More from @sfrantzman

Seth Frantzman

@sfrantzman

21 Dec

Thread: People's responses to antisemitism are sometimes guided by their politics...to the point they treat antisemitism on their side of the political spectrum like it was just a bad joke at a cocktail party but "we're all in the in-crowd so it's ok, please don't say it so loud"

Basically it amounts to "please don't hate us all as a group, we're on the same political team so if you can just tone down the antisemitism next time, let me educate you about how to say it slightly differently, or just don't say it out loud next time"...

It's so predictable. Like you have openly vile antisemitism...and folk from that side will basically react: "well next time just say 'Zionists'" or "next time just don't tweet it"...like the problem is the person said it out loud...not how they think.

Read 13 tweets

Seth Frantzman

@sfrantzman

19 Dec

🧵Please not the “Turkey could help confront Russia in Ukraine”….the same fantasy narrative that claimed Turkey would confront Iran-Russia in Syria so US should give Turkey eastern Syria…and Turkey will confront Russia so its conflict with Armenia should be supported; nonsense

First of all you should never empower one vicious authoritarian regime that crushes media in order to confront some other adversary….second Ankara is buying S-400s, it is a partner of Moscow. It’s not confronting it. It has its own allies like Azerbaijan…but not NATO, US etc

the fantasy of: Ankara will confront Iran-Russia “so let’s support-ignore its crackdown” on minorities….airstrikes on Sinjar, trafficking Syrians to Libya….same old story, it always ends with having to back Ankara extremism…so “hopefully” in the future Ankara will fight 🇮🇷 🇷🇺

Read 7 tweets

Seth Frantzman

@sfrantzman

19 Dec

The propaganda about Ankara’s drones, much of which cannot be verified at all, is amazing because as far as I know, no other armed drone programs or loitering munitions out out all these supposed videos and lists of supposed success. The only way to measure is that way

For instance, ok I’m interested in any confirmed successes Ankara’s drones had, whether it is supposedly striking hundreds of armed vehicles in Syria or Armenian vehicles…but how can any of it be confirmed. It’s usually just reports of Blitzkrieg like success at face value

Other drones, like loitering munitions also used against Armenian forces are relegated to non-existent because no one bothers to quantify their use or success…it’s like a footnote (“and there were other drones”)…

Read 12 tweets

Seth Frantzman

@sfrantzman

18 Dec

Our version of Murgh Makhani at #chezfrantzman, with cashews and hot green pepper sprinkled on at end.

Process:

Sauce: Cut up 15 medium tomatoes and fry them with butter, 2 cracked cinnamon sticks, three bay leafs, 5 cardamon cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, dash of paprika

or Kashmiri chili powder. One sliced green chili without seeds. 12 cashews. Sliced ginger and chopped garlic. Cook down for 15 minutes covered. Then blend this and strain and return the liquid to the fire. Add Sliced up 10 garlic cloves and 2 inches of ginger crushed into a paste

Add this to the tomato sauce.

For the chicken marinade: Chicken breasts or chicken with bones, a whole lemon squeezed over the chicken, then salt dash, paprika or Kashmiri chili powder, place in fridge. 200-300 grams of yogurt, garlic/ginger paste, garam masala powder, salt

Read 6 tweets

Seth Frantzman

@sfrantzman

17 Dec

Although some people who oppose Ankara’s current ruling regime think that collapse of the lira is a development that shows how bad the regime is…I wonder if this has actually become regime policy now. Erode the lira, create a crises, concentrate power, get opposition to migrate

Other regimes destroyed their currency and country and cling to power, Venezuela is one example; Iran is another, and there are more. A currency crises will erode the middle class and moderates stoke extremism, accelerate concentration of economic power around regime cronies

Fascism rose from economic crisis. Ankara is one of the most far-right xenophobic, authoritarian regimes in the world so it’s path is not without consequences. Migration crisis, war and other things can occur next.

Read 7 tweets