Marc Lynch | Lightnews

Abu Aardvark

@abuaardvark.bsky.social

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Marc Lynch. GW Professor, POMEPS commander, Brewers fan. The one true Abu Aardvark. AMERICA’S MIDDLE EAST. Find me at https://abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io

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Marc Lynch is a Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University, where he is also director of both the Institute for Middle East Studies and the Middle East Studies Program. .. more

Political science 59%

Sociology 30%

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Abu Aardvark @abuaardvark.bsky.social · Aug 14

“Written with passion, precision, honesty and courage. Essential reading on how American myopia, bias and hypocrisy set the stage for Gaza” — David D. Kirkpatrick

“The world needs this book, now more than ever.’ — Fida Jiryis

Pre-order America’s Middle East

www.hurstpublishers.com/book/america...

America's Middle East | Hurst Publishers

From the Gulf War to Gaza, a compelling critique of how and why Washington ensnared itself so destructively in the Middle East.

www.hurstpublishers.com

Abu Aardvark @abuaardvark.bsky.social · 3h

Well deserved—Proud to have published this great book in our @columbiaup.bsky.social series!

Max Gallien @maxgallien.bsky.social · Apr 10

My book on "Smugglers and States" has won the Theodore J. Lowi First Book Award by @apsa.bsky.social and @ipsa.org. I'm surprised and honored and thrilled to be in the company of some really great books that won in recent years.
www.ipsa.org/na/news/max-...

Max Gallien Named the Recipient of the 2025 APSA-IPSA Theodore J. Lowi First Book Award

Max Gallien has been named as the recipient of the 2025 APSA-IPSA Theodore J. Lowi First Book Award for his first book titled Smugglers and States: Negotiating the Maghreb at Its Margins,

www.ipsa.org

Abu Aardvark @abuaardvark.bsky.social · 18h

Yes!

global.oup.com/academic/pro...

global.oup.com

Abu Aardvark @abuaardvark.bsky.social · 18h

Family rocking out and dancing to that great Beatles song that goes “she was just seventeen if you know what I mean I admired her respectfully and then walked away without touching her” at least that’s the lyrics I’m going with

the beatles are playing guitars and singing into microphones on a stage .

ALT: the beatles are playing guitars and singing into microphones on a stage .

media.tenor.com

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Kori Schake, Marc Lynch , and 12 more Stephen M. Walt, Kori Schake, Marc Lynch, Kim L. Scheppele, Elizabeth Saunders, Matthew Bunn, Nancy Kanwisher, Brendan Nyhan, John Horgan, Rosemary A. Joyce, David R. Miller, Ann Bartow, Greg Linden, Christina Pagel, Dan Immergluck

Ryan Goodman @rgoodlaw.bsky.social · 21h

Former US military lawyers speak out:

"The Former JAGs Working Group unanimously considers both the giving and the execution of these orders, if true, to constitute war crimes, murder, or both."

Statement on Media Reports of Pentagon “No Quarter” Orders in Caribbean Boat Strikes

1/2

• If the U.S. military operation to interdict and destroy suspected narcotraFicking vessels is a “non-international armed conflict,” as the Trump Administration suggests, orders to “kill everybody,” which can reasonably be regarded as an order to give “no quarter,” and
to “double-tap” a target in order to kill survivors, are clearly illegal under international law. In short, they are war crimes.
• If the U.S. military operation is not an armed conflict of any kind, these orders to kill helpless civilians clinging to the wreckage of a vessel our military destroyed would subject everyone from SECDEF down to the individual who pulled the trigger to prosecution under U.S. law for murder.

Highlighted sentence at the end of the document reads:

Again, the bottom line is that, since orders to kill survivors of an attack at sea are “patently illegal,” anyone who issues or follows such orders can and should be prosecuted for war crimes, murder, or both.

