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Comments: Faramarz, so story goes Musk paid a series of pollsters to hand pick results showing Bolsonaro is as much as 10 points ahead. This was in hopes that people would be dissuaded from voting. It didn’t work worse it actually backfired.
Comments: Today, I received the first edition of the book "Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner's and Mohammed bin Zayed's Secret Conspiracy to Reshape the Middle East." I'll share with you the most important points from its first chapter, where investigative journalist Matthew Cole reveals details of a secret meeting that brought together Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and Jared Kushner in New York in December 2016, just before Trump's inauguration as president. This chapter outlines how the UAE leadership bypassed the Obama administration to reach the inner circle of the president-elect, leveraging its network of financial and investment ties. Most crucially, the book uncovers what was discussed during the meeting regarding Qatar, Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Israel, as well as the priorities that Abu Dhabi wanted the new administration to adopt. It also traces the role Kushner played in opening unconventional channels of communication, and how that meeting, according to the author's account, laid the foundation for a political relationship whose effects extended into subsequent years. 🔷 The book reveals a meeting that brought together Jared Kushner and Mohammed bin Zayed in the presidential suite at the Four Seasons Hotel in Manhattan, after Trump's election victory and before his inauguration. Bin Zayed attended with a delegation that included dozens of people, among them armed individuals. The meeting came after he decided to cancel a farewell banquet that had been scheduled with President Barack Obama at the White House. 🔷 The Emiratis offered no explanation for canceling his meeting with Obama, and the U.S. administration only learned of his New York visit after the State Department received details of his diplomatic flight. The author describes this action as a clear circumvention of diplomatic norms and a signal of the UAE leadership's shift in focus from the outgoing administration to the personal circle of the president-elect. 🔷 Mohammed bin Zayed enlisted the help of a New York-based hedge fund manager with financial ties to the UAE and a personal friendship with Kushner to arrange the meeting. This serves as an indication of how the UAE uses its investment network to access influential American political figures. 🔷 Kushner informed bin Zayed that the Middle East would be the top priority of the Trump administration's foreign policy, and that he would personally handle the file on the diplomatic settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Trump had selected him for these files despite his lack of traditional diplomatic experience. Meanwhile, bin Zayed laid out his grievances to Kushner about U.S. policy over the previous eight years, viewing Obama's support for the Arab Spring uprisings—particularly the protests that toppled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak—as a betrayal of a key U.S. strategic ally. He explained that Washington's abandonment of Mubarak had raised fears among Gulf regimes about the reliability of American guarantees. 🔷 He further argued that the Obama administration's decision to end the U.S. war in Iraq had created a strategic vacuum that enabled the Islamic State organization to expand and control vast territories in Iraq and Syria. He presented this outcome as evidence of the weakness in U.S. policy in the region. He also told Kushner that the UAE faces two enemies threatening its existence: the Muslim Brotherhood group and Iran. He viewed the first threat as political Islam, while the second was Iran's regional influence and its network of armed groups linked to Tehran. 🔷 He also accused Qatar of providing significant funding to the Muslim Brotherhood and using Al Jazeera to stoke regional tensions and support extremist Islamist currents, according to his narrative. He informed Kushner that he hoped the new U.S. administration would address the Qatari problem. This passage reveals that the Qatar file had been on the table in UAE communications with the Trump team since December 2016. 🔷 Mohammed bin Zayed described the nuclear agreement that the Obama administration signed with Iran in 2015 as the previous administration's most dangerous mistake. He expressed his belief that Tehran would not adhere to the nuclear restrictions, and that easing economic sanctions would bolster its regional influence at the expense of Gulf states and the United States. 🔷 He presented Kushner with a map of Iranian influence that included Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip. He viewed these groups as tools for expanding Iranian influence and threatening regional stability, according to the perspective the author conveys from the meeting. 🔷 The author notes that most of Mohammed bin Zayed's criticisms of Obama align with the positions Trump took during his election campaign. Thus, the meeting was an opportunity for the UAE to test the new administration's willingness to adopt its regional vision. The author quotes from Kushner's notes that he left the meeting impressed by the UAE leadership's respect for Israel and its recognition of shared interests between the two countries. He presents this point as one of the most important foundations upon which the subsequent relationship between Kushner and Mohammed bin Zayed was built. 🔷 After the meeting, the hedge fund manager who arranged it sent a message to Mohammed bin Zayed informing him that the Trump team was extremely impressed with him, and that its members had become convinced he was a true friend and their closest ally. The message, according to the author, reveals the initial success of efforts to build a direct relationship with the circle surrounding the president-elect. 🔷 The author explains that the UAE's ruling family has built a vast network of investment bankers, lawyers, and money managers in major global cities, some of whom work on ongoing contracts to serve its interests. This network enables access to influential figures and the arrangement of political contacts away from official diplomatic channels. 🔷 The author believes that Mohammed bin Zayed sought to test two issues: the degree of ideological alignment between the new U.S. administration and the UAE, and identifying the individuals closest to Trump whom the UAE could influence. Kushner, due to his direct family ties to the president, was an exceptional entry point to the American decision-making center. The book confirms that Trump granted his son-in-law broad authority to manage Middle East policy without institutional oversight commensurate with the scope of his powers, and without needing congressional approval for his appointment as presidential adviser. Kushner thus became able to communicate directly with regional leaders and manage political files in both his personal and institutional capacities simultaneously. 🔷 The author concludes that Kushner's appointment made the management of U.S. foreign policy more akin to the family and personal relationships prevalent in Gulf monarchies. For Gulf leaders, Kushner was a familiar figure in terms of the nature of the power he derived from his kinship with the ruler.
