Michael Brill
@michaelpbrill.bsky.social
Ph.D. candidate in Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University | Non-Resident Fellow at USAFA Institute for Future Conflict | Part-Time Middle East Studies Lecturer at Smith College | Former Wilson Center Global Fellow
Pinned
Michael Brill
@michaelpbrill.bsky.social
· Oct 10
Institute for Future Conflict (IFC)
www.ifc.usafa.edu
My latest piece for the Institute for Future Conflict at the United States Air Force Academy discusses the importance of Assad regime archives and efforts to preserve them. I draw some parallels with the aftermath of the 2003 Iraq War & toppling of Saddam's regime.
www.ifc.usafa.edu/articles/dig...
www.ifc.usafa.edu/articles/dig...
"The eras of both these dictators were the subject of discussions at the Doha Film Festival, courtesy two films — The President’s Cake & My Father & Qadhafi."
www.dawn.com/news/1957358
www.dawn.com/news/1957358
A window into Saddam’s Iraq and Qadhafi’s Libya
Hadi Hasan’s The President’s Cake and Jihan K’s My Father and Qadhafi are both personal stories set against the turbulent backdrop
www.dawn.com
November 29, 2025 at 1:11 PM
"The eras of both these dictators were the subject of discussions at the Doha Film Festival, courtesy two films — The President’s Cake & My Father & Qadhafi."
www.dawn.com/news/1957358
www.dawn.com/news/1957358
"Palestinian Islamic Jihad is a terrorist organization that originated in Gaza in 1979. The group managed to establish a headquarters in Damascus in 1990, which brought 'Islamic Jihad leaders into direct contact with Iranian officials for the first time.'"
www.longwarjournal.org/archives/202...
www.longwarjournal.org/archives/202...
Palestinian Islamic Jihad reportedly rebuilding its presence in Syria
Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported on November 26 that Palestinian Islamic Jihad has been “increasingly strengthening its military wing in Syria in recent weeks,” particularly around Palestinian...
www.longwarjournal.org
November 28, 2025 at 4:47 PM
"Palestinian Islamic Jihad is a terrorist organization that originated in Gaza in 1979. The group managed to establish a headquarters in Damascus in 1990, which brought 'Islamic Jihad leaders into direct contact with Iranian officials for the first time.'"
www.longwarjournal.org/archives/202...
www.longwarjournal.org/archives/202...
"Relations between Berlin & Tehran are at a low ebb after Germany joined France & Britain in September in reimposing international sanctions on Iran for what the European powers see as defiance of UN nuclear inspections." -The political club for such occasions!
www.iranintl.com/en/202511267...
www.iranintl.com/en/202511267...
Tehran presses Berlin on 1980s Iran-Iraq war chemical weapons supplies
Iran's foreign minister on Wednesday pressed Germany to release any findings into German companies suspected of supplying materials for chemical weapons deployed by Saddam Hussein during the 1980s Ira...
www.iranintl.com
November 27, 2025 at 4:02 PM
"Relations between Berlin & Tehran are at a low ebb after Germany joined France & Britain in September in reimposing international sanctions on Iran for what the European powers see as defiance of UN nuclear inspections." -The political club for such occasions!
www.iranintl.com/en/202511267...
www.iranintl.com/en/202511267...
"The Shiite Islamist parties, desperate to cover up their own failures of governance, have long tried to frighten the public with the possibility of a return of the Baath Party." -Akeel Abbas
alhurra.com/en/7741
alhurra.com/en/7741
The American Legacy in Iraq | Alhurra
Akeel Abbas, a scholar at the Washington Institute, focuses on national and religious identities, modernity, and democratization in the Middle East. More than twenty years after the end of Saddam H…
alhurra.com
November 27, 2025 at 4:00 PM
"The Shiite Islamist parties, desperate to cover up their own failures of governance, have long tried to frighten the public with the possibility of a return of the Baath Party." -Akeel Abbas
alhurra.com/en/7741
alhurra.com/en/7741
"There are many actors working toward Air Force modernization, but this complex organizational topography creates real challenges for integrating diverse efforts into a single modernized force." @elenawicker.bsky.social
www.ifc.usafa.edu/articles/out...
www.ifc.usafa.edu/articles/out...
Institute for Future Conflict (IFC)
www.ifc.usafa.edu
November 26, 2025 at 1:36 PM
"There are many actors working toward Air Force modernization, but this complex organizational topography creates real challenges for integrating diverse efforts into a single modernized force." @elenawicker.bsky.social
www.ifc.usafa.edu/articles/out...
www.ifc.usafa.edu/articles/out...
