Robert Tait @rstait.bsky.social · 03/06/2026www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...theguardian.comFar-right praise for shah’s secret police puts Reza Pahlavi on the spotSon of deposed shah forced to distance himself from the once-dreaded Savak as some of his supporters glorify it 010
Robert Tait @rstait.bsky.social · 03/05/2026www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...theguardian.com‘This is just disarray’: alarm inside Pentagon after Hegseth staff purgesInsiders portray defense secretary as increasingly isolated after officers with impeccable reputations forced out 020
Robert Tait @rstait.bsky.social · 22/04/2026www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...theguardian.comWith the US-Iran ceasefire about to expire, could Trump put boots on the ground?The US has deployed more forces since the truce and senior Iranians seem to be relishing the prospect of the fight 091
Robert Tait @rstait.bsky.social · 15/03/2026www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...theguardian.comHow war on Iran may provoke a terrorist attack in US – and how that may be the point‘Of course there’s going to be retaliation,’ says one expert. ‘It may be that this is what Trump’s interested in’ 052
Robert Tait @rstait.bsky.social · 14/02/2026@alirezanader.bsky.social Can you follow me back please? I would like to direct message you. 000
Robert Tait @rstait.bsky.social · 04/02/2026@goftaniha.bsky.social Can you follow me back please. I would like to send you a personal message. 000
Robert Tait @rstait.bsky.social · 09/12/2025www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202... This is an incredible piece about the thrill and deadly dangers of espionage and betrayal.theatlantic.comThey Killed My SourceA man claiming to be an Iranian intelligence officer promised me he would reveal his country’s secrets. Then he disappeared. 140
Reposted by Robert TaitJulia Rose Kraut @juliarosekraut.bsky.social · 17/02/2025"Big Journalism’s leaders need to think hard — and fast — about whether they are just presenting facts or actually getting the nightmarish reality across." @sulliview.bsky.social MUST READ. ⬇️ margaretsullivan.substack.com/p/four-essen...margaretsullivan.substack.comFour essentials for the press right nowIf we have any hope of preventing a full slide into permanent autocracy, these must happen 013652
Robert Tait @rstait.bsky.social · 04/02/2025snyder.substack.com/p/the-logic-... Tim Snyder on the need Stand Up Now.snyder.substack.comThe Logic of DestructionAnd how to resist it 071
Robert Tait @rstait.bsky.social · 08/01/2025www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...theguardian.comIran hostages reflect on a crisis that defined Jimmy Carter’s presidency: ‘A fine man that did his best’When revolutionary students seized the US embassy in Tehran, they initiated a 444-day ordeal that had a huge impact on Carter in both political and human terms 020
Robert Tait @rstait.bsky.social · 21/12/2024www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024...theguardian.comTrump’s ‘stunningly unqualified’ diplomatic team shapes up at breakneck speedTrump is hardly the first US president to introduce miscast nominees, but he has nominated ambassadors at a rate not recalled in recent memory 062
Robert Tait @rstait.bsky.social · 12/12/2024An argument against murdering your way to better health care.theatlantic.comLuigi Mangione’s Commonplace, Deplorable PoliticsFrom his actions, and the glee that they have elicited, one learns not that the health-care system is broken but that many people are. 030
Reposted by Robert TaitJoe Cirincione @joecirin.bsky.social · 07/12/2024Damascus appear on the verge of falling to the rebels. Some Assad officials thought to be in discussions with rebel forces about defecting. Iranians and Russians have fled country. Absolutely stunning developments. 0112
Reposted by Robert TaitThe Guardian @theguardian.com · 05/12/2024Biden library reportedly under threat by Democrats enraged by Hunter pardontheguardian.comBiden library reportedly under threat by Democrats enraged by Hunter pardonSenior party figures consider withholding contributions to presidential library to express anger at pardon for son Senior Democrats are reportedly considering withholding contributions to Joe Biden’s future presidential library amid a mounting backlash… 867415
Robert Tait @rstait.bsky.social · 05/12/2024Begging Joe’s pardon. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...theguardian.comJoe Biden should pardon Reality Winner for her actions as a whistleblower | Margaret SullivanThe leaker went to jail for a patriotic, if illegal, act. She has a lot to offer the world if she’s allowed to move on 093
Robert Tait @rstait.bsky.social · 02/12/2024Brilliant George Packer piece on the Trump Reaction and how fragile it is.theatlantic.comThe End of Democratic DelusionsThe Trump Reaction and what comes next 030
Reposted by Robert TaitThe Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 01/12/2024“The American people voted for cheaper eggs,” writes David Frum. “They’re going to get only noise, conflict, and chaos”:theatlantic.comA Constitutional Crisis Greater Than WatergateTrump’s nomination of Kash Patel threatens to turn the FBI into an instrument of personal presidential power 1362387527
Robert Tait @rstait.bsky.social · 27/11/2024Compelling piece by the ever-perceptive Tim Snyder on where we are now - and how to stop it getting worse. 011
Reposted by Robert TaitAnne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 26/11/2024Musk has now threatened the leaders of Canada,Brazil, Germany. X helped create a riot in the UK. Now it seems he doesn't want the UK to make its own legal decisions. Time to act? 28540421378
Reposted by Robert TaitAnne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 23/11/2024It's pretty standard practice in places like Zimbabwe or Venezuela for the regime to send online mobs to harass enemies of the regime www.wsj.com/tech/musk-un...wsj.comMusk Unleashes Online Army on Federal Workers. ‘A Tough Way to Find Out She’s Losing Her Job.’As Trump efficiency czar, the billionaire is targeting employees by name on X—sparking pushback. 631736572
Reposted by Robert TaitRob Chapman @scribblerrob.bsky.social · 22/11/2024Still the greatest interview exchange in the history of rock and roll. Bob Dylan. Playboy Magazine. March 1966. 501487208
Robert Tait @rstait.bsky.social · 21/11/2024Despite the panic, this checklist does not yet sum up the US. But Iran, one of my former billets, easily ticks every box. A challenge to the argument that Islamism and fascism are mutually exclusive. 010