidedly male) than the engineering school.
mekka.mekka-tech.com
This.

One of the weirdest claims about tech, is that if people only studied humanities, they would be more inclusive and kind.

No.

That's not the important dimension. Studying art or philosophy or history does not magically make you an ethical person.

Hitler was a painter. Wagner was a composer.
brasidas.bsky.social
Anyone who claims that Silicon Valley would be better with more humanities education has to grapple with the fact that Peter Thiel was a philosophy major.
Reposted by Kragdar
ricfouad.bsky.social
Cowards: lifetime tenure, can say what they want where it shld be said, *their rulings,* not in anonymous “surveys.” Many ppl face grave risk defending rule of law w/o protections these “shadow critics” enjoy: let them speak openly. Best part was J. Wilkinson close, non sequitur, but always a treat.
Now the branches come too close to grinding irrevocably against one another in a
conflict that promises to diminish both. This is a losing proposition all around. The Judiciary will lose much from the constant intimations of its illegitimacy, to which by dent of custom and detachment we can only sparingly reply. The Executive will lose much from
a public perception of its lawlessness and all of its attendant contagions. The Executive
may succeed for a time in weakening the courts, but over time history will script the tragic
gap between what was and all that might have been, and law in time will sign its epitaph.
It is, as we have noted, all too possible to see in this case an incipient crisis, but it may present an opportunity as well. We yet cling to the hope that it is not naïve to believe our good brethren in the Executive Branch perceive the rule of law as vital to the American ethos. This case presents their unique chance to vindicate that value and to summon the
best that is within us while there is still time.
kragdar.bsky.social
Yeah, and the problem with being allied with Qatar is not that they are scary Muslims who want to impose Sharia law on American soil.
kragdar.bsky.social
Something something Dems looking at themselves in the mirror saying “we have to get more racist” to win the next election.
kragdar.bsky.social
Just to make this clear: even if Qatar wanted to apply “Sharia” law to this base, “Sharia” would allow our beautiful, wonderful troops to crack open a cold one from the commissary no problem, even if Muslims wouldn’t be allowed to.
kragdar.bsky.social
I respectfully disagree, but I see the general point that our opposition party largely lacks both the communicative skill and drive to forcefully use all available levers to point out the outrageousness of something like this.
kragdar.bsky.social
“Sharia” law is not one set of rules, but a body of legal methods. It’s like saying “common law” applies. What does that mean? So many different rules, methods, forms of reasoning.

+ Sharia largely applies to Muslims. There are different rules for non-Muslims even in “Sharia” countries.
kragdar.bsky.social
So as an American Muslim who is now watching the worst abuses of the war on terror era being extended to the rest of the country I don’t actually think this is the framing we should put on this
nationalsecuritylaw.org
Here's the framing we should put on this.

"Hegseth announces that sharia law will apply to part of Idaho AF base"

Yes Qatar is governed by sharia law. UAE is more complicated but it partially follows sharia.
atrupar.com
Hegseth: "I'm also proud that today we're signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Emeri air force facility at the Mountain Home Airbase in Idaho."
kragdar.bsky.social
Just realized that they were also British. Lecturing me about the “nature” of US and executive powers. Classic Bsky experience.
Reposted by Kragdar
someforeignfield.bsky.social
Also the Biden ambassador to Israel and a Biden USAID appointee conspired to kill the Famine Early Warning Systems Network report that confirmed famine conditions in the north. Oops!
someforeignfield.bsky.social
Noteworthy that the North has been cut off via the Netzarim Corridor for most of the last two years. There were no GHF distribution sites in the North, and famine conditions have been confirmed in North Gaza since at least October/November of 2024 (who was President then 🤔🤔🤔)
maks23.bsky.social
🇵🇸🇮🇱 Gaza residents are returning to north after the partial Israeli withdrawal.
kragdar.bsky.social
Today someone told me I don’t understand the “legalistic” nature of the US because Biden would have needed a treaty passed by the US Senate to end the war in Gaza (?).

Lawyer is the first word in my bio lol
kragdar.bsky.social
This is quite literally true and why there are literally millions on the streets of Europe and not in the US.
donmoyn.bsky.social
The media coverage of Gaza in the US is already massively out of step with almost any other country you might visit.
maxtani.bsky.social
New: Bari Weiss booked Hillary Clinton, Mike Pompeo, and Antony Blinken for a roundtable on Gaza, her first major move at CBS.

Notably on a CBS call today in which the panel was floated, one producer also repeatedly emphasized the need to hear from Palestinians in Gaza (Weiss did not respond).
kragdar.bsky.social
I’m a lawyer and it’s plainly ridiculous to suggest a treaty is necessary, something not one of the many elite lawyers who made up Biden’s advisors & his teams at State or USAID ever thought was necessary. And you clearly haven’t read even a few basic articles. Have a great day.
Reposted by Kragdar
jamalzuhir.bsky.social
I know that if I post a picture of me dirty or suffering, it will get a lot of interaction and participation and it will be attractive, but my friends, I was living the best life and because my geographical location in Gaza my life was destroyed. I am just trying to rebuild
jamalzuhir.bsky.social
Here is Jamal from Gaza whose family lost everything and he is trying with all his might to rebuild their lives and help them with the crazy costs in Gaza and travel outside Gaza when the crossings open. I hope you support us. Your little support, even if it is $5

chuffed.org/project/1389...
Help Jamal’s family leave the war zone and rebuild their life!
Hi my loves! My name is Caroline, and I created this fundraiser to help Jamal support his family as they fight to survive the genocide in Gaza, evacuate to safety, and eventually rebuild their lives f...
chuffed.org
kragdar.bsky.social
The latter, which isn’t anything different than what was on offer under Biden. The bar for Biden was already pretty low: no genocide.

Ending the occupation is another matter entirely.
kragdar.bsky.social
Whataboutism about Trump isn’t going to work when Biden had many available levers, arms restrictions and sanctions just one of a million options, and didn’t pull them or barely did so. He didn’t want to! Pretty simple!
kragdar.bsky.social
Read the Baskin and Akbar Shahid Ahmed articles just from today. Trump hasn’t gone that far, still has gotten farther than Biden.

The clearer and simpler answer, one confirmed by all available reporting, is Biden didn’t want it & didn’t value Palestinian lives much. Or it’s a skill issue.
kragdar.bsky.social
Biden needed nothing from the Senate at all. And definitely didn’t need a treaty, what? That’s not even something he or his advisors ever claimed. He could have simply followed existing US law that bans arms sales to countries violating U.S. law. His USAID & State Dept both concluded that.
Reposted by Kragdar
ahmadalgohbary.bsky.social
Breaking: French presidential adviser to Al Jazeera, “The Gaza agreement would not have been possible without President Trump’s pressure on Israel.”
kragdar.bsky.social
And if your argument is that Biden wouldn’t have R support, that’s a reason to think Trump would just be better on the issue overall.