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Janet Abou Elias

@janetabouelias.bsky.social
98 followers 98 following 12 posts

democratizing foreign policy @quincyinst.bsky.social | co-founder @w2t2impact.bsky.social | research fellow @cipolicy.bsky.social

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Janet Abou Elias @janetabouelias.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Militarily, it’s been one of the best Easters
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Janet Abou Elias @janetabouelias.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
An entire town in south Lebanon. Erased. Just last month, the Trump admin invoked emergency authority powers to skip congressional review and fast-track 20,000+ bombs worth $650 million to Israel. There are no more euphemisms left.
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Stephen Semler @stephensemler.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Trump spent $29 billion in the first two weeks of the Iran War. This is a conservative estimate. Full analysis/methodology: www.stephensemler.com/p/us-spends-...
US spends $2.1 billion a day on the Iran War. Estimated US war costs, 28 February–13 March 2026. Table format: Expense; Description; Cost. Rows: Operations; Mobilization, administration, combat; $4.25 billion. Weapons; Missiles, interceptors, bombs, other; $20.77 billion. Losses; Damaged or destroyed military assets; $2.71 billion. Subsidies; Pay for Israel’s bombs, interceptors; $1.01 billion. Total; Cost of the first two weeks of the Iran War; $28.74 billion. Average cost per day: $2.05 billion. Estimated direct costs based on author’s analysis of officials’ statements, procurement and O&S data, open-source intelligence, media reports. Figures subject to revision as new information becomes available.
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Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
So has anyone submitted FOIA requests for documents relating to what is presumably a covert action program disclosed by Trump? www.wsj.com/livecoverage...
wsj.com
U.S. Tried to Send Guns to Iranian People, Trump Says
President Trump said the U.S. attempted to send arms to the Iranian people to fight back against the regime, but the intermediaries the U.S. sent the guns through kept them for themselves. “We sent gu...
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M.B. @mjjbeaufils.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
"The underlying premise of the techno-militarists is that permanent war is the natural state of our world and our only choice is how efficiently we decide to wage it." (@janetabouelias.bsky.social & William D. Hartung via @tomdispatch.bsky.social) tomdispatch.com/the-brave-ne...
tomdispatch.com
The Brave New War Machine
“I love the idea of getting a drone and having light fentanyl-laced urine spraying on analysts that tried to screw us,” said Alex Karp, the CEO of the emerging military tech firm Palantir. Far from
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Common Dreams @commondreams.org · 10/03/2026
Peter Thiel and Alex Karp clearly feel that what’s good for Palantir is good for America, but the vision of America they are promoting is both dangerous and dehumanizing, write @janetabouelias.bsky.social and William Hartung.
commondreams.org
The Military-Industrial Complex 2.0: Big Tech's War of All Against All
​Silicon Valley wants us to believe that the only way to “win” a future war is by handing the keys to our political world to a clique of self-defined superior beings headed up by the likes of Alex Karp, Palantir Founder Peter Thiel, Anduril head Palmer Luckey, and the inimitable Elon Musk.
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Taylor Barnes @tkbarnes.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Defense contractor stocks soaring in first days of US-Israel war on Iran, with Northrop Grumman leading the pack. On the homefront the war is causing gas prices and home mortgages to rise for ordinary Americans responsiblestatecraft.org/iran-war-wea... Via @janetabouelias.bsky.social + Ben Freeman
responsiblestatecraft.org
Weapons makers cash in on Trump's Iran war
Big Pentagon contractors like Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman saw billions added to their market value
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Janet Abou Elias @janetabouelias.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
The Pentagon says AI is the future of U.S. military dominance. History says otherwise. In a new piece at @inkstickmedia.com, William Hartung and I unpack the rush to roll out military AI at “wartime speed,” and why sidelining oversight should worry us all. 🔗 inkstickmedia.com/the-pentagon...
inkstickmedia.com
The Pentagon's AI Surge is a Reckless, Unviable Defense Strategy
The US Pentagon has gone all in on artificial intelligence as AI takes a more central role in Washington's defense planning.
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Women for Weapons Trade Transparency @w2t2impact.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
We’re honored that Women for Weapons Trade Transparency is featured in Trillion Dollar War Machine by Ben Freeman & William Hartung of @quincyinst.bsky.social. Their book is a definitive look at how runaway military spending drives U.S. foreign policy, drains public funds, and fuels endless war.
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Women for Weapons Trade Transparency @w2t2impact.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
TONIGHT: Sen. Bernie Sanders will force a vote to block weapons transfers to Israel, including: •5,000 1,000-lb bombs •7,000 JDAM kits •Thousands of M4 assault rifles 📞 Learn more and urge your Senators to vote yes. It only takes a minute: armssalesaccountabilityproject.com/take-action/
armssalesaccountabilityproject.com
Take Action — Arms Sales Accountability Project (ASAP)
Oversight. Reform. Accountability. ASAP. Tell Congress: Vote to Suspend Arms Sales to Israel
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Janet Abou Elias @janetabouelias.bsky.social · 26/07/2025
Spent the week diving into strategy simulations, foreign policy debates, and expert panels at the John Quincy Adams Society 2025 Summer Conference. I’m grateful to learn from scholars & peers on U.S. grand strategy and to test our thinking in high-stakes crisis scenarios.