Comments: Reza, check Polymarket for Brazil elections. It was saying Bolsonaro will win with 95% probability. 😂😂😂😂 Suddenly it crashed. No more Bolsonaro.
Comments: John Oliver https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnsBI4YxwIs
Comments: Because of such a nasty reputation that AIPAC has gotten, they announced that they will no longer openly endorse candidates. They just will secretly fund some candidates.
Comments: I am not sure you guys followed Brazil's elections but Lula, the incumbent, did something amazing. After losing the first round of elections, he won the runoff. This has never happened in the history of Brazil. Bolsonaro was the candidate Trump was pushing and Musk was funding. Among the consequences, Bolsonaro was going to mow down the Amazon rainforest. Lula is a protectionist. Lula is a big fan of BRICKS, Bolsonaro was going to pull out. Bolsonaro was going to sell of the country's resources to American corporations, Lula is not a big fan of American corporations coming into Brazil!
Comments: Babak Zanjani was sentenced to death by IRI but somehow he paid off the right people and was released. He was the original brain behind breaking the sanctions. The problem was that he took the money and kept it for himself! Either way, he is a smart businessman. I don’t mean that as a compliment but he is. These days, he seems to be helping IRI find ways to bypass the sanctions. I would not be surprised to see him running for president in the next few years.
Comments: OTOH, EST is doing great with maximum points from 2 games. They play Azmoun and Ezzat team in Dubai tomorrow ![[biggrin]](https://cdn.websitetoolbox.com/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif "Big Grin - :D") Shabab Al Ahli - Esteghlal Tehran 9AM PST
Comments: TER should not have let the winning coach go. Ever since they have become a mediocre team especially in the ACL Elite. Under Nekonam who follows the Bus Parking strategy of his mentor CQ they have only 1 point from 3 games. Bring the winning coach back gardash https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzokAfXrYFY
Comments: https://x.com/kavehzagar/status/2114748574399373817 This guy should become the prosecutor of 1/4 Pahlavi for treason and conspiracy to commit murder
Comments: قیمت یک کپسول ۱۲ کیلوگرمی LPG امروز از ۴۵۰۰ روپیه پاکستان (حدود ۱۶ دلار) به ۷۰۰۰ روپیه (حدود ۲۵ دلار) افزایش یافته و باز هم افزایش پیدا میکند. این تازه اول راه برای خوش رقصی جلوی دشمنان ایران است؛ «دیگی که برای ملت ایران نجوشد، بهتر است سر سگ در آن بجوشد.» به‌زودی قیمت هر کپسول گاز را ۱۰ هزار روپیه خواهید کرد. #بابک‌زنجانی #دات‌وان
Comments: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DN-15y5iAAc/ His company is called OneTrip
Comments: Zinsky, https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOB2RbLDOCp/ This guy is Babak Zanjani, Iran’s first Billionaire. He just imported 45,000 electric vehicles which he’s gonna use as Taxis to go against Snap ( Uber of Iran, bankrolled by IRGC). Listen to what he wants to do 🤪
Comments: night flower is a mehdi hassan documentary about aipac dark influence in american politics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMKRPGWXQ88
Comments: I’m sure you all remember Babak Zanjani. He is back in business and having some interesting conversations about Iran and the future. One thing he was talking about the other day was the possibility of all under water fiber cables in Persian Gulf could be targeted and somehow, he believes with that, bitcoin could drop by 70%! I’m not smart enough to understand why but if true, that is much more pain than just losing internet connection and communication connections!
Comments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=663P3Zk66RM Here is a discussion of this and why Democrats could lose 2028!
Comments: Here is a great example of how fucked up and corrupt the democrats are: Haley Stevens who was the AIPAC democratic candidate in Michigan and lost to El-Sayed in the primaries, now is refusing to support him against the republican AIPAC candidate Rogers. WTFFFFFFFF
Comments: That is pretty funny mashti. Look at the Saudi representative dude's face. He has no clue what to do. He is just the cousin of the right people. No qualifications what so ever! WTH
Comments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuzeTOpxdIc This is a great discussion of the effect of the US blockade on Iranian economy.
Comments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kSmD9wlRqU This is hilarious. Suck it baby suck it. Mecca pact in Tehran. |
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