Lmao

It’s unbelievably funny that all of senior US military command is being summoned into the capitol at the same time there may be a government shutdown and the range of possibilities span from Whiskey Kegseth doing an anti-woke TED talk to a Ba'athist purge of the entire command chain.

🚨🎙️ Friends –– David Adler, Anton Jäger and I are restarting our 'Eurotrash' podcast. Our first ep back is actually an important one, with David reporting from the Global Sumud Flotilla currently en route to Gaza, bearing aid and being attacked by drones. Listen in! www.patreon.com/posts/15-eur...

Map I threw together for this week's newsletter, showing some key sites in recent clashes along the eastern Aleppo front lines btw Gov't and SDF akmckeever.substack.com/p/this-week-...

You would not believe how loud the crickets are outside my parents’ house in Brooklyn these days… I don’t remember this from childhood

Map I threw together for this week's newsletter, showing some key sites in recent clashes along the eastern Aleppo front lines btw Gov't and SDF akmckeever.substack.com/p/this-week-...

One thing that's significantly improved with the new gov't is the quality of photos and videos on state media. Cool pics from ongoing SAA firefighting ops in Latakia published by MoD today t.me/Sy_Defense/1...

This week's newsletter covering: -al-Shar' and al-Shaibani's UNGA trip to NYC -Govt/SDF clashes in eastern Aleppo and al-Sheikh Maqsoud -Seized property reclamation process in Afrin -US Syria diplomats fired -PYD 22nd anniversary -Election date announced akmckeever.substack.com/p/this-week-...

This week's newsletter covering: -al-Shar' and al-Shaibani's UNGA trip to NYC -Govt/SDF clashes in eastern Aleppo and al-Sheikh Maqsoud -Seized property reclamation process in Afrin -US Syria diplomats fired -PYD 22nd anniversary -Election date announced akmckeever.substack.com/p/this-week-...

A painting by my deceased uncle Kent of what seems to be a 24-class sloop in dazzle camouflage

Joint HRW/Syrians for Truth & Justice/Syrian Archive report I contributed to on the open source side of things, covering the March coastal massacres www.hrw.org/report/2025/...

good reminder that things are never as simple as tribes vs SDF, Arabs vs Kurds, and that at least some locals joined IS for highly pragmatic reasons, later going on to join the SDF

Bio of a key SDF-aligned 'Agidat sheikh from al-Shuhail. Bounced around from early opposition to Islamic State to Turkey before returning to Deir ez-Zour in 2023. Exemplary of the constantly fluctuating Deiri tribal politics over the course of the war shaykhzubayr.substack.com/p/ammar-al-h...

For the public record I put together a thread of the 12 geolocated execution videos filmed during the massacres, as well as 8 others that we were not able to geolocate (at least 4 are potentially geolocatable) x.com/SYRgeolocati...

Joint HRW/Syrians for Truth & Justice/Syrian Archive report I contributed to on the open source side of things, covering the March coastal massacres www.hrw.org/report/2025/...

(some more confirmed than others)

An update on SNA faction and commander assignments within the new Syrian military as well as brief profiles of Syria's northwestern-most and northeastern-most bridges akmckeever.substack.com/p/weekend-no...

(some more confirmed than others)

An update on SNA faction and commander assignments within the new Syrian military as well as brief profiles of Syria's northwestern-most and northeastern-most bridges akmckeever.substack.com/p/weekend-no...

Usually not a big fan of Balanche’s maps but this one is an effective visualization of late Ottoman political geography

"So this is the latest evolution of band kids. Kind of cloying, desperate for approval, really liable to get into unfunny in-jokes, furry references. 'Hey fascist, catch this'--an epic video game reference...He's trying to be epic." maxread.substack.com/p/what-type-...

This week's newsletter covering: -Gov't/SDF clashes in Aleppo and Deir ez-Zour -CENTCOM cmdr visits al-Shar' -Turkish Police/Jandarma vacated Afrin bases -al-Shar' and Erdogan meet in Doha -ENKS invited to Damascus -Ocalan's letter to Arab tribes and more... akmckeever.substack.com/p/this-week-...

This week's newsletter covering: -Gov't/SDF clashes in Aleppo and Deir ez-Zour -CENTCOM cmdr visits al-Shar' -Turkish Police/Jandarma vacated Afrin bases -al-Shar' and Erdogan meet in Doha -ENKS invited to Damascus -Ocalan's letter to Arab tribes and more... akmckeever.substack.com/p/this-week-...

