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Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The Condemnations of Israel Are Half-Hearted
The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. The countries surrounding Iran have condemned Israel's attack today. Some statements were more florid than others, and some were more convincing. Bahrain, whose monarchy Iran has repeatedly attempted to topple, urged Israel to de-escalate. Azerbaijan, whose secular government is constantly at odds with Iran, 'resolutely' reproached Israel for its attack but gave no indication that it would cease being a resolute ally of Israel and the United States. Iraq, whose Shiite-led government in many ways owes its existence to the Iranians, vowed that it would help Iran retaliate by sending a sternly worded letter to the United Nations. Among the quicker and more vigorous denunciations was Saudi Arabia's. 'The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the blatant Israeli aggressions against the brotherly Islamic Republic of Iran,' it said, adding that the attacks were 'heinous.' Green's Dictionary of Slang notes that the word heinous, when used by American teens, has at times meant fantastic, and it is no secret that among the countries that have issued denunciations are many senior officials who would consider the destruction of Iran's nuclear program heinous and rad indeed, an extreeeeeme escalation in the Harold and Kumar sense. Almost all of the countries surrounding Iran have reasons to prefer a weak Iran and to dread a nuclear one. Diplomacy often takes the form of elaborate, staged meetings and statements whose plain meanings differ from what the country's leaders actually feel. What they actually feel is not usually difficult to discern. This lineup of eager denouncers is like the cast of a drawing-room murder mystery, where everyone is a suspect because everyone has a motive. The fact that Israel actually plunged the dagger into the deceased is incidental. Bahrain is ruled by Sunnis and has a mostly Shiite population permanently restless over its servile condition. Azerbaijan, too, is mostly Shiite, but it is proudly secular in orientation, and welcomes Iranians who come across its border to escape theocracy, get drunk, and take off their veils. Aykhan Hajizada, the spokesperson for the Azerbaijani foreign ministry, told me in Baku last year that Iran would sometimes conduct aggressive military drills across the border and complain about Azerbaijan's friendships with Iran's enemies. 'We are very open with them,' Hajizada said. 'We are building relations based on our national-security interests, and not based on the interests of the neighboring country.' A nuclear Iran would effectively end that independence. [Read: What Trump knew about the attack against Iran] But the clearest case of this duplicity (denunciation in public; You know, he kind of had it coming in private) is Saudi Arabia's. 'We don't look to Israel as an enemy,' Saudi Arabia's de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, told me in 2021. 'We look to them as a potential ally' with many common interests. By contrast, he referred to Iran as a neighbor that he 'could not get rid of,' and with whom he would realistically be forced to find a modus vivendi. In 2023, Saudi Arabia and Iran made a deal, brokered by China, that restored diplomatic relations and in theory healed the long-standing divisions between the countries. But the fundamental facts of their relationship are irreconcilable. Theirs is not a love marriage. Iran's drones and missiles are aimed at Saudi Arabia's oil fields, and the biggest threat to the kingdom is, and has been for at least three decades, the possibility that Iran would destroy or disrupt its energy industry. Saudi Arabia on its own has no way to counter or deter that threat—which is why the United States and Israel are its natural allies. Iran has additionally fomented open revolt against the Saudi monarchy. In cities in the Shiite-majority Eastern province of Saudi Arabia, where much of the oil industry is, one can still see bullet-pocked walls and collapsed buildings where Saudi security services fought and ultimately crushed an Iranian-backed revolt in 2017. None of these countries wants all-out war. And they certainly do not wish to volunteer themselves to be attacked, should Iran decide that Israel itself is too hard a target, and its allies are safer to pick on. Iran's neighbors have plenty of beef with Israel too, and have populations that would be pleased to watch the Jewish state humbled. But Israel's humiliation, if it must come, can wait. Iran has been unique among regional powers in its tendency to cultivate and arm allies abroad, and to aid those allies in their efforts in order to make trouble for incumbent autocracies, from Cairo to Baku to Sanaa. For Iran to go nuclear, and be able to dictate the terms of these relationships under the leisurely protection of an atomic umbrella, would be catastrophic for them all. Just don't expect them to say so. Article originally published at The Atlantic
