Sapna Patel-Wheeler

This account used to be a fictional character Twitter account for Another World Today's Twitter roleplay when that existed, but is now being used for normal tweets by the (gay male) owner of the account.

I felt like somewhere along the line, the deal between America and Taiwan was altered, and not to Taiwan's favor. What it used to be: The US was vastly more powerful than China. By keeping the status of Taiwan undetermined, America had a permanent way to press China's buttons. Note: it didn't want Taiwan to go independent nor reunify. Taiwan was most useful under status quo/strategic ambiguity. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement. Taiwan gratefully accepted America's protection and thrived. And of course. We paid for American guns. As legendary commentator Li Ao said, we were America's dog in the pacific. And not only did we watch the door for America, we paid for our own dogfood. But somewhere along the way, America lost its capability to protect Taiwan. The narrative slowly slipped to America would help Taiwan protect itself. While strategic ambiguity was still TECHNICALLY in place, once plans like Hellfire or Burning Moat came out it became really marginal to imagine GI Joes coming to the rescue. But wait! Once upon a time we ALL understand that Taiwan only existed as an autonomous polity thanks to America's protection. Taiwan was never strong enough to protect itself against China even when China was weak. How are we supposed to protect ourselves against China NOW? If Taiwan is goaded to load itself up with weapons and an adversarial dynamic with the mainland, we are setting ourselves up for a potentially deadly game of chicken where America is no longer a participant but a bystander. If enough people in Taiwan sees through this dynamic, there would be no war, but unfortunately, many still don't. So if US confidence is "eroded" about Taiwan's political will to defend ourselves against China...I say GOOD. Because that was always an idiotic proposition.

@PpollingNumbers Eww

Are the interests of Israel and the U.S. aligned or opposed Aligned - 47% Opposed - 26% YouGov #A - A - 4/9

High-level US-Iran talks in Islamabad are notable for their genuinely trilateral format, with Pakistan not merely hosting but seated at the table as an active participant. Islamabad’s presence reflects recognition of its bridge-state diplomacy, leveraging trusted channels with both Washington and Tehran and its direct stakes in regional stability, maritime security, and the prevention of conflict spillover. I should note that historically, such configurations are not without precedent. Oman’s quiet but pivotal role in facilitating backchannel US-Iran negotiations that led to the JCPOA illustrated how a trusted intermediary can shape diplomatic space. The Camp David Accords demonstrated a stakeholder mediator model, where the third party, US, was physically present to provide assurances and help structure negotiations. Similarly, Norway’s role in the Oslo Accords highlighted how an active host could move beyond facilitation to shaping outcomes through trust-building and agenda influence. Pakistan’s inclusion in this trilateral setting therefore signals more than logistical convenience; it reflects its convening power, credibility with both sides, and strategic relevance to the broader regional security architecture marking a shift from facilitator to stakeholder mediator and confidence-builder.

@Diplomat_APAC cbc.ca/news/world/tai…

@Diplomat_APAC I think you need more recent data, more recently Taiwanese youth have not been immune from the global move toward China.

Three decades of survey data show that the populations of China and Taiwan are drifting apart in ways that will be structurally hard to reverse. buff.ly/mCUEMLD

No country would unreservedly tolerate hostile ships, capable of launching missiles that could strike its capital within minutes, freely transiting through its territorial waters. No amount of legal subterfuge, derived from whatever unratified treaties, would compel any sovereign state to gamble with its security in such a manner. Iran is no exception. Iran has the right, under a clear and transparent protocol, to regulate passage through the Strait of Hormouz in order to safeguard its vital interests while guaranteeing safe passage for all. This is in the best interest of all. The key to success in negotiations lies in adhering to common sense.

I strongly believe that the ongoing Islamabad Talks will definitely be archived in the world history.

When smart people run a country, it shows. They’ve handled the entire situation with discipline, remaining steady even after losing key leaders. The plan never changed, and they stayed the course. At the same time, they understand exactly when to use optics to send a clear message.

As a Pakistani diplomat who I happened to meet today, told me, "In essence, the United States can not conduct serious diplomacy; their arrogance and maximalist approach make it extremely difficult for them to show minimum care and flexibility for the interests and concerns of other nations."

@USA_Polling That's why other countries such as China are there who can be guarantors if a deal is reached.

Once again I have to ask why people think the Iranians would ever trust the Americans to uphold any deal ever again

Did these people think they’d get table-side seats to discussions to end a war? I flew 21 hours to be here & knew exactly what I was getting into — there’s no news until there’s news; that’s how these things work. This is unfair to Pakistan, which has been a gracious host.

@KevinCastley I meant to say fads but dads works too.

@KevinCastley I mean, the US also has city planning but it is full of dumb dads and too much power for NIMBYs

🇨🇳 🏙️🦾❗️ Liberals tell us that central planning always fails and planned cities turn into ghost towns But this before and after of the Chinese countryside reveals the reality that planned cities have transformed entire regions into livable and modern areas for workers from nothing❗️

The U.S. funding Iron Dome is purely a lifesaving measure and if you vote against it you want Jewish babies to die, but China giving air defenses to Iran is "a provocative move."

Sources in Islamabad telling us Iranians and Americans are having a working dinner together and tone remains ‘positive and progessing’

@aravosis If you can't engage in good faith with someone thoughtful and measured like Waleed Shahid, you're hopeless.

