Inside the mind of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard

EXCLUSIVE: In part two of my interview with Syrian FM Asaad al-Shaibani @AsaadHShaibani , he draws firm red lines: - #Israel must withdraw to the 7 December 2025 line.” - “We will not sign any agreement while they occupy our land. Withdrawal is non-negotiable.” “The Golan

The MEPS Forum-Cambridge University workshop is underway, with participants exploring the evolving regional order, including the role of Gulf states, Kurdistan, Turkey, Iran and external powers. #MEPS25

A learned, entertaining and ultimately devastating review of a book that seems it might almost have been written to aggravate @TimONeill007… https://t.co/0xOVYu5GUk

Excellent piece Humiliation and Transformation: The Islamic Republic After the 12-Day War https://t.co/sZDCoFfZFH via @FPRI

I wrote a long piece about Mamdani, the Algerian Revolution, and Third Worldism. Mamdani is not an Islamist, a Communist, or a Socialist. In truth, he draws from a very distinct left-wing tradition: Third-Worldism. https://t.co/pALKJY7ywj

Excellent Beyond Bad Borders: How Nationalism, Imperialism, and Power Politics Shaped the Modern Middle East via @TCFdotorg

"If we're not brave enough to say these things, the very future of our society is at stake... Islamism is now a force in our society and our politics. If we surrender to it, we know the demands for Islamic separatism will follow." On free speech and Islam in Britain:

Quite right……

“MacIntyre begat devoted children that he disowned”

For this month’s issue of @TheCriticMag I have reviewed Justin Marozzi’s excellent book on Islamic slavery, past & present:

“In the autumn of the ayatollah, the central question is whether the theocratic regime he has been ruling since 1989 will endure, transform, or implode—and what kind of political order might emerge in its wake,” writes @ksadjadpour. https://t.co/t3DPm8ENAm

The best follow on X: learned, humane, fascinating writings on all things classical.

Iran’s military elites didn’t stay loyal out of love; it’s about survival. Power, privilege, ideology, and fear all locked them in. My paper on why defection isn’t an option, thanks to @FukuyamaFrancis. #Iran #IRGC #GeopoliticsSurvival Over Defection

Both the Iranian regime and those who resist it use myths and ideas about divinity to cultivate support. @SaeidGolkar explores the tales and doctrines that shape political culture in the Islamic Republic, for @newlinesmag.

We return from our summer break with a very important piece. Why has Classical philology recently come under such attack? Are the alleged charges fair? @solveiggold & Joshua Katz expose the shoddy scholarship and cynical idea-laundering behind this trend:

During his visit to the Birmingham Oratory on Wednesday, King Charles III took a keen interest in the large number of faithful who attend the liturgies there and their diversity of backgrounds, as well as that most of them are attracted to the traditional Latin Mass. “Over a

In Birmingham, The King has visited the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, which opened in 1909 in memory of St. John Henry Newman. His Majesty was shown the Cardinal’s Room, which remains exactly as St. John Henry left it when he died in 1890. The room has no heating or electricity

Long and delayed 🧵about ISIS and Syria - bear with me! IS and its supporters have recently shown renewed optimism about the group’s appeal and recruitment potential, esp in Syria, for the first time in years. They’re seizing on two main developments to reassert themselves and

Excellent @BrowneGareth piece on what happened to kidnapped American journalist Austin Tice in Syria.