Reposted by Marc Lynch

Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 22h

The hate crime charge against Alexa Wilkinson for photographing vandalism of the New York Times building is a dangerous precedent, no matter what you think of Wilkinson.

Journalist or not, photography isn’t a hate crime

Gatekeeping over hate crime charges misses the forest for the trees

freedom.press

Reposted by Marc Lynch

Robert Kelchen @robertkelchen.com · 1d

It seems like international students from many popular countries just aren't going to be allowed. This will damage a key American export.

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

After D.C. National Guard Shooting, Trump Steps Up Immigration Crackdown

The White House is pushing for “reverse migration” and aims to expand restrictions on nations it deems high risk.

www.wsj.com

Reposted by Marc Lynch, Kim L. Scheppele, Elizabeth Saunders , and 3 more Marc Lynch, Kim L. Scheppele, Elizabeth Saunders, Jonathan M. Gilligan, Aviel Roshwald, David Darmofal

Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 1d

Harvard gets its research funding back through defiance and lawsuits.

Majority of Harvard’s Research Funding Has Been Restored

As of Tuesday, Harvard University had recouped most of the federal research funding it lost when the Trump administration froze its access to grants earlier this year, multiple local news organization...

www.insidehighered.com

Reposted by Safiya U. Noble, Marc Lynch, Laurent Pech , and 5 more Safiya U. Noble, Marc Lynch, Laurent Pech, Caroline T. Schroeder, Anne Norton, Brian Keegan, Alfie Kohn, Greg Linden

Sarah T Roberts, PhD @ubiquity75.xyz · 1d

So apparently the administrators at Northwestern have caved to the extortionist demands of the Feds. Faculty voted 595-4 AGAINST this measure.

Reposted by Marc Lynch

Matthew Eadie @mattheweadie.bsky.social · 1d

The university said it expects funding to be restored within 30 days and establish a committee to ensure compliance with the agreement

Agreement linked here:
www.northwestern.edu/president/do...

www.northwestern.edu

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Marc Lynch, Matthew Bunn , and 25 more Anna O. Law, Marc Lynch, Matthew Bunn, Brendan Nyhan, Gavin A. Schmidt, Tom Clark, Scott L. Greer, Mark D. White, Rosemary A. Joyce, David Rothschild, American Library Association, Dawn J. Wright, Janet Murray, Michael W. Kraus, David R. Miller, Adrian Daub, James Goodwin, Brian Murphy, Brian Keegan, Pádua Fernandes, Annette Yoshiko Reed, Stella M. Rouse, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Dan Immergluck, David R. Shumway, Élisabeth Vallet, Sofya Aptekar, Kristina McElheran

Matthew Eadie @mattheweadie.bsky.social · 1d

BREAKING: Northwestern University has agreed to pay the U.S. Treasury $75 million, over the course of three years as part of an agreement with the federal government to restore funding and end investigations into the university

Full statement from NU below:

Reposted by Marc Lynch

Abby Sewell @sewella.bsky.social · 1d

Israeli forces raided a Syrian village and opened fire when they were confronted by residents on Friday, killing at least 13 people, Syrian officials said, in the deadliest Israeli attack since its troops seized a swath of southern Syria a year ago.

apnews.com/article/isra...

Israeli forces kill at least 13 people in southern Syria raid, officials and residents say

Israeli forces have raided a village in southern Syria, killing at least 13 people, according to Syrian officials.

apnews.com

Reposted by Marc Lynch

Sina Toossi @sinatoossi.bsky.social · 1d

Apartheid South Africa waged endless regional wars under a “total strategy,” claiming it was fighting the Soviets while feeding off Western backing.

Israel now does the same with Iran.

But Pretoria’s militarism only brought isolation, economic strain & accelerated collapse.

🧵>>>

Reposted by Marc Lynch, Daniel W. Drezner

Foreign Policy @foreignpolicy.com · 1d

The Israeli military is digging in along the yellow line that now divides the Gaza Strip between eastern and western sectors—one controlled by Israel, the other by Hamas.

