I wrote on some of my concerns back in 2023. www.newamerica.org/future-secur...

And whatever the trajectory, folks should be wary about how some of the remarks are very flattening of the decade+ of experiences that got us here.

Very open to correction but I don’t remember this as seeming something that would necessarily happen or even be possible in the short term even with US support when the question of sanction relaxation first emerged post regime fall.

And if one has a who cares attitude why is it that we see so much discourse. Got to ask what is the function of signaling on that.

As always I think these studies out of Cost of War have an important function/use. But the way people treat it as fodder for talking point level punditry is very bad.

Also it does a lot of work to conceal responsibility. Not just jihadist responsibility but also of later admins and other regional states especially given a lot of the toll counted is from post-Arab Spring wars not the wars of the Bush years.

And if one has a who cares attitude why is it that we see so much discourse. Got to ask what is the function of signaling on that.