"In one year’s time for our second Threat Horizon report, not only will we provide a look at what’s coming in 2027, but we will also assess how our 2026 predictions fared and reflect on what reality offered instead."
www.ifc.usafa.edu/articles/ins...
www.ifc.usafa.edu/articles/ins...
Institute for Future Conflict (IFC)
www.ifc.usafa.edu
November 25, 2025 at 5:45 PM
"In one year’s time for our second Threat Horizon report, not only will we provide a look at what’s coming in 2027, but we will also assess how our 2026 predictions fared and reflect on what reality offered instead."
www.ifc.usafa.edu/articles/ins...
www.ifc.usafa.edu/articles/ins...
"Syria’s newly reactivated mission to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has warned that remnants of chemical weapons left across the country pose a direct threat to civilians in more than 100 suspected locations."
english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5...
english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5...
Assad’s Chemical Weapons Remnants Threaten Civilians at Over 100 Sites in Syria
Syria’s newly reactivated mission to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has warned that remnants of chemical weapons left across the country pose a direct threat to civili...
english.aawsat.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:13 AM
"Syria’s newly reactivated mission to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has warned that remnants of chemical weapons left across the country pose a direct threat to civilians in more than 100 suspected locations."
english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5...
english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5...
"During & after the Lebanese civil war, a wave of assassinations targeted militia leaders, intellectual & political figures, & security officials, in the context of the struggle for influence between Syria, other Lebanese actors, & Israel."
english.enabbaladi.net/archives/202...
english.enabbaladi.net/archives/202...
Lebanon: Syria signals readiness to share information on Assad era assassinations - Enab Baladi
Lebanese Justice Minister Adel Nassar said that Syria is showing a positive attitude toward providing his country with information on […]
english.enabbaladi.net
November 25, 2025 at 12:08 AM
"During & after the Lebanese civil war, a wave of assassinations targeted militia leaders, intellectual & political figures, & security officials, in the context of the struggle for influence between Syria, other Lebanese actors, & Israel."
english.enabbaladi.net/archives/202...
english.enabbaladi.net/archives/202...
"Iraq’s invasion shattered the Baathist state, ignited sectarian conflict, and empowered Iran—outcomes directly contrary to U.S. goals. Venezuela is equally vulnerable."
fpif.org/is-venezuela...
fpif.org/is-venezuela...
Is Venezuela the New Iraq? - FPIF
There are continuities and discontinuities in the spectacle of American power.
fpif.org
November 23, 2025 at 4:46 PM
"Iraq’s invasion shattered the Baathist state, ignited sectarian conflict, and empowered Iran—outcomes directly contrary to U.S. goals. Venezuela is equally vulnerable."
fpif.org/is-venezuela...
fpif.org/is-venezuela...
"The decision calls on OPCW inspection teams to continue investigating & collecting evidence related to the use of chemical weapons, with these efforts to support national accountability processes..."
english.enabbaladi.net/archives/202...
english.enabbaladi.net/archives/202...
Syria reactivates its mission to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons - Enab Baladi
Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has reactivated the country’s permanent mission to the Organisation for the Prohibition of […]
english.enabbaladi.net
November 23, 2025 at 4:46 PM
"The decision calls on OPCW inspection teams to continue investigating & collecting evidence related to the use of chemical weapons, with these efforts to support national accountability processes..."
english.enabbaladi.net/archives/202...
english.enabbaladi.net/archives/202...
"According to the documents, arrangements were also made to hold a meeting between former president Bashar al-Assad & several Palestinian factions to shift attention away from Hamas."
english.enabbaladi.net/archives/202...
english.enabbaladi.net/archives/202...
english.enabbaladi.net
November 23, 2025 at 4:45 PM
"According to the documents, arrangements were also made to hold a meeting between former president Bashar al-Assad & several Palestinian factions to shift attention away from Hamas."
english.enabbaladi.net/archives/202...
english.enabbaladi.net/archives/202...
This piece reads like the author is a time traveler from the period & misunderstands Iraq, the Mid-East, and jihadi terrorism the same ways in which the Bush administration did. This is a primer on how to learn nothing in more than 2 decades. @wsj.com
www.wsj.com/opinion/dick...
www.wsj.com/opinion/dick...