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Kelsey Atherton @atherton.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
Today, just about 90 minutes ago, a sign went up across from the Stallion Gate onto White Sands Missile Range. It's a historical marker, an acknowledgement of the downwinders harmed by the world's first atomic detonation, 80 years ago today. www.dchieftain.com/community/do...
dchieftain.com
Downwinders to be acknowledged at Trinity test site dedication
After decades of struggle and lives lost to radioactive fallout from the July 16, 1945, Trinity test in the Tularosa Basin, the impacted residents are finally receiving recognition.
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Janet Abou Elias @janetabouelias.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
Emergency authorities. Minimal oversight. A growing trend of fast-tracked U.S. arms transfers—once rare, now routine. In this piece, I examine how these mechanisms are reshaping military aid and why stronger congressional guardrails are urgently needed. 🔗 internationalpolicy.org/publications...
internationalpolicy.org
Expanding Use of Emergency Arms Authorities Requires More Congressional Oversight - CIP
In the rush to meet wartime needs, the Pentagon has repeatedly neglected basic statutory safeguards intended to protect U.S. force readiness and fiscal discipline.
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Janet Abou Elias @janetabouelias.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
Billions for bombs, pennies for the public. Congress is prioritizing military aid over pressing domestic needs. I break it down in @thehill.com . thehill.com/opinion/cong...
thehill.com
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The Costs of War Project @costsofwar.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
A new data visualization by Costs of War contributor @stephensemler.bsky.social shows that the U.S. exports more weapons than the next seven largest arms exporters combined. www.stephensemler.com/p/the-us-exp...
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Women for Weapons Trade Transparency @w2t2impact.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
What happens when immigration enforcement & police militarization collide? Our co-founder Lillian Mauldin dives into the dangerous consequences of Trump-era ICE raids via @armstradect.bsky.social. 🔗 t.co/xQD3ii1jUF
t.co
https://corruption-tracker.org/blog/u-s-police-militarization-in-the-age-of-trump-ice-raids
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Janet Abou Elias @janetabouelias.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
My brilliant @cipolicy.bsky.social colleague Ari Tolany spoke with @propublica.org on the Biden administration’s violation of arms transfer laws: “The State Department has a whole raft of highly paid, very good lawyers to explain, ‘Actually this is not illegal,’ when in fact it is,”[…]
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Janet Abou Elias @janetabouelias.bsky.social · 21/12/2024
Honored to join John Allen Gay and A.J. Manuzzi on Security Dilemma! We unpacked U.S. arms transfers, militarization of police, and Biden’s Gaza response. Listen now—and don’t forget to apply for the Marcellus Policy Fellowship by Jan. 13! open.spotify.com/episode/5YIW...
open.spotify.com
Janet Abou-Elias and Lillian Mauldin on Arms Transfers and the "Imperial Boomerang"
Security Dilemma · Episode
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Janet Abou Elias @janetabouelias.bsky.social · 17/12/2024
It was a pleasure joining the Young Professionals in Foreign Policy panel alongside Lillian Mauldin and Veronica Marcone to discuss the Leahy Law and its impact on U.S. security assistance policy.
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Janet Abou Elias @janetabouelias.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
Thrilled to be joining Young Professionals in Foreign Policy on Dec 9 for a panel on The Intent, Implications, and Future of the Leahy Law! Looking forward to discussing alongside my co-founder, Lillian Mauldin, and Veronica Marcone. Register here: members.ypfp.org/event-5962848 #LeahyLaw
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Janet Abou Elias @janetabouelias.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
Thrilled to be joining Young Professionals in Foreign Policy on Dec 9 for a panel on The Intent, Implications, and Future of the Leahy Law! Looking forward to discussing alongside my co-founder, Lillian Mauldin, and Veronica Marcone. Register here: members.ypfp.org/event-5962848 #LeahyLaw
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Women for Weapons Trade Transparency @w2t2impact.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
Today, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, we underscore the devastating impacts of armed conflict on women and demand their inclusion in peace processes.
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John Ramming Chappell @jwrchappell.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
Sen. Van Hollen & @repsarajacobs.bsky.social have introduced joint resolutions of disapproval to block a major arms sale to the UAE and bills to prohibit arms sales to UAE until they stop arming the RSF, a Sudanese armed group. 1/ www.reuters.com/world/us-law...
reuters.com
US lawmakers seek to halt weapons sales to UAE, citing Sudan
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen has introduced legislation seeking to halt American weapons sales to the United Arab Emirates until the United States certifies that the UAE is not arming the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, according to an early version of his announcement seen by Reuters.
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Allegra Goodwin @allegragoodwin.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Crucial new @hrw.org report finds US munitions were used in the Israeli attack which killed three journalists at the Hasbaya Village Club Resort in Hasbaya in southern Lebanon on October 25. @hrw.org describes the strike as an “apparent war crime” www.hrw.org/news/2024/11...
hrw.org
Lebanon: US Arms Used in Israeli Strike on Journalists
An Israeli airstrike in Lebanon on October 25, 2024, that killed three journalists and injured four others was most likely a deliberate attack on civilians and an apparent war crime, Human Rights Watc...
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