Defense Priorities (@defpriorities) / X

Defense Priorities

13.5K posts

Defense Priorities

@defpriorities

The hub of realism and restraint in Washington.

Washington, DC

Joined February 2016

Pinned
Defense Priorities
@defpriorities
May 28
NEW in @ForeignAffairs by DEFP's @jekavanagh and @RKelanic: A narrow path to a deal still exists, but it will require U.S. concessions, on both the Strait of Hormuz and the nuclear file. Unfortunately, that is the price of a failed war that has left the United States worse off
Trump’s Least Bad Option in Iran
From foreignaffairs.com
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Defense Priorities
@defpriorities
Nov 14, 2020
.@WillRuger: “Getting out of Afghanistan is good policy.”
NYT Politics
@nytpolitics
Nov 13, 2020
President Trump is scrambling, in the waning days of his presidency, to fulfill one goal he has nurtured since the 2016 campaign: withdrawing all American troops from Afghanistan. He is aided by conservative antiwar forces. nyti.ms/3kCGWW5
Defense Priorities
@defpriorities
Jul 15, 2021
"For the United States, my hope is that our government might finally learn from its mistakes in Afghanistan and reorient our foreign policy away from constant military intervention and doomed attempts to remake far-flung societies in America's image."
Turmoil and Taliban gains in Afghanistan prove that a US victory will never be possible
From usatoday.com
Defense Priorities
@defpriorities
Dec 22, 2018
.@BH_Friedman on @IngrahamAngle: The demise of ISIS means there is nothing left worth fighting to win there.
Why have Democrats done an about face on pulling US troops out of the Middle East? | Fox News Video
From foxnews.com
Defense Priorities
@defpriorities
Feb 10, 2023
NEW DEFP livestream on Feb 23 will feature @kofmanmichael, @massdara, @rajan_menon_, and @alexbward as they discuss what the next few months of the war hold for Ukraine, Russia, and the West. Could fighting in the spring prove decisive? Register here: defp.org/ukraine
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Defense Priorities
@defpriorities
Jan 12, 2024
NEW STATEMENT: @BH_Friedman on tonight's U.S. strikes against Houthi targets: defensepriorities.org/media/releases…
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Defense Priorities
@defpriorities
Nov 25, 2024
Pursuing a negotiated settlement is not rewarding Russia, it is acknowledging the reality of an unwinnable war: Senior Fellow @DanielLDavis1 on @FoxNews
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Defense Priorities
@defpriorities
Apr 19, 2019
.@conor64 is right: @realDonaldTrump now owns the war in Yemen. His veto of a congressional effort to end U.S. involvement violates the public will and the national interest.
Trump Owns the War in Yemen Now
From theatlantic.com
Defense Priorities
@defpriorities
May 15, 2023
Washington's explanation for the war "fails to account for the well-documented—and perfectly comprehensible—objections that Russians have expressed toward NATO expansion over the past three decades." Christopher Layne on the dangers of American hubris:
Why Are We in Ukraine?, by Benjamin Schwarz, Christopher Layne
From harpers.org
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Defense Priorities
@defpriorities
Mar 23, 2022
“I think they’re probably loath to completely destroy so much critical infrastructure because their hope was that they could swoop in and have a more or less intact Ukraine," @gavinbwilde tells @JackDetsch in @ForeignPolicy.
‘The Ukrainians Are Listening’: Russia’s Military Radios Are Getting Owned
From foreignpolicy.com
Defense Priorities
@defpriorities
Jun 17, 2025
It's important to understand just how different Israeli and U.S. policy is with respect to Iran right now. Trump largely views Israel's ongoing air campaign as the epitome of coercive diplomacy, whereas Netanyahu is using the Iranian nuclear issue as a smokescreen to pummel the
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Defense Priorities
@defpriorities
Oct 23, 2020
The cost of maintaining U.S. forces in the Middle East is extraordinary, at least $65–70 billion each year, apart from the trillions spent on wars there. Nothing about the Middle East warrants such U.S. investment. Read more here: bit.ly/34VtV46
Defense Priorities
@defpriorities
Aug 22, 2021
There is one myth that should be immediately discarded: The idea that absent U.S. withdrawal, the conflict in Afghanistan was in a sustainable stalemate, writes Senior Fellow Gil Barndollar in @Diplomat_APAC.
The Myth of a Sustainable Stalemate in Afghanistan
From thediplomat.com
Defense Priorities
@defpriorities
Aug 28, 2020
Reducing the number of American troops in Iraq from 5,200 to 3,500 is a welcome start and long overdue—and should be continued until all U.S. forces are out. wsj.com/articles/u-s-t…