National Security Cuts, Trans Syrians, Nuclear War, and More
The latest at Inkstick Media.
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It’s now largely a matter of consensus that the US war on Afghanistan, in many ways, turned out to be a failure. Yet, now that Donald Trump’s administration is slashing the National Security Council, Ashwin Raghuraman argues in a new op-ed, Washington risks repeating such failure-bound military ventures of the past.
Speaking of war, veteran Inkstick contributor Jon Letman spoke to Annie Jacobsen about her new book, Nuclear War: A Scenario. In a rapid-clip narrative, Jacobsen takes a hard look at what the world can expect if the Doomsday Clock ever reaches midnight.
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“Haunted by Kabul: The Dangers of National Security Council Cuts” by Ashwin Raghuraman (June 2)
On May 23, President Donald Trump gutted the size of the National Security Council (NSC), giving analysts and aides a mere 30 minutes to clear their belongings. While many of these experienced officers have been reassigned to their original agencies, their valuable expertise will no longer directly inform national security decisions.
“As Trump Embraces AI in the UAE, Human Rights Fall by the Wayside” by Alexander Langlois (June 3)
What many have dubbed an ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution, centralizing AI as an overarching positive for human development, the reality within the political and governance spheres is much more complicated — especially for those living in the Gulf’s brutal modern police states.
“War, Love, and Isolation for Transgender Syrians in Lebanon” by Madeline Edwards (June 4)
Some 400,000 Syrians have packed up and headed back home from neighboring countries, including Lebanon, since the Assad government’s collapse in December, pinning high hopes on the new government. But for LGBTQ Syrians, it’s not so clear whether the country is any safer than before.
“No Time for Nuclear War” by Jon Letman (June 5)
At its heart, Nuclear War: A Scenario is a book about time, or rather, a lack of time. In the scenario presented by author Annie Jacobsen, it becomes terrifyingly clear that if the US were the target of a “bolt from the blue” attack by another nuclear-armed state, a global nuclear catastrophe would unfold in seconds and minutes, not hours and days.
“Deep Dive: Russian Drones over Ukraine’s Kherson” by Inkstick (June 6)
A new Human Rights Watch report details how Russian forces have systematically used drones to target civilians in Kherson, violating international humanitarian law. The report documents at least 45 deliberate drone attacks between June and December 2024, resulting in nearly 500 civilian injuries and 30 fatalities.