The Yellow Line in Gaza Is Supposed to Be Temporary. Israel Is Digging in.

Unless Hamas disarms, Israeli troops are unlikely to withdraw further.

foreignpolicy.com

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 1d

Exclusive: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order to “kill everybody” in the first strike on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean. After two men survived, the mission commander ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions, according to two sources.

Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order to kill all crew members in the Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug boat. Navy SEALs fired a second missile.

www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Marc Lynch, Felicity Callard

Drop Site @dropsitenews.com · 1d

Ta-Nehisi Coates asks Palestinian scholar & writer Tareq Baconi “what is it about this genocide particularly” that has changed us? Baconi, who has written extensively on Hamas & the history of Palestinian resistance, points to 3 factors. It’s happening in full view of the world, yet still allowed...

Ta-Nehisi Coates asks Palestinian scholar and writer Tareq Baconi “what is it about this genocide particularly” that has changed us? Baconi, who has written extensively on Hamas and the history of Palestinian resistance, points to three factors. It’s happening in full view of the world, yet still allowed to continue. The gaslighting by governments and major media creates a “dual reality” that denies what people can see for themselves. And at its core, he says, the genocide exposes the colonial foundations of Western power. Baconi stresses that the path between a fascist or decolonial future runs directly through Palestine.

via
@PalFest

Reposted by Marc Lynch

Brian Dooley @dooleydooley.bsky.social · 2d

UN Committee Against Torture’s findings on Bahrain has just dropped:
“…consistent reports indicating that torture is routinely used to extract confessions.”
@jongambrell.bsky.social @humanrightsfirst.org

Reposted by Waleed Hazbun

Abu Aardvark @abuaardvark.bsky.social · 2d

Introduce yourself with five concerts you’ve seen multiple times

Kendrick Lamar
Bob Dylan
Jay-Z
Aimee Mann
Elvis Costello

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 2d

Introduce yourself with five concerts you've seen multiple times

R.E.M.
OutKast
Radiohead
Beastie Boys
The Roots

Chuck Wendig @chuckwendig.bsky.social · 2d

Introduce yourself with five concerts you've seen —

NIN
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Soul Coughing
Poe
Tom Morello

Reposted by Marc Lynch, David Dunning, Carl T. Bergstrom , and 2 more Marc Lynch, David Dunning, Carl T. Bergstrom, James Goodwin, Ezra Golberstein

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 2d

Introduce yourself with five concerts you've seen multiple times

R.E.M.
OutKast
Radiohead
Beastie Boys
The Roots

Chuck Wendig @chuckwendig.bsky.social · 2d

Introduce yourself with five concerts you've seen —

NIN
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Soul Coughing
Poe
Tom Morello

Stephen R. Smith @stephensmith.bsky.social · 2d

Introduce yourself with five concerts you've seen:

Bowie *
Roger Waters
July Talk *
Metric *
Alice Phoebe Lou *

* multiple times

Reposted by Marc Lynch, Will Jennings, Steve Peers , and 4 more Marc Lynch, Will Jennings, Steve Peers, Steffen Mau, Juan Cole, Christina Pagel, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 2d

Small changes to ‘for you’ feed on X can rapidly increase political polarisation

Study finds that a week of political content can bring about a shift in views that previously would have taken three years Small changes to the tone of posts fed to users of X can increase feelings of political polarisation as much in a week as would have historically taken at least three years, research has found. A groundbreaking experiment to gauge the potency of Elon Musk’s social platform to increase political division found that when posts expressing anti-democratic attitudes and partisan animosity were boosted, even barely perceptibly, in the feeds of Democrat and Republican supporters there was a large change in their unfavourable feelings towards the other side. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Marc Lynch, David L. Ortega, Sara Wallace Goodman , and 3 more Marc Lynch, David L. Ortega, Sara Wallace Goodman, Dana R. Fisher, Allison Eden, Nik Heynen

Reposted by Marc Lynch

Rima I Anabtawi @rimaanabtawi.bsky.social · 3d

@amnesty.org finds no ‘meaningful change’ in Gaza ‘with the genocide continuing’ desp Oct ’. Aid agencies corroborate our reporting in Jordan that Israel continues to block lifesaving aid despite their claims to the contrary

www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releas...

