The “Middle East” was never about geography. It was a colonial invention, from Churchill’s maps to Admiral Mahan’s naval strategy. At The Amargi launch, MP Cengiz Çandar explained how this invention still shapes global politics. Full panel here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQnK...

Since October 7, the status of local, regional, and global powers in the Middle East has changed dramatically. To help us understand these complexities & the new power dynamics, I was joined by Prof. Hamit Bozarslan in an interview for @theamargi.bsky.social. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezZV...

How is the situation of journalists in the Middle East? Across MENA, journalism is one of the most dangerous professions. This is why we founded The Amargi. As Editor-in-Chief, @KamalChomani.bsky.social sets out our vision in his full speech: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBu-...

“We launch The Amargi as a promise — to reflect the dignity of our peoples, honour past sacrifices, and create space for new generations to dream and act.” Read Editor-in-Chief @kamalchomani.bsky.social’s full vision here: theamargi.com/posts/the-am...

🗣 At our launch today, Kamal Chomani is reminding us why independent media matters. Here are five powerful lines from his speech. 🧵 #TheAmargiLaunches #TheAmargi

At our launch today, keynote speaker Bachtyar Ali is reflecting on exile, intellectual life, and freedom. Here are some of his most powerful words. 🧵 #TheAmargiLaunches #TheAmargi

Panel 1 of our launch is rethinking the Middle East amid shifting power & crisis. Speakers: Cengiz Çandar, Abbas Vali, Joost Jongerden, Rojin Mukryan & Shilan Fuad Hussein. They’re opening vital debates on peace, democracy, gender & climate. #TheAmargiLaunches

Yesterday we launched The Amargi in Leipzig with powerful conversations on “Reimagining the Middle East Amid Geopolitical Recalibration.” Our work begins here: to challenge silence, resist erasure, and amplify truth. #TheAmargiLaunches

The Middle East is in flux. New alliances, shifting power, and competing visions are reshaping the region. Professor Hamit Bozarslan joins @kamalchomani.bsky.social to unpack what’s at stake. 🗓️ The Amargi launches Sept 20. Stay tuned.

Three years ago, Jina (Mahsa) Amini, a young Kurdish woman, died in the custody of Iran’s “morality police.” Her death became the spark of a movement: Jin, Jiyan, Azadî – Woman, Life, Freedom. 🧵 Her story ⬇️

📢 We’re officially launching! Join us on September 20th in Leipzig for The Amargi’s launch event: “Reimagining the Middle East Amid Geopolitical Recalibration” 📍 URBN JUNGLE Leipzig – A Future City Lab 🕐 13:00 – 18:00 (Dinner at 19:00) ➡️ Register now: [email protected]

We’re launching with one of the most influential Kurdish writers of our time! Bachtyar Ali, author of the internationally acclaimed novel The Last Pomegranate Tree and winner of the Nelly-Sachs Prize, will deliver the keynote speech at The Amargi’s official launch in Leipzig on September 20th.

COMING SOON! Dear friends, please follow and like @theamargi.bsky.social, a new independent media project I have founded with a group of journalists, academics, and activists here in Leipzig, Germany. More to come in the next few hours, days, weeks! Stay tuned!

Los kurdos de Irán en una encrucijada Algunos kurdos ven la guerra actual como una oportunidad, mientras que otros comprenden su vulnerabilidad ante la brutalidad del régimen iraní. 🖋️ @kamalchomani.bsky.social 👇🔥

My new Middle East Forum piece where I analyse how Kurds in Iran remain hesitant to trigger uprisings amid the Iran-Israel war, although they want to see a regime change. When the future is unpredictable, pushing change becomes difficult, especially without unity. www.meforum.org/mef-observer...

We're so proud of your excellent work Kamal - keep it up!

