Benjy Sarlin

World leaders are almost never killed in war. Why did it happen to Iran’s supreme leader? The killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could usher in a new age of assassination.

The killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could usher in a new age of assassination. www.vox.com/politics/481...

World leaders are almost never killed in war. Why did it happen to Iran’s supreme leader? The killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could usher in a new age of assassination.

Iran's Khamenei was the first recognized head of state killed by a foreign power in decades.

@joshuakeating.bsky.social digs into why these killings have become so rare, whether it was legal, and if it's an omen of more assassinations to come.

www.vox.com/politics/481...

Donald Trump says US and Israeli strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader. He was the biggest target in a “decapitation” mission.

The theory is familiar: take out the leadership, avoid a ground war, force change from the air. But history says it rarely works. www.vox.com/politics/481...

Khamenei is dead. Regime change will be much harder. The US can’t just bomb its way to a new government.

When presidents order airstrikes aimed at debilitating an enemy’s leadership, the logic feels compelling: Strike senior figures. Shock the system. Avoid a costly ground invasion.

It is a recurring promise of modern warfare. But history suggests it's far more complicated.

What does “America First” even mean anymore? Trump’s foreign policy has come full circle.

My latest for @vox.com on a Mideast regime change war with Trumpian characteristics

www.vox.com/politics/481...

What does “America First” even mean anymore? Trump’s foreign policy has come full circle.

Trump's foreign policy has come full circle. www.vox.com/politics/481...

Analysis: Making Sense of Donald Trump's Disjointed Foreign Policy Pitch What would Donald Trump do to fix the Middle East? It’s not an easy question to answer.Trump sought to clarify his worldview with a prepared speech in

I wrote in 2016 that Trump’s Mideast policy was incomprehensible because he’d already lied and flip flopped about so many positions, and there was no consistent throughline.

Many tried to convince themselves otherwise to co-opt him for factional fights. www.nbcnews.com/politics/201...

Why did the US strike Iran? And four other questions about the latest conflict in the Middle East, answered.

Why did the US strike Iran?

@joshuakeating.bsky.social answers some of your biggest questions about the conflict.

The nuclear nightmare at the heart of the Trump-Anthropic fight Should we trust Claude to stop a  missile attack?

The nuclear nightmare at the heart of the Trump-Anthropic fight
My latest for @vox.com www.vox.com/politics/480...

A major shift, via Gallup. More from @joshuakeating.bsky.social www.vox.com/politics/480...

Does the US have enough aircraft carriers for all Trump’s wars? Want to threaten Iran? You’re going to need a bigger boat.

Want to threaten Iran? You're going to need a bigger boat. www.vox.com/politics/480...

Does the US have enough aircraft carriers for all Trump’s wars? Want to threaten Iran? You’re going to need a bigger boat.

Aircraft carriers can't keep up with World War Trump.

Ships still stuck near Venezuela likely influenced decision NOT to strike Iran in Jan.

Now that they're in place, high cost of leaving them there could push him TO strike.

More from @joshuakeating.bsky.social
www.vox.com/politics/480...

ICE is bringing back pandemic-style lockdowns In immigrant communities, it feels like 2020 all over again.

I wrote about how ICE is forcing families into lockdown, in a painful echo of the pandemic

ICE is bringing back pandemic-style lockdowns In immigrant communities, it feels like 2020 all over again.

Sheltering in place, missed school, families skipping doctor visits, neighbors delivering supplies to the vulnerable — “It’s impossible not to compare this to the pandemic" www.vox.com/policy/47966...

The Supreme Court just blew up Trump’s foreign policy How will Trump get countries to do what he wants without tariffs?

Will Trump be able to reimpose some tariffs, at least for awhile? Probably, yeah.

But the age of credibly threatening to slap giant tariffs on allies over Greenland, or for prosecuting a corrupt Trump ally, is probably over, @joshuakeating.bsky.social writes www.vox.com/politics/479...

Trump’s dream is a giant slush fund Congress can’t touch From Venezuelan oil to the Board of Peace, Trump is constantly looking for new sources of cash he can control.

From Venezuelan oil to the Board of Peace, Trump is constantly looking for new sources of cash he can control. www.vox.com/politics/479...

It really looks like we’re about to bomb Iran again Don’t expect a war to end as quickly this time.

Don't expect a war to end as quickly this time. www.vox.com/politics/479...

*rubs temples*

As I've spent the better part of the day explaining why I don't think Newsom should be the Democratic nominee for president, it pains me to "defend" this, but...

The governor of California is legally obligated to proclaim each Feb 6 Reagan Day per a 2010 state law.

Trump’s biggest war is one he almost never talks about Why did the US bomb Somalia more than 100 times last year?

Why did the US bomb Somalia more than 100 times last year? www.vox.com/politics/478...

Is the war on terror on auto-pilot? Trump has bombed Somalia more than any other country, across two terms. He barely ever mentions it and it’s unclear how much he’s even involved. www.vox.com/politics/478...

Talk to your kids about ICE “This is not just an issue for immigrant families,” one expert said. “It’s an issue for all families.”

“This is not just an issue for immigrant families,” one expert said. “It's an issue for all families.” www.vox.com/life/478770/...

What we know about the mysterious closure and reopening of the El Paso airport The US shut down a major city’s airport, and nobody is quite sure why.

If you saw the bizarre El Paso airport closure overnight, then saw it was lifted and moved on — it's a lot more insane than that and we still don't really know why it happened www.vox.com/politics/478...

The Epstein files might bring down a government. Just not the US government. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is hanging by a thread.

How Britain ended up the new Epstein's Island, via @joshuakeating.bsky.social www.vox.com/politics/478...

Thanks!

Continue to think this @benjysarlin.bsky.social piece is not just insightful about what Trump's GOP rivals should have (and didn't) do, but about the failure mode of so much modern political communication more broadly.

Bad Bunny is taking over the US. Does he want Puerto Rico to leave it? The Super Bowl performer’s ties to a nascent independence movement are roiling Puerto Rican politics.

Light blue independence flag, Ricky Martin singing an anti-statehood banger — Bad Bunny’s halftime show highlighted his ties to Puerto Rico’s independence movement www.vox.com/politics/478...

Haitians in America worry they’re Trump’s next target The president falsely accused Haitians in Ohio of eating pets. Now he’s trying to deport them.

The president falsely accused Haitians in Ohio of eating pets. Now he’s trying to deport them. www.vox.com/politics/478...

Bad Bunny is taking over the US. Does he want Puerto Rico to leave it? The Super Bowl performer’s ties to a nascent independence movement are roiling Puerto Rican politics.

Bad Bunny's taking over the US. Does he want Puerto Rico to leave it?

Great dive into the singer's ties to the newly-relevant Puerto Rico independence movement, and how his life, music, and activism embodies a generational shift there

www.vox.com/politics/478...

YouTube video by Washington Post 'Democracy Dies in Darkness': Super Bowl commercial (2019)

Seven years ago yesterday, this ad ran during the Super Bowl.