Michael Weiss

We cannot do a deal with this man, particularly about the Kurdish issue, which is the principal overriding Turkish national security concern. And HTS, which has been in this sort of garrison enclave in Idlib for eight years, building its own statelet with Turkish largesse and under a Turkish garrison rule, has been champing at the bit to do an offensive. They let him out.

We cannot do a deal with this man, particularly about the Kurdish issue, which is the principal overriding Turkish national security concern. And HTS, which has been in this sort of garrison enclave in Idlib for eight years, building its own statelet with Turkish largesse and under a Turkish garrison rule, has been champing at the bit to do an offensive. They let him out.

We cannot do a deal with this man, particularly about the Kurdish issue, which is the principal overriding Turkish national security concern. And HTS, which has been in this sort of garrison enclave in Idlib for eight years, building its own statelet with Turkish largesse and under a Turkish garrison rule, has been champing at the bit to do an offensive. They let him out.

And the offensive was a catastrophic success, blew everybody's mind, not least of all the Turks. They didn't expect it to lead to regime change, but that's what happened. So, you know, the mantra of the anti-neocons and the sort of realists forever was there is no military solution to Syria, only a diplomatic one. Well, no, it turns out there was a military solution to Syria.

And the offensive was a catastrophic success, blew everybody's mind, not least of all the Turks. They didn't expect it to lead to regime change, but that's what happened. So, you know, the mantra of the anti-neocons and the sort of realists forever was there is no military solution to Syria, only a diplomatic one. Well, no, it turns out there was a military solution to Syria.

And the offensive was a catastrophic success, blew everybody's mind, not least of all the Turks. They didn't expect it to lead to regime change, but that's what happened. So, you know, the mantra of the anti-neocons and the sort of realists forever was there is no military solution to Syria, only a diplomatic one. Well, no, it turns out there was a military solution to Syria.

And although the Turks didn't intervene directly, they certainly intervened indirectly, as Donald Trump himself was joking when he was sat next to Netanyahu in the Oval Office several weeks ago. So you kind of have the United States now certifying what looks to be a pretty hawkish interventionist policy in one country in the Middle East by recognizing al-Shara, lifting sanctions.

And although the Turks didn't intervene directly, they certainly intervened indirectly, as Donald Trump himself was joking when he was sat next to Netanyahu in the Oval Office several weeks ago. So you kind of have the United States now certifying what looks to be a pretty hawkish interventionist policy in one country in the Middle East by recognizing al-Shara, lifting sanctions.

And although the Turks didn't intervene directly, they certainly intervened indirectly, as Donald Trump himself was joking when he was sat next to Netanyahu in the Oval Office several weeks ago. So you kind of have the United States now certifying what looks to be a pretty hawkish interventionist policy in one country in the Middle East by recognizing al-Shara, lifting sanctions.

So I'm a little bit confused how people seem to come up with a coherent or sensible worldview here. I mean, there's a little from column A, a little from column B. But again, we come back to the core issue, which is this is a man who is incredibly impressionable. Somebody has a line that I quite like. He's like a seat cushion. He bears the impression of the last ass to sit on him, right?

So I'm a little bit confused how people seem to come up with a coherent or sensible worldview here. I mean, there's a little from column A, a little from column B. But again, we come back to the core issue, which is this is a man who is incredibly impressionable. Somebody has a line that I quite like. He's like a seat cushion. He bears the impression of the last ass to sit on him, right?

So I'm a little bit confused how people seem to come up with a coherent or sensible worldview here. I mean, there's a little from column A, a little from column B. But again, we come back to the core issue, which is this is a man who is incredibly impressionable. Somebody has a line that I quite like. He's like a seat cushion. He bears the impression of the last ass to sit on him, right?

Incredibly impressionable and just eminently bribable. It's not what's in it for my country. It's what's in it for me. Ooh, you want to give me a plane? Awesome. Who's going to give him a mega yacht next, right? You're going to build my casinos and my hotels in your countries? Amazing. That's how he does business. And I think I don't fault...

Incredibly impressionable and just eminently bribable. It's not what's in it for my country. It's what's in it for me. Ooh, you want to give me a plane? Awesome. Who's going to give him a mega yacht next, right? You're going to build my casinos and my hotels in your countries? Amazing. That's how he does business. And I think I don't fault...

Incredibly impressionable and just eminently bribable. It's not what's in it for my country. It's what's in it for me. Ooh, you want to give me a plane? Awesome. Who's going to give him a mega yacht next, right? You're going to build my casinos and my hotels in your countries? Amazing. That's how he does business. And I think I don't fault...

these Gulf kleptocracies and autocracies from just figuring this out. I mean, they have their own interests to pursue and to prosecute and, you know, good on them, I suppose. But yeah, it's a terrible state to be in in this country when, I mean, you know, all of the crimes, all of the corruption, it's not hidden.

these Gulf kleptocracies and autocracies from just figuring this out. I mean, they have their own interests to pursue and to prosecute and, you know, good on them, I suppose. But yeah, it's a terrible state to be in in this country when, I mean, you know, all of the crimes, all of the corruption, it's not hidden.

these Gulf kleptocracies and autocracies from just figuring this out. I mean, they have their own interests to pursue and to prosecute and, you know, good on them, I suppose. But yeah, it's a terrible state to be in in this country when, I mean, you know, all of the crimes, all of the corruption, it's not hidden.

It's not the kind of thing that the Washington Post has to spend two years investigating. It's happening, you know, under the Klieg lights. It's happening on 24-hour cable news networks in plain sight. And we're all kind of like, oh, okay, I guess it's the new status quo.

It's not the kind of thing that the Washington Post has to spend two years investigating. It's happening, you know, under the Klieg lights. It's happening on 24-hour cable news networks in plain sight. And we're all kind of like, oh, okay, I guess it's the new status quo.