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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I question that people want media that reflects their views perfectly. What I think many people want is media that they can criticize for its not reflecting those views in sometimes annoying ways because that criticism can generate enjoyment itself.

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Alexis Coe @alexiscoe.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Peter Bergen on his much-lauded All the Presidents’ Wars: twenty-five years of war and ever-expanding presidential power. alexiscoe.substack.com/p/all-the-pr...

alexiscoe.substack.com

All the Presidents’ Wars

A conversation with Peter Bergen about twenty-five years of war, the powers presidents claimed, and what it cost.

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Join Peter Bergen for a discussion of “All The Presidents’ Wars” at any of these upcoming book events.

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Following our query AFRICOM has clarified that it was a single strike and updated their press release.

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The U.S. announced airstrikes on 9/24 near Qumbi, Somalia. Initial press release didn’t specify number. We have a query out on that. Of 6 declared strikes this month, 3 have been in vicinity of Qumbi by our tally. Still no declared strikes vs ISIS since May. www.newamerica.org/insights/ame...

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Join Peter Bergen for a discussion of “All The Presidents’ Wars” at any of these upcoming book events.

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New America @newamerica.org · 15/09/2026

Future Security Forum | @senpeterwelch.govpeeps.us (D-VT) shares his thoughts during the panel "Endless War? A View from Congress". ⏯️ Tune in virtually: go.newamerica.org/future-security-f…

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Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

If only a US senator had agency and the ability to vote in a legislative body on this matter.

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

A lot of the analysis here seems right to me. But what is with this framing/title? It’s hard, so let’s not ask the question? What nonsense. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The ease with which apologists make broad statements about who opposes Piker and why is really unethical. They don’t name specific folks, they don’t address contrasting cases, and it’s just self-excusal and a refusal to actually listen. Being a shill for a shock jock is certainly a look.

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

I’m a skeptic of some of the representation of threats in Africa and some of the responses. But if correct, this seems like a worrisome sign of the impact of the admin’s view that legacy jihadists are some kind of minor threat behind drug traffickers. taskandpurpose.com/news/reaper-...

taskandpurpose.com

US shifts Reaper drones from Africa to Latin America

The airpower is being moved as the U.S. ramps up anti-drug cartel operations with partner nations in the region.

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Video for all Future Security Forum 2026 sessions here, examining the lessons of 25 years of the war on terror. The debates in here are detailed, the speakers leading experts and practitioners in the field, and the issues covered wide ranging. youtube.com/playlist?lis...

youtube.com

Future Security Forum 2026 - YouTube

On September 15, 2026, Arizona State University and New America hosted the 12th Annual Future Security Forum: 25 Years After September 11, Lessons From Ameri...

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

The idea that the entry level for justifying concern and coverage is paid staff or being the candidate themself and not say having a significant media presence and having physically and actively campaigned with a candidate is such blatant special pleading. It’s embarrassing when folks do this.

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John Sipher @johnsipher.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

“A major theme of Bergen’s book is the repeated failure of American leaders to plan for “the day after” a military action is taken, but in Iran, he makes clear, Trump didn’t even plan for “the day of.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/05/b...

nytimes.com

Why the War on Terror Is Still Haunting Us

In “All the Presidents’ Wars,” the journalist Peter Bergen traces the many missteps of U.S. military action in the Middle East.

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Nicholas Slayton @nslayton.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

US military killed four more people today in a boat in the Caribbean, SOUTHCOM said this past hour. Military said intelligence confirmed they were involved in narcotics trafficking, did not share any of that intelligence/evidence. 1st strike since Sept. 9. x.com/Southcom/sta...

US Southern command post on X that says: On September 19, under the direction of U.S. Southern Command, Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere executed a lethal, kinetic strike on a go-fast vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean. Confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel's active involvement in narco-trafficking. The operation killed four narco-terrorists.

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

youtube.com

Future Security Forum 2026 - YouTube

On September 15, 2026, Arizona State University and New America hosted the 12th Annual Future Security Forum: 25 Years After September 11, Lessons From Ameri...

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

At this year’s Future Security Forum I spoke about the past 25 years of drone warfare from the early U.S. campaigns to today’s use by non-state actors and how they’re closely interconnected. youtu.be/WxBEyC91ISI?...

youtu.be

Pop-Up | 25 Years of Drone Warfare (Future Security Forum 2026)

YouTube video by New America

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Jim Goldgeier @jimgoldgeier.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Someone should ask one of the drafters of the 1992 HW Bush administration defense planning guidance that sought to prevent regional hegemons from arising how they feel about a president who pursues policies feeding Russian, Chinese, and Iranian dreams of regional hegemony.

