Dire Strait

Posted on by under War with Iran

Consider one of the antinomies, or self-contradictions, of international relations.

For decades now, the conventional wisdom in international relations has held that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz was a low probability event, and that if it happened, it could very likely be dealt with by the U.S. Navy. For documentation and a literature review, see Caitlin Talmadge’s paper, “Closing Time: Assessing the Iranian Threat to the Strait of Hormuz,” International Security, vol. 33:1 (Summer 2008), pp. 82-117. Continue reading →

No Kings and the Anti-War Movement

Posted on by under activism, migrant defense, Neutrality and Complicity, Notes on the Anti-War Movement, Palestine, Trump 2, War with Iran

We’re about a month into the Iran War at this point. The war is, as predicted, a disaster getting worse by the day. As I’ve argued here before, we desperately need a large-scale anti-war movement, but the movement is, alas, in a low-energy state right now. Not that it’s entirely dead: there are direct actions taking place, some very brave ones, along with some ordinary demonstrations. And there’s no shortage of astute commentary out there as well.

But the movement has a problem in need of solution, and while No Kings seems at first to provide the solution, that appearance quickly evaporates on contact with it. The anti-war movement has a clear goal, ending the war, but lacks the means or numbers to accomplish it. No Kings has the numbers, but seems uninterested in ending the war (or any war), and uninterested even in broaching the topic. So it’s worth discussing the relationship, or anti-relationship, between these things. Continue reading →

Stop the War

Posted on by under activism, Fatwas, Neutrality and Complicity, Notes on the Anti-War Movement, Trump 2, War with Iran

It’s becoming increasingly apparent that the Trump Administration is contemplating some sort of ground-based military action against Iran, presumably to free the Strait of Hormuz for navigation, or more precisely, to wrest control of the Strait from Iran. I can’t stress enough the need to oppose this action, as loudly and vehemently as possible. In an earlier post, I suggested that we’re going to need a bigger anti-war movement. I’m willing to amend that: for now, we just need an anti-war movement, (almost) any anti-war movement, except that it has to make its appearance sooner rather than later. The No Kings movement, which tends to have good resources and organizational capacities, is organizing rallies this weekend, starting Friday evening. My advice? Go.  Continue reading →

Expel ROTC Now

Posted on by under activism, cancel culture, Fatwas, moralism, Neutrality and Complicity, Notes on the Anti-War Movement, Palestine, War with Iran

Statement at Firestone Plaza
Princeton University
March 18, 2026

Hi, my name is Irfan Khawaja; I’m an alum of the Class of 1991. I’m affiliated with Princeton Alumni for Palestine, the alumni wing of the Princeton Palestine movement, but I’m speaking here for myself.

Like many of you, I have friends and family “over there,” in Jerusalem, the West Bank, Beirut, and the Gulf. Every morning now, I enact the same macabre ritual of looking at my phone to discover who’s been arrested, who’s been shot, who’s been bombed, who’s dead. And it’s not an idle question. At last count, Ahmad had been shot, Amer had been abducted and left for dead in the desert, Maha is likely not answering my calls because she’s been bombed or displaced from Beirut, and Naeem says he’s OK but is likely being deliberately insouciant about what’s going on. Continue reading →

The Iranian Sleeper Cells Are Here

Posted on by under Big Data, EVS Journal, migrant defense, War with Iran

If I wrote here that the Iranians had scored a major tactical hit on American soil, I doubt that 1 in 100 people would believe me. But in fact they have. The tactical hit is the hack, on March 11, of Stryker, the medical device company (not to be confused with Stryker the eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicle designed by General Dynamics). Continue reading →

The Power and the Glory

Posted on by under MTSP Discussion: Philip Pettit's Republicanism, Palestine, War with Iran

Imagine a society in the grips of civil war. On one side stand the partisans of theocracy; on the other, the partisans of secularism. As they fight over their country, a larger imperial power decides to invade, citing as justification the apparent approval of (a faction of) the secular side, along with the inherent evils of theocracy. Taking advantage of the smaller country’s internal division and weakness, the imperial power then tears the country to pieces that neither side will ever be able to govern. Besieging, starving, and massacring the people it claims to be liberating, the imperialists eventually conquer the place, lording it over the defeated population. They then spend the next several centuries singing their own praises–until they, too, are defeated by a rival power and swept away. Continue reading →

We’re Going to Need a Bigger Anti-War Movement

Posted on by under activism, Neutrality and Complicity, Notes on the Anti-War Movement, Palestine, War with Iran

The US-Israeli war on Iran is two weeks old, and getting worse every day. So far, the anti-war movement’s response has been salutary, but muted. A lot of astute commentators deserve credit for saying a lot of the right things, but as far as visible public outcry is concerned, we’ve fallen short. 

I split my time between Princeton and West Orange, New Jersey. We had a smallish anti-war rally in Princeton on the first day of the war, sponsored by the local Coalition for Peace Action and Indivisible; 180 people showed up in Hinds Plaza, and we got some modest but positive local news coverage across the following week. There was a small follow-up rally a few days later at Princeton’s War Memorial, and then some canvassing with Adam Hamaway, a local anti-war candidate for Congress. A vigil and a demonstration are scheduled for next week at the University, organized by some of the student groups there. A respectable but hardly overwhelming display. Continue reading →

First World Problems

Posted on by under Neutrality and Complicity, Notes on the Anti-War Movement, slices of life, War with Iran

I’m in a car, late as usual but on my way to work. The driver has 94.5 WPST-FM on, and the “morning crew” is inviting call-in comments on their deep discussion topic du jour: how long should you wait to complain at a restaurant before you regard your “server” as late in bringing your order? “Fifteen minutes.” “Twenty minutes.” One guy says he avoids the problem by telling everyone he’s in a hurry, whether or not he is. Ha ha! Funny! Happy Friday, everyone!

Continue reading →

Defeat Will Do

Posted on by under Ukraine, War with Iran

Twelve days into the war with Iran, The New York Times is gradually coming to acknowledge that the war has not been a one-way affair. For twelve days, the Times has covered the war as though the US and Israel have had free rein to attack Iran, but as though Iran itself had been a passive recipient of the shock and awe campaign inflicted on it. Now all of a sudden, we get four major articles within 24 hours telling us otherwise:

Better late than never, but still pretty late to be telling your audience that the other side had not only managed to retaliate over the last two weeks, but had inflicted a fair bit of unexpected damage, and promises more. Continue reading →