Happy to see that Lebanese American University (LAU) has made it to the top 100 on The Times Higher Education Asia Universities Rankings 2025.

I was fortunate enough to study at LAU in 2017, and the courses I took profoundly shaped my understanding of Middle East affairs and political science!

Lebanon's new president: "It is the duty of the Lebanese state today to ensure political, security, and economic stability in order to encourage [the diaspora] to invest in or settle in Lebanon."

According to the World Bank, Lebanon received $5.8 billion in remittances in 2024.

If you follow Lebanon, you know that the banking sector lobby has been targeting independent media outlets Daraj & Megaphone, among other voices for reform, in a coordinated campaign.

So why is this happening and what should you know? Don't miss Ali Noureddeen's piece for @timep.bsky.social.

L'Orient Today: A key challenge to ceasefire monitoring in South Lebanon is the 72-hour window between detecting a violation, notifying the monitoring mechanism, and the Lebanese Army’s dismantling operation.

Given the vast geographical area involved, the army is often unable to intervene in time.

Useful details on scale of Israeli occupation in southern Syria.

www.wsj.com/world/middle...

I'm especially looking forward to reading chapter 8. "Conflict in Aleppo: A Clash Between Sects or Social Classes?" by Maria Chalhoub, which speaks to my own research on Lebanon and Iraq.

New addition to my summer reading list 👇

A very timely book, edited by
@mortenvalbjorn.bsky.social and Raymond Hinnebusch, critically exploring sectarianism in Syria over time and across place.

“The tariffs, like the shuttering of USAID before it, are going to disproportionately hurt not only American allies — but precisely the sectors and companies (like Tunisian olive oil) which American development aid has spent years supporting and promoting” writes @abuaardvark.bsky.social

The position is partly funded by @carlsbergfondet.dk

I'm thrilled to announce that I will return to Dept. of Political Science at Aarhus University as an Assistant Professor from 15/8.

I will join the IR section with a new project on how diasporas and other international actors promote social and political change, focusing on Lebanon and Iraq.

Very excited to present findings from my project on labour mobilisation in Lebanon and Iraq next week.

My main argument: Lebanese and Iraqi labour movements are battlegrounds between elites and opposition forces.

In my recent @lsemiddleeast.bsky.social report, I explore how these battles unfold.

Very happy to share our 2024 transdisciplinary book Resisting the Dehumanization of Refugees, which brings together academics, practitioners and refugees. It's open access so you can download the pdf for free or purchase a hard copy here: www.aupress.ca/books/120327...

Hello Blusky! I’ve finished a fictionalized autobiography based on my family memories in Gaza. It explores Gaza’s socioeconomic history, childhood during the First Intifada, the 1993-2000 period, and the challenges of life under siege. Any suggestions for publishers?

What has been the impacts of the Syrian civil war on the Alawite community?

My excellent colleagues, Rahaf Aldoughli and Haian Dukhan investigate this question through 150 surveys and 20 semi-structured interviews

Read here 👇

More sources on Syria

My colleagues at PeaceRep have compiled a list of sources and analyses on the history of the Syrian conflict, key findings on transitional governance and power-sharing, as well as commentaries on recent events.

Check it out 👇

peacerep.org/2024/12/10/f...

Israeli forces have launched one of the largest aerial campaigns in their history, targeting over 250 military sites in Syria within 48 hours.

📽️Here's how everything's unfolding right now:

It's online, and the link is here: events.st-andrews.ac.uk/events/syria...

Just sharing this event on Syria after Assad here in case anyone is interested in participating.

It features a great line-up of speakers, including some of my colleagues from @sepad.bsky.social.

They are not on Bluesky (yet), but here are links to their work.

Rahaf:
www.lancaster.ac.uk/ppr/people/r...
@r_aldoughli on X

Haian
www.haiandukhan.com
@DukhanHaian on X

Everyone interested in Syria and its socio-political dynamics should follow my brilliant colleagues, Rahaf Aldoughli and Haian Dukhan.

Their research offers invaluable insights to the public and academic discussions these days!

Listen to their reflections on Syria's future here 👇

#FreeSyria #FreePalestine