Charles ListerVerified account

@Charles_Lister

Senior Fellow & Director of at & Columnist. Author of . Following , armed groups, , &

Washington, DC
mei.edu/profile/charle…
Joined January 2012
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  1. Pinned Tweet
    11 Dec 2019

    NEW - "The Effect: Fractures" - My deep dive into AQ's attempts to exploit the war in & the implications of its struggles to do so.

    11 replies 50 retweets 66 likes
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  2. 2 minutes ago

    : But while confidence is low & the pro- offensive continues, let's keep some context in mind: - In 9 months, has retaken *only* 1/3 of the "DMZ" - equating to ~10-15% of the entire NW region. There's a *long* way to go, if the whole NW is to fall.

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  3. 5 minutes ago

    's confidence in being able to contain the situation in & deter the pro- coalition from escalating further has been declining for some time. Meetings I had in December indicated where we were going:

    Gathering from recent high-level discussions with officials, is not at all confident about . MIT will respond covertly (via : arms, intel etc.) & /MFA…
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    1 reply 2 retweets
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  4. Retweeted
    5 hours ago

    These days, more & more people declare "the war in " to be "ending" or "winding down." That's dangerously inaccurate & likely driven by fatigue & a general disinterest in trying to keep up with the complexity. A snapshot in 4 tweets - 87 dead across in 2 days:

    2 replies 46 retweets 55 likes
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  5. 1 hour ago

    NEW, via sources - After a series of meetings btw & (MiT), a conclusion is being drawn that / may not be stopped in . has upped arms supplies (mainly Grads, mortars & small-arms ammo, plus some ATGMs) & intel sharing, but outlook not good.

    6 replies 13 retweets 24 likes
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  6. 5 hours ago

    In 2019, 517 people (incl. 371 kids) died in al-Hol IDP camp in eastern . 's UN veto on cross-border aid looks set to reduce aid to al-Hol by 60-70% (per ). Former areas will lose 50% of assistance. What an invaluable gift to . Bravo .

    1 reply 16 retweets 20 likes
  7. 5 hours ago

    : The international community's increasing disinterest in will come back to bite all of us. What happens in *never* stays in . We have 9yrs of recent history to demonstrate that. 'Leave it to others to deal with?' Shame on you for such dishonesty.

    1 reply 7 retweets 21 likes
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  8. 5 hours ago

    : In the SW, the are taking to the streets with increasing confidence. The SYP reached $1,120 today (it was $50 in 2011). is retrenching itself & consolidating conventional power, raising risks w. . is in the N to stay, fueling hostility.

    1 reply 5 retweets 9 likes
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  9. 5 hours ago

    : 's riddled w. multiple "conflicts," none of which look set to "wind down." In fact, they're all likely to escalate or evolve into intractable, festering conflicts: - South insurgency - war & resistance - NE conflicts (-, -Kurd) - & more.

    1 reply 3 retweets 9 likes
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  10. 5 hours ago

    In the last 36hrs, 61+ people have been killed in escalating conflict in : - 22 //opposition - 17 pro- - 22 civilians

    1 reply 7 retweets 13 likes
  11. 5 hours ago

    In the past 2 days, has killed 13+ personnel in two attacks in western Deir ez Zour, in an apparent expansion of operations beyond the central Badiyah. [via ]

    1 reply 9 retweets 9 likes
  12. 5 hours ago

    NEW - a small-arms attack near al-Nahj in this morning killed 3 officers from the 4th Division.

    4 retweets 5 likes
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  13. 5 hours ago

    NEW - 2 soldiers killed in car bombing outside an Ahrar al-Sharqiyeh HQ in Suluq, north of . 10 people killed in total.

    1 reply 8 retweets 10 likes
  14. 21 hours ago

    This by is great: - " Society Is Changing. Just Take a Look at These Coffeehouses"

    5 replies 1 retweet 4 likes
  15. Jan 15

    The death toll here has risen to 18 dead & ~70 wounded. Locals report 150+ airstrikes across today.

    NEW - 10 killed & 20+ wounded in an airstrike that just targeted & flattened a partially-covered market area in city.
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    1 reply 44 retweets 32 likes
  16. Jan 15

    Is this John Bolton a few blocks from the US Embassy in , ? It certainly looks like him.

    0:07
    You guys is this John Bolton spotted just casually walking around AlMessila area in Doha?😅
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    10 replies 20 retweets 72 likes
  17. Jan 15

    As a senior CT Manager, says was 'obsessed' with killing Hamza Bin Laden due to his "celebrity" name - despite intelligence clearly indicating his relative insignificance compared to other active threats.

    The killing of "appears to have been more about & the potential for headlines, rather than the intelligence," argues a year after retiring from . …
    2 replies 6 retweets 10 likes
  18. Jan 15

    The killing of "appears to have been more about & the potential for headlines, rather than the intelligence," argues a year after retiring from . 's obsessed w. "celebrity, headlines & immediate gratification."

    8 retweets 11 likes
  19. Jan 15

    : You can't have your cake & eat it too, . If you enter into talks with a dictator having already declared a personal hostility to the use of military force, you'll get played till the cows come home. Chaos will reign & threats will thrive. Idealism ≠ good policy.

    3 replies 8 retweets 19 likes
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  20. Jan 15

    .'s Foreign Policy agenda (here: ) calls for an end to interventions, to bring troops home, reinvest in diplomacy & to avoid "cozying up to dictators." - BUT those 4 items combined would be a boon to dictatorships & fuel extremism. It's illogical.