Opinion | Dick Cheney and the Fruits of Regime Change
He has largely proved right about Iraq and the broader Middle East.
www.wsj.com
November 21, 2025 at 5:03 PM
This piece reads like the author is a time traveler from the period & misunderstands Iraq, the Mid-East, and jihadi terrorism the same ways in which the Bush administration did. This is a primer on how to learn nothing in more than 2 decades. @wsj.com
www.wsj.com/opinion/dick...
www.wsj.com/opinion/dick...
Reposted by Michael Brill
OUT NOW: Watch the recording of our most recent Crown Seminar! Profs. Alissa Walter & Marsin Alshamary discussed recent elections in #Iraq & how ordinary Iraqi citizens negotiate with state officials, militias, & political parties to survive & assert their rights. youtu.be/7nlxDQE-_HA
Survival Politics: Baghdad’s Citizens from Saddam Hussein to the 2025 Elections
YouTube video by Crown Center for Middle East Studies
youtu.be
November 20, 2025 at 8:52 PM
OUT NOW: Watch the recording of our most recent Crown Seminar! Profs. Alissa Walter & Marsin Alshamary discussed recent elections in #Iraq & how ordinary Iraqi citizens negotiate with state officials, militias, & political parties to survive & assert their rights. youtu.be/7nlxDQE-_HA
Reposted by Michael Brill
The IDF disocovered documents revealing the connection between Hamas and the ousted Assad regime during ground operations in the Gaza Strip.
www.jpost.com/israel-news/...
www.jpost.com/israel-news/...
IDF reveals Hamas-Assad regime connection in found letters | The Jerusalem Post
Documents revealing a direct connection between Hamas and the fallen Assad regime were discovered by the IDF during operations in the Gaza Strip, the military revealed on Friday morning.
www.jpost.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:02 AM
The IDF disocovered documents revealing the connection between Hamas and the ousted Assad regime during ground operations in the Gaza Strip.
www.jpost.com/israel-news/...
www.jpost.com/israel-news/...
Reposted by Michael Brill
Here we go again.
War in Venezuela, Brought to You By the Same People Who Lied Us Into Iraq
Washington is making big claims to make the case for U.S. intervention. We’ve heard all these arguments before.
theintercept.com
November 19, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Here we go again.
Reposted by Michael Brill
It should be humiliating to be considered an acceptable hire by anyone in this administration
Since the shell organization that is the Wilson Center has 8 employees, the new fellows should be ready to wear a lot of different hats. 🤔
www.wilsoncenter.org/article/wils...
www.wilsoncenter.org/article/wils...
WILSON CENTER CONTINUES TO EXPAND UPDATED FELLOWS PROGRAM BY NAMING FOUR NEW DISTINGUISHED FELLOWS
www.wilsoncenter.org
November 20, 2025 at 7:38 PM
It should be humiliating to be considered an acceptable hire by anyone in this administration
Since the shell organization that is the Wilson Center has 8 employees, the new fellows should be ready to wear a lot of different hats. 🤔
www.wilsoncenter.org/article/wils...
www.wilsoncenter.org/article/wils...
WILSON CENTER CONTINUES TO EXPAND UPDATED FELLOWS PROGRAM BY NAMING FOUR NEW DISTINGUISHED FELLOWS
www.wilsoncenter.org
November 20, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Since the shell organization that is the Wilson Center has 8 employees, the new fellows should be ready to wear a lot of different hats. 🤔
www.wilsoncenter.org/article/wils...
www.wilsoncenter.org/article/wils...
"After more than a decade of unspeakable & unending violence, the challenge in Syria is no longer finding mass graves. A monthslong investigation by @wsj.com revealed the country is awash in them."
www.wsj.com/world/middle...
www.wsj.com/world/middle...
Bodies Keep Turning Up in Syria, Haunting New Leaders
In the months after the fall of the Assad regime, Syrians have continued to discover large-scale burial sites, sometimes by chance.
www.wsj.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:35 PM
"After more than a decade of unspeakable & unending violence, the challenge in Syria is no longer finding mass graves. A monthslong investigation by @wsj.com revealed the country is awash in them."
www.wsj.com/world/middle...
www.wsj.com/world/middle...
"The agency recently announced what it said were the two largest awards in its history, which together consume nearly 10 percent of its annual budget of $207 million. Both went to handpicked recipients." @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/15/a...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/15/a...
