went through these. not fun on families. but it's what you sign up for. if you serve in the Middle East over the last several decades, this is not abnormal. it's hard. but again, it's built in to the equation when you sign up for third world postings. it's not a question of if it is going to happen, just when, in your career. but....key is the support piece. we need to get that right. seems like there are some very serious hiccups here on communications and benefits, etc and that needs to be fixed asap.

SCOOP: The State Dept has started asking career diplomats up for promotion if they voted for Trump in 16, 20, 24. Federal law prohibits politically based hiring for career staff. State tells @washingtonsun it's screening for "fidelity" and execution of the president's vision👇

🔲 قال مصدران سياسيان عراقيان، أحدهما مقرّب من حكومة رئيس الوزراء علي الزيدي، إن تعيين ليث الخزعلي نائبا لرئيس الحكومة جاء بعد مفاوضات بشأن حصر سلاح الفصائل، وإن الزيدي سعى إلى تغيير الموقف الأميركي من التعيين بحجة أن منح المنصب لشخصية وافقت حركتها على التخلي عن السلاح قد يشجع فصائل أخرى على اتخاذ الخطوة نفسها. للمزيد من التفاصيل ⬇️ alhurra.com/47566

A U.S. official and a senior military official told CBS News @ellee_watson & @JimLaPorta that the reductions at US military bases in Mideast were being taken because of ongoing regional threats like the Houthis as well as threats from Iran directly. In addition, the US State Dept publicly ordered departure of non-emergency U.S. government employees & their family from Saudi Arabia only; @Olivia_Gazis & I are also hearing of reductions in staffing elsewhere in region.

US STATE DEPT IS PREPARING TO ISSUE AN ORDERED DEPARTURE OF SOME PERSONNEL AND FAMILY MEMBERS AT US EMBASSIES ACROSS THE GULF - US OFFICIALS

"نأكل التراب ولا نضحي بالوطن".. طهران توجه رسائل حازمة وترفض التنازل #نقاش_الساعة

“Every time we try and intervene and change the person or the regime, it seems to have been a mistake." al-monitor.com/originals/202… US Ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack said Tuesday that the US is moving away from its role as a regional security guarantor, arguing that Middle East governments must take greater responsibility for their own security and that US ground interventions have repeatedly failed.

Kataib Hezbollah says it is halting military operations. Are Iraq’s Iran-backed militias stepping back or buying time to dig in? KH secretary general, al-Hamidawi has denied agreeing to disarm and called for expanding the “resistance” arsenal. Meanwhile, smaller cells under Quds Force command could keep operating, giving established factions room to deny responsibility while consolidating their power. The pause may help secure what the militias want: a permanent parallel army with access to state resources but without effective state control. My new piece for the Atlantic Council: atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/me…

لم يكن خفض الدينار مفاجئا رئيس الوزراء العراقي يقول إنه كان أمام خيارين: رواتب موظفي الدولة أو الدينار، فاختار الرواتب كيف وصلنا إلى هذه النقطة؟ سياستان خاطئتان جعلتا العراق أكثر هشاشة، وحرب كشفت هذا الضعف 1/4 xitter.cf/IraqiGovt/status/21082…

On Lawfare Daily, @S_R_Anders sat down with Dr. Omar Mohammed, @DougSilliman, and @VictoriaT_ to discuss the recent withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Iraq, whether the current Iraqi government is up to preventing a resurgence of ISIS, and what it all might mean for the future of the two countries, 23 years after the U.S.-led invasion and occupation.

Iraq has devalued its currency by 13% today To understand why this happened, and why now, here's a short video from an Atlantic Council conference in May

Join us (virtually) on Tuesday, October 6 at 10:00 a.m. ET for a conversation with @MUNQITHDAGHER on new nationwide polling examining how Iraqis view Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government 100 days in, their top priorities, and expectations for the months ahead. Register: atlanticcouncil.org/event/ho…

Join us (virtually) on Tuesday, October 6 at 10:00 a.m. ET for a conversation with @MUNQITHDAGHER on new nationwide polling examining how Iraqis view Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government 100 days in, their top priorities, and expectations for the months ahead. Register: atlanticcouncil.org/event/ho…

The issue is that the Iraqi government cannot maintain divided and prevaricating positions forever. It called and celebrated the US troop departure as “Sovereignty Day.” To anyone with an ounce of reason, that communicated a clear message: US troops based in Iraq were an occupying force, and their departure meant Iraq was reclaiming its sovereignty. This played directly into the narrative promoted by Iran and its militias: that the US was an occupying power and that their “resistance” had ultimately forced American troops out of the country. Against that backdrop, it is hardly surprising that some believed a fitting way to celebrate sovereignty supposedly achieved through “resistance” to US occupation was to desecrate the US flag. Rhetoric matters. Baghdad cannot remain in a state of permanent obfuscation, trying to score points with both Tehran and Washington. If it wants to gain favor with Tehran, that has one set of implications. If it wants to gain favor with Washington, that has another. It cannot rhetorically validate the narrative of one side (i.e, the militias) while simultaneously disowning their actions and rhetoric.