I find myself far less interested in "debate" than I was in, say, 2015 (or even 2019). I feel we've been "debating" for decades and it's done jack shit, it's just provided an excuse to keep very terrible, dehumanizing ideas in circulation because *we* accept them as "debatable".
A few years ago I'd engage and "try to explain". Now I really don't have the patience and don't see the point. I simply do not trust that they're making a good-faith, honest argument, and I do not think that, deep down, they see me & my people as full human beings.
You can argue what this means for democracy, you can regret what this means for the public sphere. But to me this isn't about debate or the public sphere; it's about how every single institutions out there is broken, and how a large section of us feel dehumanized and assaulted.
What we've had is endless "debate" for years & decades without anything getting easier, anything changing, any "reform" taking place. Instead, the "system" got even more vicious in its dehumanization of us. It only got better at ignoring our voices and our humanity.
Note, I do not say any of this with any sort of satisfaction, only regret. I know how dangerous it is when people give up on debate. But I also don't think we can get anywhere when we don't share the same shared reality in terms of facts and basic foundational values.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
Yesterday was my father's birthday. He's wasting away, more in mind than in body. Born in Jaffa shortly before the Nakba, raised in Egypt by a family of refugees, then a 40-year career in the UAE ended with expulsion.
Now, a refugee in Canada, biding his time, unable to speak when he's awake, but talking to me in his sleep every single night. Separated from each other for years by borders and travel documents, we're officially stateless. But very, very Palestinian.
Who else wants to educate me on what Zionism means in real life? Because this is what it means to us. Five generations of statelessness, alienation, dispossession, and separation. Five generations of unrelenting pain. Are we not human?
Everything about Putin being a master grand strategist is rather exaggerated. I mean, he's no idiot for sure, but he's no genius either. The "strategic encirclement" of Russia is real, but it's as much a result of his action as it is of Western action.
Putin has had immense political influence over Russia since 1999/2000. That's over 20 years. During these 20 years, he had a choice to either keep Russia a kleptocracy under his control, or develop it into a real power in economy, tech, and soft power. He chose kleptocracy.
The fact that we're staring at war is as much a failure of Putin as it is for anyone else. Real powers get what they want without going to war, because everyone fears (or respects) them. Lions don't need to roar. After 20 years in power, this is the best Putin can do for Russia?
Looking at the recent attack on Abu Dhabi airport as "Houthis vs UAE" is extremely short sighted. If you want to see it as the IRGC sees it, zoom out and look at the wider map. The IRGC are making it clear that the UAE will not be safe in case of military escalation.
Zooming out:
- The IRGC will never abandon its strategic breakthroughs/assets in Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon
- Every time the Houthis send missiles beyond Yemen's borders, it's in coordination (and/or upon orders) of the IRGC
- The UAE is a very fragile country and cannot survive a military conflict that threatens its shiny towers
- The UAE has pursued an aggressive foreign policy + has joined an undeclared military/strategic alliance with Israel
- The UAE has a million citizens, Iran has 82 million
NSO malware was used by Israeli police against *Israelis*, including mayors, leaders of political protests against former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and former governmental employees
The hacking was done without court order, and it's not clear the extent of the data taken or what it's being used for, since it didn't happen under court supervision. m.calcalistech.com/Article.aspx?g…
Some of the targets weren't even suspects. "The order to conduct the surveillance on citizens that aren’t criminals or suspects ... was given by high-ranking police officers without a court warrant or the supervision of a judge".
Glad to announce that the Arab Tyrant Manual podcast, which was on hiatus since 2019, is back! We'll be dropping an episode every other Friday. Our first two episodes talk about what changed since we were last publishing
Also, excited (and nervous) about announcing that our podcast will also be available on video, on Youtube, so you can either watch or listen (or both). More videos coming, so please subscribe to our channel!
We're planning a busy 2022 - including a new, shorter format, weekly podcast which will debut in a few days. We'd appreciate your feedback - please help us grow and improve. And please comment, share, and watch/listen. And retweet!