A piece I wrote for @EngelsbergIdeas on many Syrians' wish for unity despite various actors pushing for an imaginary divided and conquered nation, that even colonial powers did not achieve at the height of their hegemony one hundred years ago.

RT @WashInstitute: On July 3, U.S. envoy Tom Barrack announced that Washington is brokering new border talks between Israel and Syria. How….

We've barely begun to skim the surface of Assad's crimes against humanity. There is abundant evidence not just in the blood-soaked soil but also under mountains of rubble all over Syria, and in the tortured memory of Syrians waiting for accountability.

So far, Zohran Mamdani has been the most likeable & impressive politician not just in US but in the world since Jacinda Ardern. We're all jealous & wish we had people like him. Protect this man, and may he live up to his promises and inspire others to rise to his level.

This is what Hafez Assad used to say, conveniently, about Syria and Lebanon: “one people in two countries. “.

After following news & commentary for a week, I think the people who best know Iran's regime are the Syrians, the only ones who endured de facto occupation of IRGC & the main Iran militias, and who were forcibly displaced en masse for regime's demographic engineering goals.

Sur LCI, dans le contexte de l'attaque israélienne contre l'Iran, une journaliste dit que le monde avait changé le 7 octobre 2023. Je pense que le grand changement s'est produit le 24 février 2022, lui-même conséquence du laissez-faire en Syrie & en Crimée. L'impunité coûte cher.

RT @RymMomtaz: Me. Every day.

Is there any country in the region that Israel does not want to partition into little pieces? This J Post editorial asks Trump to "forge a Middle East coalition for Iran’s partition and encourage long-term plans for a federalized or partitioned Iran.".

Just a little joke to break the tension. P.S. Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦

Yes, and like Netanyahu’s Iran war, so was Khamenei's long-planned, recklessly pursued, and perilous war in Syria and the greater Levant for the better part of the last two decades. Israel’s impunity sets a dangerous precedent - and so did Iran's.

This could have been Bashar Assad's silver jubilee on the throne of the hereditary republic. 25 years ago today, Hafez Assad died and bequeathed Syria to his son who could hardly wait to bury him and rule. The rest is history.

RT @HussamHamoud: A new fabricated story from the so-called “Syrian Observatory for Human Rights @syriahr” falsely claims that a video of a….

So far, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly have been overwhelmingly respected in Syria. We must ensure they remain a civil right protected by the constitution along with all the other personal rights, and not a temporary exception. Onward and upward.

One component of Syrian public life has been absent over the last months: where is the political opposition? Why are Syrians not being addressed with political agendas, manifestos, ideas, principles? Are they waiting until the 11th hour just before elections in less than 5 years?.

It's heartening to see real efforts towards progress from several ministers and ministries, especially those who speak directly to the population while measuring their promises and managing expectations. Personally, I find poetry less actionable (a point Syrians will understand).

They should get official spokespeople already, and not let ministers give what they think are press conferences – they are not. They should upgrade their written comms too, it’s still too reminiscent of SANA and nobody wants that.

However, many Syrians are fed up with the lack of transparency and the lack of a clear communication process. They don’t want to have to look for news, rumors and statements on miscellaneous Telegram channels.

One notably positive impression Sharaa & his team give is that they listen to others. In most meetings, he holds a pen & jots down notes; he seems aware of public discontent about various issues. Appointments & decisions are centralized, but it is understandable at this stage.

The Great Umayyad Mosque of Damascus has survived 13 centuries without needing the current administration’s stupid measures to separate men and women. Stop being so ridiculous and don't infringe on our rights to enter Syrian public places, holy or otherwise, as we always have.

Religious or ideological interference in civil matters is just as unacceptable. For example, there have been scattered checks on men & women seen together in public: their relationship is nobody’s business. Don’t allow these men to harass and badger free Syrians: rein them in.