Fired Scholars and Big Grants to Favored Projects: Inside Trump’s N.E.H.
www.nytimes.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:23 PM
"The agency recently announced what it said were the two largest awards in its history, which together consume nearly 10 percent of its annual budget of $207 million. Both went to handpicked recipients." @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/15/a...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/15/a...
"Against drone swarms flak may have numerous benefits over more advanced air defense. First, as was the case with B-17 & B-29 bombers facing flak in WWII, you don’t need a bullseye to cause damage." - @spindel.bsky.social & Keith L. Carter
www.ifc.usafa.edu/articles/air...
www.ifc.usafa.edu/articles/air...
Institute for Future Conflict (IFC)
www.ifc.usafa.edu
November 19, 2025 at 11:10 PM
"Against drone swarms flak may have numerous benefits over more advanced air defense. First, as was the case with B-17 & B-29 bombers facing flak in WWII, you don’t need a bullseye to cause damage." - @spindel.bsky.social & Keith L. Carter
www.ifc.usafa.edu/articles/air...
www.ifc.usafa.edu/articles/air...
"All declared wars have ended in treaties, & war authorizations end in various ways, except for the 1991 & 2002 Iraq AUMFs & the 1957 Middle East Force Resolution, each of which remains in effect." Cully Stimson for @heritagefdn.bsky.social
www.heritage.org/middle-east/...
www.heritage.org/middle-east/...
Repeal the 1991 and 2002 Gulf and Iraq War Authorizations
Buried beneath the tumult of the government shutdown, the historic end to the Hamas-Israel conflict and somber return of the living hostages, the Senate unanimously voted to repeal the 1991 and 2002 a...
www.heritage.org
November 17, 2025 at 12:48 PM
"All declared wars have ended in treaties, & war authorizations end in various ways, except for the 1991 & 2002 Iraq AUMFs & the 1957 Middle East Force Resolution, each of which remains in effect." Cully Stimson for @heritagefdn.bsky.social
www.heritage.org/middle-east/...
www.heritage.org/middle-east/...
"Political analysts and historians see parallels between Iran’s current propaganda shift and the tactics used by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq War from 1980 to 1988."
iranwire.com/en/features/...
iranwire.com/en/features/...
Iran Copies Saddam's Desperate Turn to Ancient Glory
In the year 260 A.D., along the dusty plains of Edessa in what is now Turkey, the Persian Empire was victorious.Valerian, emperor of Ro ...
iranwire.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:50 AM
"Political analysts and historians see parallels between Iran’s current propaganda shift and the tactics used by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq War from 1980 to 1988."
iranwire.com/en/features/...
iranwire.com/en/features/...
Reposted by Michael Brill
📄 The Kennan Institute has launched as an independent, non-partisan institute for research and dialogue on Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia and the South Caucasus.
Read our official press release and learn more about this new chapter.
kennaninstitute.org
Read our official press release and learn more about this new chapter.
kennaninstitute.org
November 11, 2025 at 2:29 PM
📄 The Kennan Institute has launched as an independent, non-partisan institute for research and dialogue on Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia and the South Caucasus.
Read our official press release and learn more about this new chapter.
kennaninstitute.org
Read our official press release and learn more about this new chapter.
kennaninstitute.org
Reposted by Michael Brill
TOMORROW: Don't miss out on our day-after conversation as we look at #Iraq 's 2025 elections & situate them in Iraq's modern history with Profs. Alissa Walter & Marsin Alshamary! Join us online, 11/12, 11 AM: brandeis.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
November 11, 2025 at 8:03 PM
TOMORROW: Don't miss out on our day-after conversation as we look at #Iraq 's 2025 elections & situate them in Iraq's modern history with Profs. Alissa Walter & Marsin Alshamary! Join us online, 11/12, 11 AM: brandeis.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Reposted by Michael Brill
Exiled Syrian opens up about precariously smuggling out proof of Assad’s cruelty https://www.timesofisrael.com/exiled-syrian-opens-up-about-precariously-smuggling-out-proof-of-assads-cruelty/
Exiled Syrian opens up about precariously smuggling out proof of Assad’s cruelty
Ussama Uthman, his wife and brother-in-law obtained tens of thousands of images showing detainee abuse -- drawing global attention and enabling families to learn loved ones' fates
www.timesofisrael.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Exiled Syrian opens up about precariously smuggling out proof of Assad’s cruelty https://www.timesofisrael.com/exiled-syrian-opens-up-about-precariously-smuggling-out-proof-of-assads-cruelty/