    2 replies 17 retweets 22 likes
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  21. Jan 15

    . says she wants to end "endless wars," whose "human & financial costs" are "staggering." ('03-'10) is over & ('01-present) needs reconsideration. BUT these interventions were fought on an old, discarded model. New models (i.e ) = opportunities.

    2 replies 1 retweet 5 likes
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  22. Jan 15

    .'s foreign policy positions present an attractive & principled alternative to the decades-old status quo. That'll win votes. But they're also unrealistic & detached from the reality that can't pull back from the world *&* protect itself from persistent threats.

    4 replies 5 retweets 19 likes
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  23. Jan 15

    The U.S. is pushing allies to embrace a "maximum pressure" strategy on 's , in a war of attrition. meanwhile, is betting on strategic patience eventually eroding Western policy unity. This by is very good:

    9 retweets 12 likes
  24. Jan 15

    650+ militiamen are fighting in & 1,350 more are en route/training - 4 dead so far. 's offering them $2,000/month & citizenship. Social media now banned. Faylaq al-Sham is considering dispatching fighters (that'd be very significant).

    1 reply 3 retweets 2 likes
  25. Jan 15

    18 people were killed in in western yesterday, during a major armed clash between opposition fighters & pro- forces, which lasted 5hrs. Among the dead were 4 Qalamoun Shield, 2 & an officer.

    2 replies 14 retweets 27 likes
  26. Jan 15

    NEW - 10 killed & 20+ wounded in an airstrike that just targeted & flattened a partially-covered market area in city.

    7 retweets 8 likes
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  27. Jan 15

    As with dozens before it, 's "ceasefire" in was a ruse. Air strikes began overnight in Khan al-Subl & we've since seen jet strikes, barrel bombs & shelling on multiple targets, incl: Marat al-Numan Ariha Kafranbel Kafrouma Tal al-Sheikh Abu Jurayf Ghadfah Kursiyan

    1 reply 14 retweets 16 likes
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  28. Jan 14

    NEW - Amid a -proclaimed ceasefire in , locals in Khan al-Subl say RuAF jets just bombed their town, despite no fighting in surrounding areas.

    0:18
    فيديو لقصف الطائرات الحربية الروسية بصواريخ شديدة الانفجار محيط بلدة خان السبل جنوب إدلب.
    2 replies 9 retweets 11 likes
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  29. Jan 14

    Update - the attack involved a number of Grad/“Katyusha” rockets, one of which injured an -i guard. No US casualties.

    NEW - Arabic media is reporting a "fierce" rocket and/or missiles attack on U.S. troops in Camp Taji, outside , .
    2 replies 38 retweets 26 likes
  30. Jan 14

    NEW - Arabic media is reporting a "fierce" rocket and/or missiles attack on U.S. troops in Camp Taji, outside , .

    9 replies 154 retweets 122 likes
  31. Jan 14

    : As makes clear, most of the blame for humanitarian failures lies in the political realm. This includes the 's deep dependence on / to operate. This is a useful infographic explaining that problematic dynamic:

    6 retweets 8 likes
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  32. Jan 14

    NEW from : - The Humanitarian Disaster During the Battle for takes a deep-dive into what unfolded during 's final assault on in & why so much went wrong in dealing w. its humanitarian consequences.

    1 reply 9 retweets 21 likes
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  33. Jan 14

    It's extraordinary that 9yrs on, some still push the "if only we hadn't intervened in " argument, as if the world would be a better place now. For starters, it's a mightily immoral proposal, given what we know now. It also ignores how others would have intervened w/o us.

    2 replies 9 retweets 16 likes
  34. Jan 14

    's response to 's killing is far from over, says - expect it to continue for a long while. Bombings, assassinations & stealth tactics - "appearing like a sword and disappearing like a ghost," as said himself.

    1 reply 18 retweets 14 likes
  35. Jan 14

    Killing was "justified & long overdue," fellows & Eric Oehlerich argue. BUT, doing so under covert T-50 authority, or somewhere other than , might have reduced the risk of costly counter-escalation.

    2 replies 6 retweets 3 likes
  36. Jan 14

    THIS puts everything into perspective. Wow. Agency says the world has entered into Earth's 6th era of mass extinction - the 1st caused by humans. 1/3 of the world will need protection from global warming effects by 2030.

    3 replies 34 retweets 32 likes
  37. Jan 13

    I spent 1.5yrs putting together a book on "Non-State Actors" in the , with chapters by the best on the subject, including . The role of NSA's is crucially important & US policy is miles behind.

    I'm excited to reveal the imminent release of "Winning the Battle, Losing the War" Co-edited w. , it has chapters by …
    1 reply 5 retweets 11 likes
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  38. Jan 13

    . is spot on here -- 's greatest strength was his mastery of the 's dominant trend: "non-state actors" in pursuit of 's strategic interests. The U.S. needs to learn his lessons & adapt, or risk losing further.

    6 replies 11 retweets 37 likes
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  39. Jan 13

    This report, along w. others by 's are remarkable - they paint a picture of troops fleeing for safety in -made bunkers, unsure if they'll survive 's missiles. The U.S. had no ability to defend its own troops. A wake up call.

    Gathering from this, it sounds like 's missile attack on U.S. facilities in 's al-Asad base was almost as sophisticated as the attack on 's Abqaiq oil facilities.…
    6 replies 27 retweets 35 likes
  40. Jan 13

    Gathering from this, it sounds like 's missile attack on U.S. facilities in 's al-Asad base was almost as sophisticated as the attack on 's Abqaiq oil facilities. 10 BMs hit, with precision, a SOF compound, 2 hangars & a UAV operator unit

    1 reply 21 retweets 26 likes