Well, that’s fucking stupid. You don’t protest the guys who are doing the worst damage, you only protest your own, who aren’t near nearly as bad. And that’s the very definition of you people. You’re out to destroy your own, not that you’re a Democrat, you don’t care what actually making things better.

@DanielLDavis1 Because he's a war hawk unsuited to be the lead diplomat

Seriously, am I the only one who wonders why America’s alleged chief diplomat, the Secretary of State, never participates in any diplomacy for our country? It’s not unreasonable that the vice president would be taking a major role, indicating the importance of these negotiations, but why, yet again, is a real estate executive and a relative of the president the other two members of the American delegation? Why does Secretary of State Rubio never attend – let alone lead — any of these negotiations? Truly, what is the point of having a secretary of state, or a state department, if all negotiations are primarily handled by businessman close to the president?

The best explanation I have ever heard of the New York Times' editorial line throughout its history is that it's not a left-wing newspaper, or a right wing newspaper, but an *establishment* newspaper. It will always side with the establishment, meaning whoever is currently in power. If Bush wants a war, the New York Times will give him a war. If Biden wants a genocide, the New York Times will argue for his genocide. It goes beyond party. It just serves power. And that means it serves the status quo only. In this sense, the New York Times is anti-progress. It will never push anything forward. At most, it may occasionally look back when power transfers hands, and it reconsiders its previous positions to align them with the current establishment at any given time. But it will never, ever argue on the side of human progress. Once you know this, you stop expecting anything from the paper or its owners. There is no moral principle at work, no particularly ethical demand. The only goal is to be on the right side of power.

The less leaks there are about how the talks are going and substance of the negotiations the better they are going

TRIP OF PEACE 2.0 Depends on how things go in upcoming Taiwanese elections, this photo might be one for the history books. KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun and her delegate visited the mainland, the first such high-level visit in 10 years. This culminated in a meeting between Cheng and Xi as party leader to party leader. Unprecedented? Hardly. The first such itinerary happened in 2005. Dubbed Trip of Peace, it heralded a decade of unprecedented cross-straits rapprochement. Endless busloads of tourists from the mainland. Favorable trade deals we enjoy to this day. Business bonanza. People forget that we made fun of Tsai Ing-wen for being too hawkish on China to be electable. She was counseled…moderate your policy on China or the DPP will be in the political wilderness for the rest of our lives. She stuck to her guns, and external circumstances convinced the voters of the correctness of her position. A spate of political scandals soured voters on the KMT in Ma’s second term and Hong Kong crackdowns of 2019 was a huge wake up call that Taiwan would be naive to trust China. Fortune, it seems favors the bold. If Tsai was bold, Cheng Li-wun was positively audacious. Conventional wisdom now say the voters are scared of China. She immediately announced her intention for Trip of Peace 2.0 as soon as she was elected chairwoman and basically manifested it. She also blocked Taiwan’s jumbo defense package, saying it’s handing a blank check to US contractors. KMT slipped in the polls yet world event have started to put her decisions in a different light . Trusting China might be a risk…but it now has to be balanced with the risk of trusting the United States. The rash American war on Iran tripped alarm bells about American capabilities. Politico headline: “The Middle East war depleted US weapons. Rebuilding will require China's cooperation.” Taiwan is still waiting for delivery of armaments purchased in 2017. Any new acquisitions in 2026 will be delivered half past never. If anyone in Taiwan still thought of weapons purchases from the US as protection money, they should as the Gulf Arab countries and ask how well that’s working out for them. Thanks to getting entangled in America’s war of choice, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain all became targets. Billions of dollars of damage has already been done and they may never be the same again. All this is to say, the Taiwanese have to quickly rebalance what it means to keep Taiwan safe in short order. What it means to be an American ally in 2026. We have to balance the China threat with the possibility that the real threat is unwise escalation causing us to be entangled into a war not of our own choosing. I support Chairwoman Cheng’s trip of peace because there is no longer an acceptable military solution to Taiwan’s cross-straits problem. But there might be a diplomatic and political solution. Her achievement was to go to China and talk about common goals, share heritage, opportunities for prosperity. Neither side mentioned reunification, only a consensus to reject Taiwanese independence and foreign interference. For those who worry that talking to China’s leader makes Taiwan less safe, tell me what it means then that a whole parade of world leaders including Donald Trump is eager to pay Xi a visit? what is actually in Taiwan’s best interest? Paying for more interceptors and waiting for Godot? Complain that the Koreans and the Danish are mean to us again by refusing to call us our proper names in their dropdown menus? Swap some more friendship bracelets with Lithuania? If Taiwan isn’t at the table, you can bet Taiwan will be on the menu. Chairwoman Cheng showed up at the table.

We are not talking enough about the ordinary Iranian laborers who've been the unsong heros of this war You all saw the railway bridge getting rebuild in 3 days. It's not just the engineers who are worthy of our admirations. Workers From street sweepers, to waste haulers, to municipal workers who were tasked with removing debris and cleaning the city after the bombing, to glaziers and builders who went to help damaged houses. Road construction workers, electricity workers, fleet drivers, rail workers, and even gardeners! You may not believe it, but despite the bombings, spring can be felt in the streets. Especially Esfahan, which is known for its clean and flower-filled streets. Everywhere you go in the city, it is filled with freshly planted spring flowers, just like every other year.