Atlantic
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Atlantic
The Condemnations of Israel Are Half-Hearted
The countries surrounding Iran have condemned Israel's attack today. Some statements were more florid than others, and some were more convincing. Bahrain, whose monarchy Iran has repeatedly attempted to topple, urged Israel to de-escalate. Azerbaijan, whose secular government is constantly at odds with Iran, 'resolutely' reproached Israel for its attack but gave no indication that it would cease being a resolute ally of Israel and the United States. Iraq, whose Shiite-led government in many ways owes its existence to the Iranians, vowed that it would help Iran retaliate by sending a sternly worded letter to the United Nations. Among the quicker and more vigorous denunciations was Saudi Arabia's. 'The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the blatant Israeli aggressions against the brotherly Islamic Republic of Iran,' it said, adding that the attacks were 'heinous.' Green's Dictionary of Slang notes that the word heinous, when used by American teens, has at times meant fantastic, and it is no secret that among the countries that have issued denunciations are many senior officials who would consider the destruction of Iran's nuclear program heinous and rad indeed, an extreeeeeme escalation in the Harold and Kumar sense. Almost all of the countries surrounding Iran have reasons to prefer a weak Iran and to dread a nuclear one. Diplomacy often takes the form of elaborate, staged meetings and statements whose plain meanings differ from what the country's leaders actually feel. What they actually feel is not usually difficult to discern. This lineup of eager denouncers is like the cast of a drawing-room murder mystery, where everyone is a suspect because everyone has a motive. The fact that Israel actually plunged the dagger into the deceased is incidental. Bahrain is ruled by Sunnis and has a mostly Shiite population permanently restless over its servile condition. Azerbaijan, too, is mostly Shiite, but it is proudly secular in orientation, and welcomes Iranians who come across its border to escape theocracy, get drunk, and take off their veils. Aykhan Hajizada, the spokesperson for the Azerbaijani foreign ministry, told me in Baku last year that Iran would sometimes conduct aggressive military drills across the border and complain about Azerbaijan's friendships with Iran's enemies. 'We are very open with them,' Hajizada said. 'We are building relations based on our national-security interests, and not based on the interests of the neighboring country.' A nuclear Iran would effectively end that independence. But the clearest case of this duplicity (denunciation in public; You know, he kind of had it coming in private) is Saudi Arabia's. 'We don't look to Israel as an enemy,' Saudi Arabia's de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, told me in 2021. 'We look to them as a potential ally' with many common interests. By contrast, he referred to Iran as a neighbor that he 'could not get rid of,' and with whom he would realistically be forced to find a modus vivendi. In 2023, Saudi Arabia and Iran made a deal, brokered by China, that restored diplomatic relations and in theory healed the long-standing divisions between the countries. But the fundamental facts of their relationship are irreconcilable. Theirs is not a love marriage. Iran's drones and missiles are aimed at Saudi Arabia's oil fields, and the biggest threat to the kingdom is, and has been for at least three decades, the possibility that Iran would destroy or disrupt its energy industry. Saudi Arabia on its own has no way to counter or deter that threat—which is why the United States and Israel are its natural allies. Iran has additionally fomented open revolt against the Saudi monarchy. In cities in the Shiite-majority Eastern province of Saudi Arabia, where much of the oil industry is, one can still see bullet-pocked walls and collapsed buildings where Saudi security services fought and ultimately crushed an Iranian-backed revolt in 2017. None of these countries wants all-out war. And they certainly do not wish to volunteer themselves to be attacked, should Iran decide that Israel itself is too hard a target, and its allies are safer to pick on. Iran's neighbors have plenty of beef with Israel too, and have populations that would be pleased to watch the Jewish state humbled. But Israel's humiliation, if it must come, can wait. Iran has been unique among regional powers in its tendency to cultivate and arm allies abroad, and to aid those allies in their efforts in order to make trouble for incumbent autocracies, from Cairo to Baku to Sanaa. For Iran to go nuclear, and be able to dictate the terms of these relationships under the leisurely protection of an atomic umbrella, would be catastrophic for them all. Just don't expect them to say so.