Israel’s genocide against Palestinians 'not over' despite ceasefire - new Amnesty briefing

Conditions for Palestinians in Gaza show no significant change, with no clear evidence to indicate that Israel’s intent has changed

www.amnesty.org.uk

Mike Eckel @mikeeckel.bsky.social · 3d

CIA statement about the Afghan man identified as the gunman who shot two National Guardsmen in Washington

Abu Aardvark @abuaardvark.bsky.social · 4d

This stupid idea has been floated for years (pushed by key Arab regimes that hate the MB) and always dismissed because it’s both untrue and counterproductive. With this administration such details don’t matter.

Reuters @reuters.com · 5d

Trump begins process of labeling Muslim Brotherhood chapters as terrorist reut.rs/3JXpYV4

Trump begins process of labeling Muslim Brotherhood chapters as terrorist

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday began the process of designating certain Muslim Brotherhood chapters as foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists, a move that would bring sanctions against one of the Arab world's oldest and most influential Islamist movements.

reut.rs

Abu Aardvark @abuaardvark.bsky.social · 4d

“Almost daily Israeli strikes against Hezbollah, including the killing this week in Beirut of one of the militant group’s top commanders, punctuate a fraying peace. Lebanon exists in a gray zone between war and peace, which could also be the fate of Gaza”

warscape

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/w...

‘Imperial Israel’ in the New Middle East

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Shibley Telhami

Abu Aardvark @abuaardvark.bsky.social · 4d

MESA letter on the detention of Vahid Abedini

mailchi.mp/mesana/mesa-...

MESA statement concerning the detention of Dr. Vahid Abedini

mailchi.mp

Abu Aardvark @abuaardvark.bsky.social · 4d

“the first publicly known instance of a tenure-track faculty member landing on ICE’s radar… But it remains unclear why the professor, who is from Iran and has been teaching in the United States for over a decade, became a target.” POMEPS alum Vahed Abedini

www.chronicle.com/article/a-pr...

A Professor Was Released After 3 Days in ICE Detention. His Colleagues Fear a ‘New Normal.’

Vahid Abedini, an Iranian scholar who began teaching at the University of Oklahoma in June, was arrested en route to an academic conference.

www.chronicle.com

Reposted by Marc Lynch, Rebecca Solnit, Christian E. Weller , and 9 more Marc Lynch, Rebecca Solnit, Christian E. Weller, Juan Cole, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Robert B. Reich, Michael D. McDonald, Mark Rice, Ann Bartow, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Dan Immergluck, Timothy D. McBride

Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 4d

This is the scandal. Trump isn’t targeting dangerous people. He’s targeting peaceful immigrants. Almost exclusively.

Reposted by Marc Lynch

Truthout @truthout.org · 4d

Israel’s genocide has destroyed nearly 90% of Gaza’s economy, causing the worst economic collapse ever recorded. In 2024 alone, Israel caused Gaza’s GDP to decline by 83%, according to data reported by the UN Trade and Development agency. Now, Gaza’s economy stands at just 13% of its 2022 levels.

Gaza Economy at 13 Percent of Pre-Genocide Level, With Worst Collapse on Record

“Multidimensional poverty now engulfs all Gazans,” one UN official said.

truthout.org

Reposted by Marc Lynch

The Economist @economist.com · 4d

Israel insists that the strike that killed Haytham Ali Tabatabai, Hizbullah’s military chief, did not breach the truce with Lebanon. But it is a reminder that ceasefires in the region remain shaky