Jonathan Schanzer

A nation at war with itself over being at war...welcome to America in 2026. On today's @FDD Morning Brief, Lewis Libby and I dig into what Americans actually think about Operation Epic Fury — from the White House to Main Street. x.com/i/broadcasts/1…

Seems like Russia and Iran have been comparing notes on beating American sanctions. On today’s @FDD Morning Brief, @PeterBDoran and I discuss how Russia and Iran turned pressure into practice. x.com/i/broadcasts/1…

Two related news items about academics with links to Qatar 1️⃣ I was previously publicly attacked by Andreas Krieg, who accused me of being an extended arm of the United Arab Emirates in Sweden. The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) and the Swedish Psychological Defence Agency were also drawn into these unfounded allegations on the website Politics Today (published by SETA, which is affiliated with Erdoğan’s think tank). (Krieg has been linked to academic institutes in Qatar.) I reported this to King’s College London for defamation—and I was upheld in the internal process. The outcome was that Andreas Krieg published a public apology addressed to me on X. I later wrote about this in Swedish daily Expressen:  expressen.se/debatt/tro-och…  Andreas Krieg’s apology can be found here. x.com/MagnusRanstorp…  Now, the same Andreas Krieg has once again come under scrutiny. In legal proceedings in Northern Ireland, he lost a defamation case against a well-known journalist, further raising questions about his credibility and judgment. irishlegal.com/articles/paul-…  ⸻ 2️⃣ In the next step, activists turned to Farid Hafez, editor of the European Islamophobia Report and affiliated with the Georgetown University Bridge Initiative. The Bridge Initiative subsequently published a so-called “factsheet” targeting me, Lorenzo Vidino, the Danish professor Thomas Hoffmann, and researcher Sameh Egyptson. The purpose was obvious: to discredit us for our scrutiny of the Muslim Brotherhood. Article in Danish about ”Bridge Initiative and Factsheets” weekendavisen.dk/samfund/broder…  This activity has now been noted at the highest political level in the United States. A report from the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce on antisemitism at American universities specifically identifies the Bridge Initiative. The report states that the organization presents itself as researching Islamophobia, but in practice engages in casting suspicion on critics of political Islam. Particularly noteworthy is that the report—based on previously undisclosed documents from Georgetown—shows that the Bridge Initiative received $630,000 from Qatar in May 2024. The report can be read here. edworkforce.house.gov/news/documents…  The overall picture is clear: when academia, activism, and state interests converge, research risks becoming a tool for political influence—rather than a source of independent knowledge.

Sad, funny, outrageous.

Erdoğan’s anti-Israel rhetoric continues to escalate. Watching this space…. dailysabah.com/politics/diplo…

Lebanese politician Jebran Bassil: Hezbollah must realize that its military situation has ended naharnet.com/stories/en/319…

Iron Dome reservist soldier indicted for spying for Iran. And for a mere $1000 in crypto? Jeez. timesofisrael.com/iron-dome-rese…

Not just Kuwait. Now UAE dismantles Hezbollah-linked terror network, arrests members english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2026…

After reports that it no longer had the ability, Iran’s IRGC say missile production continues despite war english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-ea…

More Iranian IRGC commanders confirmed killed in US-Israel strikes english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-ea…

Some evening listening for ya! In this episode of GREAT POWER PODCAST, I talk to @JSchanzer of @FDD about how the war with Iran is reshaping the Middle East - and what it means for “great power competition” writ large. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gre…

The Dynamics - And The Stakes … - Great Power Podcast. My convo here with ⁦@ilanberman⁩ on the wider lens to view the Iran war. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the…

Wars have a way of destroying presidential legacies or securing them. For Trump, his presidency’s success, both now and in history’s retelling, hinges on battlefield performance and a paradigm shift. @JSchanzer commentary.org/articles/jonat…

.⁦@NewYorkSun⁩ my Thursday column: Saudi and Gulf allies are angry with Iran, but that can only lead to alliance shifts if the war is first won. With help from ⁦@JSchanzer⁩ nysun.com/article/will-i…

From my recent appearance on @batchelorshow 🎙️ Full episode here: apple.co/4sOOLv4

Lebanese are not happy about the outbreak of a new war. This could be a tiny bit of news they welcome. naharnet.com/stories/en/319…

Iran urges coordination with Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan against US-Israeli 'destabilization'. Axis of Awfulness? Also: What Is Egypt doing in the mix? timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry…

Qatar expels Iran’s military, security attaches after repeated attacks Doha’s sudden awakening is something to behold. english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2026…

Iran missile fire kills three Palestinians in West Bank. In case you thought the regime was fighting for the Palestinians. english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-ea…

The regime may be down, but it's not out. 🎙️ For the full @FDD Morning Brief episode: bit.ly/3NvnmiI @LahavHarkov