The Split Hinge: Why an Iran Deal (Still) Runs Through Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, By Ethan Chorin open.substack.com/pub/ethancho...

"The event coincided with the launch of the English edition of Fadel Abdulghany’s book, titled: The Assad Regime’s Use of Chemical Weapons in a Non-International Armed Conflict..." snhr.org/blog/2026/05...

"If we truly care for our soldiers and don’t want their lives wasted on wars of choice, then we need to reckon with the culture of Memorial Day and the nationalistic and militaristic undercurrents to the way we mourn the dead." substack.com/@rosscaputi/...

Islamic Republic talking points always conveniently conflate US/Western support for Iraq, really from 1982 on & after Iran carried the war back into Iraq, with the first 2 years of the conflict. www.tehrantimes.com/news/526750/...

The Islamic Republic of Iran wasted no time in linking the celebration of Khorramshahr's liberation from Iraq in 1982 to the current war with the US & Israel. www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/...

"My unit lost 21 men during our 2004 deployment to Iraq. So, on Memorial Day, I have plenty of names to remember. But I won’t honor them. We should always remember & mourn the dead—all the dead, from all wars, everywhere." @rosscaputi.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/rosscapu...

From 'Baby Shah' to Bond villains, Iran war coverage has reached new heights of absurdity - https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/baby-shah-bond-villains-iran-war-coverage-has-reached-new-heights-absurdity

"The IRGC may or may not still be a highly ideological corps, but either way they know how to recognize the needs of the regime & act accordingly." -Amatzia Baram www.gisreportsonline.com/r/iran-decis...

"[A]uthorities said they arrested several former officers & officials accused of involvement in violations & crimes committed during the years of the former Assad regime." english.enabbaladi.net/archives/202...

Warnings are only protective when civilians can realistically comply and expect reduced risk. Without secured corridors, they're risk transfer, not mitigation. warontherocks.com/2026/05/the-...

The next TARII Modern Iraq Convening webinar is Thursday May 28th. Registration is required. This workshop will be held entirely in Arabic. www.tarii.org/events/2026/...

"After the fall of the regime, the owners and their heirs saw an opportunity to reclaim rights confiscated by Assad’s government. Instead, they were confronted with the ministry’s decision to uphold the expropriation decree & move forward with new investment plans." daraj.media/en/syriana-s...

I was honored to have my third piece published by the Institute for Future Conflict. It features the work of Gareth Browne @economist.com, along with the prior & future work of the History & Public Policy Program, launching soon @umdpublicpolicy.bsky.social. ifc.usafa.edu/articles/ame...

EU Eases Sanctions on Syrian State Institutions but Keeps Squeeze on Assad-Era Tycoons www.occrp.org/en/news/eu-e...

"Currently, we are working with the Syrian Government on the comprehensive identification, declaration & destruction of all components of the Syrian chemical weapons programme." www.opcw.org/media-centre...

"A full set of trial banknotes from the Central Bank of Iraq, dating from 1990, featuring Saddam Hussein that were never printed due to the First Gulf War, will be offered at Noonans in an auction of World Banknotes on Wednesday, May 27, 2026." www.numismaticnews.net/newly-discov...

"The son of a former officer in Saddam Hussein’s security team has been granted asylum in the UK after a judge ruled that he risked being murdered in Iraq." @thetimes.com www.thetimes.com/uk/law/artic...

This is gonna be good. Can’t wait.

Some professional news, a long time coming! Watch this space for updates. @scribnerbooks.bsky.social

"By preserving & presenting these original artifacts, the National Cold War Center will offer visitors a rare opportunity to experience the physical presence of the Wall while exploring the global events, tensions & decisions that shaped the modern world." www.actionnews5.com/2026/05/15/3...

✨ Happening today! Join us for our Critical Muslim Studies featured panel: “𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗺 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆.” 🕛 𝟭𝟮 𝗣𝗠 𝗖𝗧 / 𝟭 𝗣𝗠 𝗘𝗧 🎙️ Nora Zaki Mantas 🎙️ Jaye Starr 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: zoom.us/meeting/regi...

President Trump is confronting a challenge with Iran’s nuclear program that is partly of his own making: a mountain of highly enriched uranium that Tehran has refused to hand over despite two months of war.

Full story: www.newarab.com/news/familie...

Thanks, Michael! We were happy that you were able to contribute!

The Digital Archive & History and Public Policy Program have migrated from the @wilsoncenter.org to @umdpublicpolicy.bsky.social. The links to records at the old DA site no longer work, but everything was preserved for the transition, which will be official by end of summer. digitalarchive.umd.edu

In April 2026, Amjad Youssef confessed to killing 40 people “on his own initiative.” Our new investigation reveals a different story: 22 internal documents from Assad’s Military Intelligence Division show orders, a chain of command, and multiple branches involved. aljumhuriya.net/en/2026/05/1...

📖 New Publication! CNSS lead Professor Målfrid Braut-Hegghammer contributed a chapter in the new book 'Ba‘thist Iraq Through Archives: Reflections, Explorations, and Opportunities' (@stanfordpress.bsky.social). Her chapter examines the potential for more pol sci research using Iraqi sources:

Excited to receive my contributor copy of this new @stanfordpress.bsky.social volume, "Ba'thist Iraq Through Archives: Reflections, Explorations, & Opportunities," assembled & edited by @lisablaydes.bsky.social & @samuelhelfont.bsky.social!