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

youtu.be

Pop-Up | 25 Years of Drone Warfare (Future Security Forum 2026)

YouTube video by New America

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

AFRICOM announced a U.S. strike against Al Shabaab in northern Somalia. These have been relatively rare (and interesting given lull in strikes on ISIS in north). Last year a strike of this kind raised significant qs about whether its target was a civilian. www.newamerica.org/insights/ame...

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Tess Bridgeman @tessbridgeman.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

1/ @rgoodlaw.bsky.social & I are honored to announce that veteran, multi-award winning reporter @carolrosenbergfeed.bsky.social will be publishing Dispatches from Guantanamo with us at @justsecurity.org –regular updates as the capital trials in the military commissions get underway. #GTMODispatches

justsecurity.org

Guantánamo Dispatch: The USS Cole Case Edges Toward Trial

Carol Rosenberg reports from Guantánamo Bay on the upcoming pre-trial hearing in the USS Cole bombing case.

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

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Adam Weinstein @adamweinstein.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Some interesting archival footage from the Kennedy Center's 1971 dedication in this @chrislhayes.bsky.social segment. Wild to hear what Rose Kennedy, Leonard Bernstein and *the Nixon administration* said at the time... & compare to what a certain president says about it now youtu.be/jpQBDVTHnfg?...

youtu.be

‘Not so different from desecrating a grave’: Hayes on Trump’s threats to demolish the Kennedy Center

YouTube video by MS NOW

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Two weeks ago. Turns out gets that opportunity and well…

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Omar Wasow @owasow.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

“We will revoke citizenship for anyone who defames IDF soldiers around the world—he will be deeply hurt in his pocket,” said Netanyahu.

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Defending Piker’s remarks by citing the Brown Cost of War project’s indirect deaths data is a sign of severe lack of credibility.

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Wesley Morgan @wesleymorgan.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

…has the US military killing between 400 and 1,000 Iraqi civilians in 2006 (600 of them killed in firefights where it’s not always clear which side killed them) and between 700 and 2,000 in 2007 (with the same caveat applying to 1,300 of them who were killed in firefights).

iraqbodycount.org

Civilian deaths from violence in 2007 :: Iraq Body Count

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Wesley Morgan @wesleymorgan.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Al-Qaida and its allies killed 8,000+ Iraqis in 2005, 13,000+ in 2006, 13,000+ in 2007, 5,000+ in 2008, etc. You can blame the US for these deaths in that they would not have happened had the US not invaded Iraq, but you can’t *not* blame the direct perpetrators. By contrast, Iraq Body Count…

axios.com

Hasan Piker on "The Axios Show": America worse than al-Qaeda "pound for pound"

The Twitch streamer is central to GOP attacks on Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan Senate race.

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Slight delay on getting the data updated due to overlap with our conference but our Somalia tracking now has the latest AFRICOM declared strike in Somalia. Also Trump is closing in on conducting as may or more strikes over two years as in his whole first term. www.newamerica.org/insights/ame...

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Feels like maybe some apologia for the deserved comment needs revisiting now. Not that it wasn’t already goofy then.

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Taking bets that Piker’s latest horrid comment is partly informed by misreading of death toll data for the war on terror that includes AQ and other’s direct violence.

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Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology @cmist-cmu.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

CMIST Director Audrey Kurth Cronin joined @newamerica.org's Future Security Forum alongside Gina Bennett, David Kilcullen, & Col. Ioannis Koskinas. Moderated by Peter Singer, they've examined key lessons from the past 25 years of warfare & their implications for the future of global strategy.

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Amy J. Nelson @amyjnelsonphd.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

It’s publication day for the Arms Control Paradox AND @newamerica.org’s Future Security Forum! Thrilled to have this out in the world. This has been a long time coming, years of work on a book about some of the world’s most dangerous weapons and what that history sayscan be done now.

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

So many commentators: so the GOP never gets criticized for its staffers DAYS LATER So the awesome strategy is to just insist campaign figures aren’t the real issue loudly and dismissively. The only real issue is stated policy not personnel MONTHS AGO No why would a Totenkopf be disqualifying.

