We are delighted to welcome to @global-affairs.bsky.social four new brilliant colleagues as nonresident fellows: @mcopelov.bsky.social, @prleblond.bsky.social, @mallory.techpolicy.social.ap.brid.gy, and Peter Trubowitz.
@atabatabai.bsky.socialAriane Tabatabai
@atabatabai.bsky.social
Vice President of Research for Security & Defense at Chicago Council on Global Affairs • Contributing Editor at Lawfare • Ex Pentagon & State Department • Author of No Conquest, No Defeat (Oxford University Press) & co-author of Triple Axis (Bloomsbury)
@atabatabai.bsky.social
@global-affairs.bsky.socialReposted by @atabatabai.bsky.social"As long as each provocation costs Moscow nothing more than a downed drone, Putin has every reason to keep escalating," Council Distinguished Nonresident Fellow in Defense and Security Julianne Smith writes for Foreign Affairs.
@lawfaremedia.orgReposted by @atabatabai.bsky.socialOn Lawfare Daily, @juliacurlee.bsky.social talked with Shawn Howard and @atabatabai.bsky.social about how the Gulf states are coping with the Iran war, why U.S. protection has made them targets, and what a return to U.S. bombing would mean for the region. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/lawf...
@atabatabai.bsky.socialIt’s really wild going through 5 years of Republicans making my life hell based on made up nonsense about my working for Iran, citing national security concerns, when their guy can literally stand there and tell an adversarial regime (with whom we’re at war) to take out American cities.
@ckafura.bsky.socialReposted by @atabatabai.bsky.socialKicking off a great discussion on public opinion, foreign policy, and the 2026 midterms with @roguepollster.bsky.social , John Lapinski, and Asma Khalid @global-affairs.bsky.social
@atabatabai.bsky.socialI once again ask, has anyone seen Bridge Colby? How about the “hard on China” / “though on national security” Republicans on the Hill who only seem to care about it when Dems are in charge? Asking because it seems like blowing up alliances while offering to arm China would warrant some inquiries.
@lawfaremedia.orgReposted by @atabatabai.bsky.socialThis week, @nkorpett.bsky.social was joined by @juliacurlee.bsky.social, and @atabatabai.bsky.social on Lawfare Daily to talk about the war in Iran: where things stand today, and how we got here. youtu.be/ugs_spb2gvc
@lawfaremedia.orgReposted by @atabatabai.bsky.socialOn Lawfare Daily, @nkorpett.bsky.social is joined by @atabatabai.bsky.social and @juliacurlee.bsky.social to talk about the war in Iran, where it stand today, and how the gutting of the national security apparatus in Washington affected the way the war is being waged. youtu.be/ugs_spb2gvc
@global-affairs.bsky.socialReposted by @atabatabai.bsky.socialAfter months of tensions over Greenland, the United States, Denmark, and Greenland have reached a deal over the semiautonomous territory. The Council's Julianne Smith, Deborah Rosenblum, and @atabatabai.bsky.social unpack what the security agreement means for NATO, Arctic security, and more. ⤵️
@atabatabai.bsky.socialJust as I failed to consider typos apparently.
@atabatabai.bsky.social10+ years of lobbying for this war & going after those questioning their logic. 7 months, 1000s of deaths, billions of $ into it, they’re learning: their goals weren’t reachable, they had serious gaps in “analysis,” they didn’t consider tradeoffs, and they hand waged inconvenient evidence.
@global-affairs.bsky.socialReposted by @atabatabai.bsky.socialHow is Europe fighting against disinformation and protecting democracy? On October 8, join Paweł Markiewicz, Vanessa Audemard d'Alançon, and @atabatabai.bsky.social for a discussion on disinformation and the future of democratic discourse. bit.ly/4xAIR2x
@lawfaremedia.orgReposted by @atabatabai.bsky.socialOn Rational Security, @sranderson.bsky.social, @kevintfrazier.bsky.social, @rparloff.bsky.social, and @atabatabai.bsky.social discussed the week’s big national security news stories, including tensions along NATO’s eastern flank and more. youtu.be/b5Iqt1RXQq0
@juliacurlee.bsky.socialReposted by @atabatabai.bsky.social@atabatabai.bsky.social Ariane Tabatabai and I have written the autopsy for Foreign Policy. The blunders will keep coming. They were foreseeable, and long foreseen.
@global-affairs.bsky.socialReposted by @atabatabai.bsky.socialThe Council is proud to announce a special convening with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, US Permanent Representative to NATO Ambassador Matthew G. Whitaker, and @leslievinjamuri.bsky.social in Des Moines, Iowa, on 9/22.
Learn more and register to attend today: bit.ly/3URuIAw
@convergingriskslab.bsky.socialReposted by @atabatabai.bsky.socialWithout question the single most haunting essay about the last 25 years, written with a white-hot rage. Essential reading for today and every day after.
@atabatabai.bsky.socialHow did the U.S. lose a war against an inferior military? For the autopsy, look at Washington, not Tehran.
@juliacurlee.bsky.social & I argue in @foreignpolicy.com this was inevitable after Trump’s 19 month war against “the deep state,” while Congress was MIA.
@atabatabai.bsky.socialThe failure in Iran is a direct consequence of the war of attrition waged against expertise in the government by this admin and its allies since January 20, 2025.
This was all predictable and predicted.
Thanks to @gregsargent.bsky.social for having me on the pod.
@atabatabai.bsky.socialExactly this. Obviously, first and foremost, the human cost of this war should be the focus. (2 more service members today and how many civilians?) But also, we need to talk about the readiness impact of this war and how long (and how much $) it’ll take to rebuild after these choices.
@atabatabai.bsky.socialIf you want deeper context for the headlines about Iran right now, my second book, No Conquest, No Defeat, examines the foundations of Iran’s security thinking & traces the historical roots of its nuclear & missile programs, proxy networks, and hybrid warfare strategy.