New from Dale Stahl on the blog: "Iraq’s current environmental crisis is often told as a story of rising temperatures, population growth, drought and desertification....But Iraq’s ecological vulnerabilities were written into the country’s landscape much earlier" blog.sup.org/history/a-cr...

An air force designed purely to survive isn't designed to win. Resilience without offense just gives your enemy a free hand. warontherocks.com/2026/05/miss...

Join us next Wednesday for a 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐦 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥 on 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐦 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲. Featuring: • 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐚 𝐙𝐚𝐤𝐢 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐬, Dominican University • 𝐉𝐚𝐲𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐫, Association of Muslim Chaplains 🗓 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟎 ⏰ 𝟏𝟐 𝐏𝐌 𝐂𝐓 / 𝟏 𝐏𝐌 𝐄𝐓 🔗 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫: zoom.us/meeting/regi...

"China is now openly asserting itself on the world stage, & the Middle East is where this shift is most visible." -Danielle Schmitz, Institute for Future Conflict ifc.usafa.edu/articles/chi...

"This is important for Iraq & for the Kurdish minority. It shows Baghdad is serious about justice. It also shows that perpetrators cannot assume they will be able to hide & get away with crimes." @sfrantzman.bsky.social @thejerusalempost.bsky.social www.jpost.com/middle-east/...

"Baghdad's Rusafa Criminal Court sentenced a former security officer of Saddam Hussein's regime to death on Thursday over crimes committed at Nuqrat al-Salman prison, including the rape of a Kurdish woman detained during the Anfal campaigns..." shafaq.com/en/Security/...

The Latest Red Sea Futures Weekly Intelligence Brief: Workarounds Gel Amidst New Threats Of War open.substack.com/pub/redseafu...

Missed our recent lecture with Ramazan Aras? The full recording of “𝐊𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐚𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐝” — part of Zahra Institute’s Spring 2026 Speaker Series, moderated by Matthew Niemi — is now live. Watch the full lecture here 👇 youtu.be/83QtcESAY1Y?...

Missed our recent lecture with Hajjar Baban? The full recording of “𝙎𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙢: 𝙉𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙄𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙆𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙋𝙤𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨” — part of Zahra Institute’s Spring 2026 Speaker Series, moderated by Kaveh Ghobadi — is now live. Watch the full lecture here 👇 youtu.be/zYeGFvLzORI

Former detainees and digital reconstructions expose the violence and trauma of Syria's 'human slaughterhouse' Sednaya prison in a Berlin exhibition:

External actors often imagine Iran as a collection of detachable ethnic blocs. Yet its communities are so historically intertwined that separatism is almost inconceivable. Why Iran will not fracture along ethnic lines | Ibrahim al-Marashi and Tanya Goudsouzian engelsbergideas.com/notebook/why...

"The ambiguity surrounding the dissemination of these videos risks becoming a new cycle of violence: do they serve as evidence, spectacle, or fuel for revenge?" daraj.media/en/syrian-to...

"As China enhances the survivability of its undersea deterrent, the United States must adapt its ASW posture & crisis management strategy to preserve deterrence without undermining regional stability." -Maeve Daley, Institute for Future Conflict ifc.usafa.edu/articles/ass...

Missed our Annual Lecture in Chicago? The full recording of “The Cultural Foundations of Kurdish Identity in the Nineteenth Century” — part of Zahra Institute’s Annual Lecture series, featuring Metin Atmaca — is now live. Watch the full lecture here 👇 youtu.be/YM23Ej0771s

"Disclosure without verification, possession without independence, & circulation without protection do not produce accountability — they produce an appearance of evidence after its legal substance has been compromised." -Fadel Abdulghani, Syrian Network for Human Rights snhr.org/blog/2026/05...

"USAID served a significant, widely understated function in the United States' national security policy, especially in shoring up US soft power defense against its adversaries." -Ava Knox, Institute for Future Conflict ifc.usafa.edu/articles/the...

"After the fall of the Ba’ath regime in 2003, Ajaj faked his own death and evaded justice for decades, fleeing to Syria before later living under a false identity in Iraq’s central Salahaddin province." www.rudaw.net/english/midd...

𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲! Join Professor 𝐑𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐚𝐬 at 𝟏𝟐 𝐏𝐌 𝐂𝐓 / 𝟏 𝐏𝐌 𝐄𝐓 for an engaging talk on “𝘒𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘒𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘚𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘢𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘥.” 👉 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: zoom.us/meeting/regi... See you soon!

Leaked meeting minutes show Russia’s deputy defense minister leaning on Syria to pay a $37-million bill for keeping oil flowing. Months after that meeting, the regime of Bashar al-Assad fell. Syria’s new government has continued to negotiate over its $1.2 billion debt. www.occrp.org/en/scoop/rus...

Honored to have contributed to the latest Red Sea Futures Brief with @ethanchorin.bsky.social, Fatima Abo Alasrar, Patrick Theros, & Roy Facey. War Over (On Paper). Edges (Very) Hot open.substack.com/pub/redseafu...

"Now, in Part Two, Drogin recounts how Watson’s efforts to get the CIA to come clean were stymied at every turn, ruining his career—& why he’s taken the agency to court to set the record straight." @spytalker.bsky.social www.spytalk.co/p/a-cia-offi...

"The partnership, through the school’s History and Public Policy Program, will guide early planning and development, including community engagement with scholars & policymakers...." www.kait8.com/2026/05/04/n...