@StephanieMoore That's a good point. This was more about understanding a piece of the CHARACTER of war, rather than its definition, but you're spot on. We spent two decades primarily engaged in helping liberated peoples rebuild their fractured societies, in Afghanistan & Iraq, but part of why the American people lost interest and withdrew us was the media focus on the COMBAT OPERATIONS that were far more the exception than the rule, to the exclusion of what was (or was not) actually reconstructing an indigenous, sustainable society.

In Iraq, democracy still stands, even WITHOUT our continued investment, because of the success of all that institution building (and the commitment of the Iraqi people). Even the war against ISIS was largely won because MY war--the #counternarrative fight debunking the #Khawarij strategic vision in traditionalist Islamic terms--with necessarily military force in a SUPPORTING role had built on those Iraqi institutions & determination TO OUT-COMPETE the #Daeshbags for the hearts & minds of the people.

It's complex--but most things in the real world outside the lab are. Defeating #fascism here at home will be as well.

Well, THIS is really gonna help the "Islamic State's" branding.... 😅 #Daeshbags #IsraelAtWarCrimes

"Last week, Abu Shabab’s family issued a statement disowning him, accusing him of collaborating with Israeli forces. 'We, like everyone else, were surprised by video footage broadcast by the resistance showing the involvement of Yasser’s groups within a dangerous security framework, reaching the point of operating within undercover units and supporting the Zionist occupation forces, who are brutally killing our people,' the statement said."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/06/netanyahu-defends-arming-palestinian-clans-accused-of-ties-with-jihadist-groups

It's important to remember (as I've noted here before) that #MAGAts are NOT a cohesive movement; they're a fractious coalition of egotistical, self-serving extremist groups--what #HillaryWarnedUs were "baskets of deplorables." And these basket(case)s often hate EACH OTHER damn near as much as they hate US and the Constitution.

A decade ago, we saw similar--though arguably LESS SEVERE fissures within ANOTHER terrorist group: ISIS (who you'll generally see me refer to as the #Daeshbags, after the Muslim habit of calling them Da'esh). We were able to STOKE AND EXPLOIT these fissures to the point where their senior leaders started LITERALLY offing each other.

Perhaps this (and the similar "LeakGate" firings in Obersturmbannführer Hegseth's Pentagon) is the less-violent fruit of a similar effort. If so, we need more of this, in sha' Allah.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/18/marco-rubio-peter-marocco-usaid-firing-00297812

Silver lining: this angry intolerance of dissent may just be what saves democracy. Because #MAGAts are NOT a unified movement; they're a loose & fractious coalition of fascists, racists, nationalists, redpills, talibangelicals, conspiracy theorists, and antigovernment nuts--many of whom hate EACH OTHER (for example, the racists & anti-immigrant nationalists *loathe* JD Vance for marrying a nonwhite daughter of immigrants) almost as much as they hate normies. And their ONLY unifying factor is #CheetoJesus.

Who's an 80-year-old fat guy with TERRIBLE health habits. God is gonna take him out of the picture soon enough, in sha' Allah, and on that happy day, THIS highly-successful intelligence analyst predicts MAGA will friggin' EAT itself, the way the #Daeshbags did when we convinced them they had a mole (which I will neither confirm nor deny...). 😅

https://mstdn.social/@DemocracyMattersALot/114111675334693656