Juwain

"Once again, I find myself caught in the conundrum of opposing an illegal war unleashed by the United States and its allies on a country whose regime I vehemently oppose. (...) The path to “Woman, Life, Freedom” does not run through the smoking ruins of Tehran. It runs through the defeat of the very powers that have spent 70 years ensuring Iran can never know peace or democracy. The people of Iran must first be liberated from the clasps of the hideous choice between the current regime and a fate worse than Iraq, Libya, and Syria combined. Our job, as Western Leftists, is to act upon our governments to stop the bombing. To end the sanctions that starve the poor and enrich the regime’s smugglers. To dismantle the propaganda machine that tells us war is peace and occupation is freedom. Then, and only then, can the Iranian people, exercising their own immense power, reclaim their future from both the theocrats and their imperial enablers." On Iran and the Left Progressives have a duty to stop the bombs https://unherd.com/2026/03/on-iran-and-the-left/

"This is the first three-way war in human history where every participant uses AI. (...) this week Iran moved from presiding over a blocked Straits of Hormuz and rocket-struck oil tankers to threatening to strike U.S. companies servicing the U.S. military, naming Google, Microsoft, Palantir, IBM, Nvidia, and Oracle as their next targets." The AI Struggle for Middle Earth in the U.-S.-Israel War on Iran https://themarkaz.org/ai-in-the-u-s-israel-war-on-iran/#

1 of 2) Make a qualitative judgment on the question of whether or not the Israeli-American war against Iran is in accordance with international law. ** (Gemini) Synthesis and Qualitative Assessment of Compliance with International Law The question of whether an Israeli-American war against Iran would comply with international law (jus ad bellum) yields a near-unanimous consensus among international legal scholars: it does not. Below is a synthetic legal analysis. Violation of the Non-Aggression Principle Article 2, paragraph 4 of the United Nations Charter prohibits any threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of a state. The large-scale strikes launched on February 28, 2026 constitute a violation of this foundational principle, as they fall outside the two recognized exceptions: ∙ Security Council Authorization: In this case, the operation bypassed the UN entirely, rendering it unlawful from the outset. ∙ Self-Defense (Article 51): To be invoked, the aggression suffered must be actual or, under strict interpretation (the Caroline criterion), “instant, overwhelming, leaving no choice of means and no moment for deliberation.” The Invalidity of “Preventive Self-Defense” The doctrine invoked by Israel and the United States — neutralizing future military capabilities (nuclear or ballistic) to forestall a potential threat months or years away — is considered unlawful. International law does not permit states to substitute themselves for the Security Council in waging wars of “strategic threat management.” The Illegality of Regime Change International law enshrines the principle of sovereignty. The use of force to overthrow the government of a sovereign state (Iran), even under the guise of humanitarian motivations or the “Responsibility to Protect” (R2P), is unlawful without an explicit UN mandate. Moreover, R2P prioritizes non-military means and diplomatic engagement — neither of which was pursued here. Qualitative Assessment From a qualitative standpoint, the offensive is regarded by many experts (including those at the Club des Juristes and Opinio Juris) as an act of aggression. The ambiguity of its objectives — alternately framed as targeting nuclear infrastructure or supporting internal Iranian protests — undermines the credibility of any preventive self-defense claim. Conclusion Assessed against established facts and legal frameworks, this war is non-compliant with international law. It represents a sharp break with the multilateral order, replacing the rule of law with a discretionary right of force. As International Crisis Group reports warn, the likely consequences include an uncontrollable regional escalation and a permanent weakening of the United Nations Charter. Sources: ∙ Analysis by Louise Arbour on Radio-Canada (24/60). ∙ United Nations Charter, Articles 2(4) and 51. ∙ Legal commentary from the Club des Juristes and Opinio Juris (March 2026). Suggestions for further research: Mary Ellen O’Connell’s work on the use of force; the ICJ’s jurisprudence on Nicaragua v. United States (1986) as a precedent on unlawful intervention; and Martti Koskenniemi’s critiques of the instrumentalization of international law by great powers.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"Iranian civil society spoke. They condemned the Islamic Republic’s mass killings as crimes. They demanded accountability, freedom, and transformational change. They called for a referendum and a constituent assembly. They rejected clerical authoritarianism. And they rejected war. Now that war has been launched—after weeks of US and Israeli officials speaking casually about “bombing” and “military buildup,” and many of the people most battered by the Islamic Republic warning that foreign military intervention would not liberate them. It would bury them. (...) inside the country, a third current has always existed. It is anti-authoritarian and anti-war at the same time. It rejects both domestic tyranny and foreign intervention. It demands self-determination through nonviolent civic struggle." The Iranian Voices America Isn’t Hearing https://www.thenation.com/article/world/iran-massacre-bom…

