In the NYT, a few words from William H. McRaven, the former commander of the United States Special Operations Command, and architect of the Bin Laden raid: “There was an underlying current of frustration, humiliation, anger and fear that echoed across the sidelines. The America that they believed in was under attack, not from without, but from within.” Our Republic Is Under Attack From the President. (It’s amazing, even now, that an article by this person with this headline just sort of blends into another crazy news day.)

+ “He very much wants the cease-fire, or pause, to work. Likewise, the Kurds want it. Too bad there wasn’t this thinking years ago.” That’s the very stable genius on the pause in fighting that allows the Kurds to retreat, the US to surrender its influence, and Turkey to get everything they want. NYT: Kurds Reported to Be Pulling Out of Syria ‘Safe Zone’ as Fighting Eases.

+ “Activists on the ground and digital sleuths have spent years documenting chemical attacks and barrel bombs. Now they’re facing a brutal truth.” MIT Tech Review: Technology exposed Syrian war crimes over and over. Was it for nothing? (In some ways this is the internet’s ultimate rug pull. We assumed knowing more about what was happening in the world would make it harder for thugs to operate freely. It turns out, it just meant we knew more.)