Time of India
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
What does 8647 mean? James Comey, former FBI Director, deletes Instagram post after uproar
Donald Trump Jr, the son of President Donald Trump, alleged in a post on X that former FBI Director James Comey has called for the murder of his father, the President of the United States of America. In an Instagram post earlier in the day, which is deleted now, Comey wrote 'cool shell formation on my beach walk' under a picture of seashells that appeared to form the shapes for '86 47. ' — DonaldJTrumpJr (@DonaldJTrumpJr) Trump Jr alleged that Comey was "causally calling for my dad to be murdered." Although there is no evidence that Comey's post implied a threat, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealed that federal law enforcement is investigating a social media post made by Comey that she and other Republicans claim is a call for violence against President Donald Trump. 'Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of POTUS Trump. DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately,' Noem wrote on X. What does '86 47' mean? According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, 86 is a slang meaning 'to throw out,' 'to get rid of,' or 'to refuse service to.' It notes: 'Among the most recent senses adopted is a logical extension of the previous ones, with the meaning of 'to kill.' We do not enter this sense, due to its relative recency and sparseness of use.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning For Working Professionals. BITS Pilani WILP Apply Now Undo According to Cassell's Dictionary of Slang, '86' has carried violent connotations in some contexts since the 1970s. Meanwhile, 47 may be a reference to the 47th President of the United States. This interpretation fueled speculation that '8647' implied a threat to 'eliminate' Trump. Amid the backlash, Comey deleted the post and issued a public statement to clarify his intent. 'I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down,' he wrote on Instagram. Who is James Comey? James Brien Comey Jr. is an American lawyer who was the seventh director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2013 until his termination in May 2017. He was appointed to the role by President Barack Obama and served under President Donald Trump until his dismissal in May 2017. Comey was a registered Republican for most of his adult life, but in 2016, he stated he was unaffiliated. Early years: Born on December 14, 1960, in Yonkers, New York, Comey graduated from the College of William & Mary and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School. He began his legal career as a law clerk and later served as a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, where he gained prominence for his work on organized crime cases. In 2003, he became Deputy Attorney General under President George W. Bush. During this time, he played a key role in preventing the reauthorization of a controversial domestic surveillance program. After leaving government service, Comey held positions in the private sector, including general counsel at Lockheed Martin and Bridgewater Associates. He returned to public life in 2013 when he was appointed FBI Director. His tenure was marked by significant events, including the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server and the FBI's role in the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election. Working under the Obama administration: In 2013, former US President Barack Obama nominated Comey to serve as the seventh Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in July 2013 and officially sworn in on September 4, 2013. During his tenure, Comey emphasized the importance of maintaining the FBI's independence from political forces and interests, a stance that was highlighted during his installation ceremony. Comey's appointment was notable because he had previously served in senior positions during the George W. Bush administration, including as Deputy Attorney General. Despite his Republican affiliations at the time, President Obama praised Comey for his "unyielding integrity" and his commitment to balancing national security with civil liberties. Life after the FBI: Since his dismissal from the FBI, Comey has authored several books, including his memoir A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership, which was later adapted into a television miniseries. He has also written novels and serves as a senior fellow at the Kettering Foundation, focusing on issues related to democracy and public service. Personal life: In 1987, Comey married Patrice Failor, whom he met during college. Together, they have five children: daughters Maurene, Claire, Kate, and Abby, and a son named Brien. Tragically, their son Collin passed away in infancy in 1995. The family has also been foster parents. Comey and his wife, along with his children, reside in Virginia, where he continues to engage in writing and public discourse. BJP deletes Devendra Fadnavis' video after political uproar, Opposition speculates Shinde's fate