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Joe Stieb @joestieb.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Bro you made this problem for yourself

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Love to see this call for a return to releasing battle damage assessments in WOTR re Somalia. I’ve been arguing for ages that this is important and we saw some advances that were lost as a matter of policy in early/mid 2025. warontherocks.com/the-assessme...

warontherocks.com

The Assessment Gap in U.S. Counter-Terrorism Strikes

For eight years I helped decide whether American counter-terrorism money was working. As a programs advisor in the State Department’s Bureau of

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Mike Walker @newnarrative.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Before Iran carried out its attack that killed three U.S. troops in July, Tehran acquired high-resolution satellite images of the base in Jordan from Chinese entities www.wsj.com/world/u-s-li...

wsj.com

Exclusive | U.S. Links Chinese Satellite Imagery to Iranian Strike That Killed Three Troops

The finding deepens U.S.-China tensions ahead of the Trump-Xi summit as officials examine possible Chinese help tracking American warships.

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

One reason people are quick to accept the provoke endless wars of exhaustion myth is they find it hard to see how one could reasonably think the U.S. might not retaliate in a major way. But OBL saw Lebanon, Somalia, limited retaliation for the 98 bombings, and none for the Cole.

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

What’s from Iraq and what from Yemen seems to be a recurrent issue.

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Didn’t see much released in the new PDB collection but fascinating to read the primary materials in a row for that period.

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

In transit home from the Soufan Center conference so you’ll have to wait for the data update. But AFRICOM announced another strike vs Shabaab (occurred on 9/8). Still no declared strikes vs ISIS in Somalia for 4+ months. But if lull was broken is disputed. www.africom.mil/pressrelease...

africom.mil

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Bin Laden: - Shabaab don’t say you’re AQ, it will attract attention you’d struggle with. - AQAP don’t fight the Yemen gov, you’ll lose. - Zarqawi cut it out. - America is a “paper tiger” - hit the far enemy not the near Commentators: he clearly wanted to provoke endless wars in the Middle East

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Tom Joscelyn @tomjoscelyn.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

The CIA released presidential daily briefings from the years leading up to 9/11. I applaud all transparency. But some parts are redacted and you have to wonder why. For example, this bit appears to refer to other countries where senior al Qaeda leaders resided. www.cia.gov/static/03-26...

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Critics address the ISIS case challenge failed again. Said as someone who thinks there’s lots to criticize in the case and whose instinct before reading the larger context was to downplay the issue here given the return of U.S. forces. But it’s so telling when folks just don’t address the case.

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Yeah false. On two counts. 1) entrapment in endless wars was not Bin Laden’s strategy. 2) Bin Laden’s approach was quite distinct from that of the Afghan mujahideen. Also, is this false conventional wisdom so widespread it doesn’t merit even a link to try and support it? From the Intercept

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Just noting the fact these two bits could coexist and make sense (one re war with an unknown enemy and one re specific known perpetrators) is a key part of a core problem with most discussions of whether the WoT succeeded or not. Hard to say because there was not a clear defined goal at the start.

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Headline - seems favorable to Vance. Actual text though has the key line: “There was a gulf between the sobering private assessments that Mr. Vance received and what top administration officials, including the president and vice president, have said publicly”

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I agree with big parts of this. But also at times a bit rich and self flattering for many given how many libertarians (yes I get there’s a difference) and civil libertarian folks aided Trump’s rise, blurred threats, used broad warnings to dismiss his specific risks. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/10/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | Civil Libertarians Knew This Would Happen. We Should Have Listened.

The civil libertarians’ warnings have come true.

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

From Burkina Faso to politics in the U.S. a report by @newamerica.org Future Security program fellows Daniel Kimmage and Darjan Vujica explores the range of already existent challenges around information reliability and control posed by AI’s widespread adoption. www.newamerica.org/insights/its...

newamerica.org

It’s Worse Than You Think: How AI Is Undermining Democracy and National Security

AI is eroding critical institutions—journalism, education, courts, and political processes—while strengthening authoritarian repression.

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David Sterman @davidsterman.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

One of the key lessons from the 25 years of the war on terror: it is important to specify your objectives. Lack of clarity intruded at key moments from Tora Bora to Iraq to the Afg policy debates to now - especially - the Iran war. Or so I argue here. www.newamerica.org/insights/sep...

newamerica.org

Looking Back at 9/11: Peter Bergen and David Sterman on 25 Years of the War on Terror

The attacks of 9/11 profoundly shaped American life and launched a global campaign against terrorism. Are we any safer today?

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