New publication alert! I'm happy to share that my article, "Martyrdom as a Mask: Unveiling Symbolic Violence in Iraqi Kurdistan’s Civil War Aftermath," has been published in Terrorism and Political Violence. It’s open access and available to read here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Last week in Athens, the Centre for Mediterranean, Middle East & Islamic Studies hosted a conference titled "The Kurdish Issue and Developments in the Middle East," where I delivered a speech during the 3rd panel. My speech begins at minute 21 and continues until 35. www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJ-A...

My interview with @4zzzradio.bsky.social on the recent developments in Turkey and Syria in relation to the new peace initiative, the Kurdish politics and Kurdish question. 4zzz.org.au/program/para...

The new Syrian regime under Ahmed al-Sharaa insists arms belong to the state. Absolutely, but only if the state is legitimate & approved by the peoples. But al-Sharaa rebuilt Assad's regime. For Syrians, there's no real difference b/n Sunni Islamist or Alawite Baathist dictators.

In my latest for the Middle East Forum, I write that Kurdish unity is an illusion, & the unity the Kurdish parties seek is futile, but why? The bigger question is Unity on what? www.meforum.org/mef-observer...

By Turkish standards, Israel has legitimate security concerns to attack & occupy Syrian land. In fact, no regional countries have occupied and massacred the Syrian people other than the Turkish army. What Israel is doing is just following the Turkish footprints.

La elección de Ahmed al Sharaa para muftí de Siria demuestra que no es un moderado El nuevo régimen seguirá ignorando la diversidad étnica y religiosa del país. 🖋️ @kamalchomani.bsky.social 👇🔥

In my latest piece for The Middle East Forum, I highlight four significant fatwas: two issued by Iraqi Shi'a Marja' leaders in support of the Kurds & one by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979 & another from 2018 by the newly appointed Syrian Grand Mufti against the Kurds. www.meforum.org/mef-observer...

Our colleague @kamalchomani.bsky.social gave an excellent interview on Öcalan's call for peace and a democratic society in Turkey, analyzing how realistic this call is and what implications it may have. Check out the full interview in @derfreitag.bsky.social: www.freitag.de/autoren/sham...

My interview with @derfreitag.bsky.social on Öcalan's call for peace and a democratic society in Turkey, conducted by @shamjaff.bsky.social Read it here: www.freitag.de/autoren/sham...

The trauma of the 2013-2015 peace process should not weaken our resolve for peace in Turkey. While trusting the Turkish state may be naive, losing faith in peace itself and the sacrifices it requires would be a true tragedy.

Öcalan is set to call for silencing arms, extending a hand for peace & democracy. The PKK welcomes his call, as will Kurds worldwide. This is a renewal of his decades-long fight for freedom & peace. Then, the Turkish state must act responsibly & embrace this golden opportunity.

My latest for the Middle East Forum: New Iraqi Kurdish Cabinet Prioritizes Fiefdoms Over Unity The KDP and PUK may have mutual interests, but they have no common values. Any arrangements between them will be fleeting, cosmetic, or weak. www.meforum.org/mef-observer...

The IR team would like to invite you to an online panel discussion on ‘Indigenous peoples and local communities and their importance for protecting biodiversity - Perspectives from COP 16’.

So relentless has been Israel’s assault, and so complete the destruction in northern Gaza that a former Israeli defence minister described the military’s actions there as ‘ethnic cleansing’. Here's how the Israeli military erased a town of 200,000 people in Gaza. on.ft.com/3DTS14e

Irak ofrece lecciones y advertencias para una nueva Siria El repentino colapso del régimen de Bashar al Asad en Siria abrió un nuevo capítulo sin precedentes en la historia moderna del país. 🖋️ @kamalchomani.bsky.social 👇🔥 kurdlat.com/irak-leccion...

In this @newlinesmag.bsky.social piece, I explore why Iraq’s path, despite its post-2003 challenges, offers valuable lessons for Syria to pursue. How can Syria emulate Iraq’s successes while avoiding its pitfalls? newlinesmag.com/spotlight/ir...

this is an excellent deep dive into the promises and risks as Syria attempts to create responsible self-government from @kamalchomani.bsky.social

NEW: Syria’s new phase demands bold steps and inclusive leadership. Lessons from post-Saddam Iraq — federalism, consensus and pragmatic reform — could illuminate the path, writes Kamal Chomani. newlinesmag.com/spotlight/ir...