This expert on fascism considers the United States a fascist country. Given that Trump is elderly (79 years old), a return to democracy is still possible. https://ici.radio-canada.ca/info/videos/1-10602156/cet-ex…

Al used nuclear weapons in 95% of war game simulations, study finds "Across the study, the experiment found frontier Al models deployed tactical nuclear weapons in 95% of the simulated games, according to King's College London researcher Dr. Kenneth Payne. Safety training and RLHF [Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback] produced conditional pacifism, but deadline-driven scenarios forced models to override peaceful programming and strike when defeat was certain. Researchers recorded that in 21 games, the Als produced around 780,000 words, with 86% unintended escalations and an 18% de-escalation rate after tactical nuclear use. (...) Experts caution that the study challenges deterrence assumptions, as Al may reshape crisis perceptions and timelines despite experts agreeing no nation is likely to give autonomous systems direct nuclear control." Insights by Ground News Al Shall we play a game? - Professor Kenneth Payne, Professor of Strategy https://www.kcl.ac.uk/shall-we-play-a-game

White House officials believe ‘the politics are a lot better’ if Israel strikes Iran first . These Trump administration officials are privately arguing that an Israeli attack would trigger Iran to retaliate, helping muster support from American voters for a U.S. strike. [Carly Simon - You're So Vain] https://politi.co/4qVQxJo via @politico

Authoritarian and far-right power doesn’t grow in isolation. It is organised — across finance, ideology, institutions and transnational alliances. This new infographic series, developed with Reactionary International, traces how these networks connect and consolidate influence worldwide. https://www.tni.org/en/mapping-fascism

"Trump hasn’t sought the approval of either Congress or the United Nations to attack Iran. He hasn’t even had the duplicitous courtesy to conduct the kind of elaborate propaganda campaign that Bush carried out in 2002 and 2003 to manufacture consent for an invasion. Clearly, Trump thinks that his personal desire for war is the only justification he needs. Even more than in 2003, the administration is offering both conflicting pretexts and unclear goals for war." Trump’s Iran War Could Be an Even Bigger Catastrophe Than Iraq https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trump-iran-war…

Susan George – acclaimed political scientist and TNI’s honorary president – has passed away at the age of 91 Obituary https://www.tni.org/en/article/susan-george-obituary

Homeland Security Wants Social Media Sites to Expose Anti-ICE Accounts https://nyti.ms/4rRzZmN

Robert Duvall, 'Tender Mercies' Oscar winner, dies at 95 https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/robert-duv…

"One of the promises of AI is that it can reduce workloads so employees can focus more on higher-value and more engaging tasks. But according to new research, AI tools don’t reduce work, they consistently intensify it: In the study, employees worked at a faster pace, took on a broader scope of tasks, and extended work into more hours of the day, often without being asked to do so. That may sound like a win, but it’s not quite so simple. These changes can be unsustainable, leading to workload creep, cognitive fatigue, burnout, and weakened decision-making. The productivity surge enjoyed at the beginning can give way to lower quality work, turnover, and other problems. To correct for this, companies need to adopt an “AI practice,” or a set of norms and standards around AI use that can include intentional pauses, sequencing work, and adding more human grounding." https://hbr.org/2026/02/ai-doesnt-reduce-work-it-intensif…

"WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted Wednesday to slap back President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, a rare if largely symbolic rebuke of the White House agenda as Republicans joined Democrats over the objections of GOP leadership. The tally, 219-211, was among the first times the House, controlled by Republicans, has confronted the president over a signature policy. The resolution seeks to end the national emergency Trump declared to impose the tariffs, though actually undoing the policy would require support from Trump himself, which is highly unlikely. The resolution next goes to the Senate." U.S. House votes to slap back Trump’s tariffs on Canada in rare bipartisan rebuke of White House agenda https://www.thestar.com/news/world/united-states/u-s-hous…