A not perfect but much more accurate map of the northern border areas purple = Arabs, green = Kurds, yellow = Syriac/Assyrian, red = Turkmen, pink = mixed The DAANES areas not mapped here are essentially all Sunni Arab qgiscloud.com/AriyanNewzad...

how are people still using these shitty Michael Izady maps

On the many shortcomings of Syria's upcoming "elections" and the powers of the People's Assembly as laid out in this year's Constitutional Declaration www.syriaintransition.com/rubberstampr...

@ajaltamimi.bsky.social for Syria in Transition on the National Guard alliance in Suwayda and its inclusion of former regime figures www.syriaintransition.com/thesubnation...

On the landowning-bureaucratic class of late Ottoman Damascus, (with slight echoes in) @omarkadkoy.bsky.social on Turkey "cultivating a class of Turkish-educated Syrian elites," and some photos from a friend's July trip thru SNA and SDF parts of the Euphrates akmckeever.substack.com/p/weekend-no...

On the landowning-bureaucratic class of late Ottoman Damascus, (with slight echoes in) @omarkadkoy.bsky.social on Turkey "cultivating a class of Turkish-educated Syrian elites," and some photos from a friend's July trip thru SNA and SDF parts of the Euphrates akmckeever.substack.com/p/weekend-no...

“Decree (143) not only contradicts international standards and treaties but also violates the Syrian Constitutional Declaration, which recognizes all international treaties ratified by the state as an integral part of the declaration (Article 12).”

This week's random weekend post (it's still weekend here in NYC) akmckeever.substack.com/p/weekend-no...

This week's random weekend post (it's still weekend here in NYC) akmckeever.substack.com/p/weekend-no...

Some photos a friend took during a crossline July trip from Jarabulus to Raqqah. -tank destroyed during Dec battle near Qaraqozak -SNA fighter at Qal'at Najm -Tabqah dam -Fishing in Raqqah www.instagram.com/charlescuau/...

Pepe is not a far right meme, it’s a meme that has been popular among very online people in general, including but not exclusive to the far right. No use in jumping to conclusions based on little tidbits of information

This week’s newsletter including: -DAANES bans govt curriculum -attempt to restart Sheikh Maqsoud agreement -Turkish security forces begin to withdraw from northern Aleppo -latest al-Houl sweep -clashes on al-Raqqah front lines -Damascus outreach to ENKS akmckeever.substack.com/p/this-week-...

So on the one hand you have someone providing a narrative with zero sources or evidence and on the other hand you have someone providing the opposite narrative retweeting a video with no 0 analysis done confirming it. Great work all around

Greek Orthodox diocese of Aleppo sends a delegation to al-Sheikh Maqsoud for an Apo photo op hawarnews.com/ar/128350

This week’s newsletter including: -DAANES bans govt curriculum -attempt to restart Sheikh Maqsoud agreement -Turkish security forces begin to withdraw from northern Aleppo -latest al-Houl sweep -clashes on al-Raqqah front lines -Damascus outreach to ENKS akmckeever.substack.com/p/this-week-...

Shaibani, Ali al-Na'san (Chief of Gen Staff), Hussein al-Salamah (Intel chief), and Maher al-Shar' (big bro) at today's meeting with Russian MoD delegation

A meandering post on the upper Khabour, its Assyrian and Caucasian populations, and some key sites akmckeever.substack.com/p/weekend-no...

not gonna turn the sound on but i assume hegseth is doing slam poetry

A meandering post on the upper Khabour, its Assyrian and Caucasian populations, and some key sites akmckeever.substack.com/p/weekend-no...

tbf it could just be that he thinks F35s are cool

Did not miss c. 2025 American pharmacies at all

The only thing from NYC/US I had a physical craving for the last 8 months

Links to a number of recent podcasts and interviews I enjoyed, as well as some articles, a map of al-Suwayda' demographics, and more akmckeever.substack.com/p/weekend-no...

Saudia airlines offers Vision 2030 as on-flight reading material

This week's newsletter: continuation of small scale clashes around Tishrin dam, Deir ez-Zour - albeit seemingly less than the last several weeks. US congressional visit coinciding with sanctions relief and attempts to get Gov-SDF talks back on track... akmckeever.substack.com/p/this-week-...

This week's newsletter: continuation of small scale clashes around Tishrin dam, Deir ez-Zour - albeit seemingly less than the last several weeks. US congressional visit coinciding with sanctions relief and attempts to get Gov-SDF talks back on track... akmckeever.substack.com/p/this-week-...