Good piece by @kamalchomani.bsky.social for @newlinesmag.bsky.social. Iraq Offers Lessons and Warnings for a New Syria. newlinesmag.com/spotlight/ir...

"The two countries, which share a lengthy border, experienced numerous military coups in the 20th century before both coalescing around Baath Party dictatorships." @kamalchomani.bsky.social @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/spotlight/ir...

Check out my latest for the Middle East Forum on why and how Delisting the PKK, or at Least Lifting the Bounty on Its Three Leaders, Would Have Several Immediate Benefits for the Kurds and the U.S. in the region. www.meforum.org/mef-observer...

🌟Glad to share my peer-reviewed paper, "Corruption and Kurdish Nationalism: A Case Study of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq," published in the Polish Journal of Political Science. Grateful to everyone who supported me on this journey! @ir-unileipzig.bsky.social centrum.tdb.uw.edu.pl/corruption-a...

Otra revolución secuestrada en Oriente Medio La caída del presidente sirio Bashar al-Assad pone de relieve una vez más la discrepancia entre los líderes de Oriente Medio y la voluntad de los pueblos. 🖋️ @kamalchomani.bsky.social 👇🔥 kurdlat.com/revolucion-s...

Season's greetings from the whole IR Team at Leipzig University! "We will live. We will kiss the sun and we will fill the world with vitality and hope. We will win." Narges Mohammadi, Nobel Peace Prize Winner 2023

Check out my latest piece for the Middle East Forum on the Kurdish and regional blocs competing in the new #Syria. I will elaborate on the dynamics & the complex alliances shaping Syria and the region and their impact on stability and geopolitics. www.meforum.org/mef-observer...

📃 Manifestations of Justice in Global South(s): From Human Rights to Human Security (Steve Wahku Khaemba) 📃 (In)visible Chains: Mapping and Analyzing Informal Networks in the Peshmerga Forces in Kurdistan (@kamalchomani.bsky.social, @tamimkara.bsky.social & @sushobhanparida.bsky.social)

📃 Evolution of Counterinsurgency Strategies in Turkey and Colombia after the end of their respective peace processes from 2016 to the present (Evelyn Gonzalez Guevara) 📃 Political Legitimating Processes in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq from 1991 to 2023 (@kamalchomani.bsky.social)

With the celebration & divination of HTS leader Jolani by Arabi media, one can see a psychological paradox from the very ppl who understand one of the roots of the issues of the Middle East comes from “charismatic, strong leaders” who reduced the state in themselves, yet they crave for such leaders.

My latest for the Middle East Forum, titled; Another Revolution Gets Hijacked in the Middle East I argue that To believe Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Muhammad al-Jawlani will become a democratic statesman is self-deception. www.meforum.org/mef-observer... #SDF #Rojava #Syria #HTS #Turkey

Our colleague Kamal Chomani (@kamalchomani.bsky.social) recently published a book review titled "Between Diplomacy and Non-Diplomacy: Foreign Relations of Kurdistan-Iraq and Palestine" in the Kurdish Studies Journal. You can check out his review here: brill.com/view/journal....

On Dec. 4th, we had the privilege of welcoming Prof. Janina Dill (@janinadill.bsky.social) from the University of Oxford (@ox.ac.uk) for a guest lecture titled "International Law in Gaza: Belligerent Intent and Provisional Measures“, organized by Prof. Solveig Richter (@solveigrichter.bsky.social).

I am happy to share that my book review, titled Between Diplomacy and Non-Diplomacy: Foreign Relations of Kurdistan-Iraq and Palestine, was published by the Kurdish Studies Journal . I’d happily share the PDF version with those interested in reading it. brill.com/view/journal...