Siavush Randjbar-Daemi
@siavush.bsky.social
Historian of Modern Iran, Senior Lecturer [Associate Professor] in Modern Middle Eastern History @standrewshist.bsky.social Currently based in Edinburgh. http://www.siavush.com .
Full-time Western Classical Music devotee.
Full-time Western Classical Music devotee.
Exactly the right point. They pandered and grovelled while Zelensky stood his ground.
Zelensky just made Macron, Starmer etc look pretty pathetic.
February 28, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Exactly the right point. They pandered and grovelled while Zelensky stood his ground.
A great result for Linke in the German elections. A bright, radical party led by a young, combative woman leader who wears her political DNA on her left arm. Hopefully Linke’s new generation will build on this result and remain the home on all opposed to fascism and xenophobia.
February 23, 2025 at 11:17 PM
A great result for Linke in the German elections. A bright, radical party led by a young, combative woman leader who wears her political DNA on her left arm. Hopefully Linke’s new generation will build on this result and remain the home on all opposed to fascism and xenophobia.
Reposted by Siavush Randjbar-Daemi
The American half of me sincerely apologizes for the completely unhinged conduct of our president. Gaining insufficient attention for his attempts to dismantle the state and bully all of our allies, he wants to know if mass ethnic cleansing might get you to take him seriously.
February 5, 2025 at 10:33 AM
The American half of me sincerely apologizes for the completely unhinged conduct of our president. Gaining insufficient attention for his attempts to dismantle the state and bully all of our allies, he wants to know if mass ethnic cleansing might get you to take him seriously.
Gyorgy Cziffra was possibly the best interpreter of Franz Liszt's fiendish piano solo compositions. His rendition of the Rakoczy March (Hungarian Rhapsody No.15) truly stands out. www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo6e...
Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsody No. 15 "Rákóczi March" (Audio+Sheet) [Cziffra]
YouTube video by PianoJFAudioSheet
www.youtube.com
January 24, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Gyorgy Cziffra was possibly the best interpreter of Franz Liszt's fiendish piano solo compositions. His rendition of the Rakoczy March (Hungarian Rhapsody No.15) truly stands out. www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo6e...
Reposted by Siavush Randjbar-Daemi
“For the past 15 months, #Israel media has focused on a narrative of inevitable victory against #Hamas -- but footage from #Gaza today is plastered across media, showing well-equipped #Hamas fighters in charge.
“It's like a bad dream," per one contact in #Israel.”
@charleslister1.bsky.social
“It's like a bad dream," per one contact in #Israel.”
@charleslister1.bsky.social
January 19, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Through kind courtesy of all those around the world who aided and abetted this mattanza - perfect Italian term to describe it - vocally, logistically and politically in past 18 months.
January 19, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Through kind courtesy of all those around the world who aided and abetted this mattanza - perfect Italian term to describe it - vocally, logistically and politically in past 18 months.
The short and not very sweet gist of most Western media and political figures, including Starmer, to Gaza today: the three living Israeli hostages are only worth mentioning. The hundreds of Palestinian civilians killed by IDF after the ceasefire was supposed to take effect can be safely ignored.
January 19, 2025 at 6:03 PM
The short and not very sweet gist of most Western media and political figures, including Starmer, to Gaza today: the three living Israeli hostages are only worth mentioning. The hundreds of Palestinian civilians killed by IDF after the ceasefire was supposed to take effect can be safely ignored.
Reposted by Siavush Randjbar-Daemi
So there *are* crimes against humanity that Baerbock isn’t comfortable with. Interesting
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and #German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock make a joint visit to Saydnaya Prison.
January 3, 2025 at 12:25 PM
So there *are* crimes against humanity that Baerbock isn’t comfortable with. Interesting
ME Highlights of 2024, in no particular order:
- Annus Horribilis for Iran, with loss of Syria, much of Hezbollah top brass, Raisi. Putative new beginnings with Pezeshkian, but so far achievements have been cosmetic and minimal. Major reckoning over what to do in Trump era beckons.
- Annus Horribilis for Iran, with loss of Syria, much of Hezbollah top brass, Raisi. Putative new beginnings with Pezeshkian, but so far achievements have been cosmetic and minimal. Major reckoning over what to do in Trump era beckons.
December 31, 2024 at 4:16 PM
ME Highlights of 2024, in no particular order:
- Annus Horribilis for Iran, with loss of Syria, much of Hezbollah top brass, Raisi. Putative new beginnings with Pezeshkian, but so far achievements have been cosmetic and minimal. Major reckoning over what to do in Trump era beckons.
- Annus Horribilis for Iran, with loss of Syria, much of Hezbollah top brass, Raisi. Putative new beginnings with Pezeshkian, but so far achievements have been cosmetic and minimal. Major reckoning over what to do in Trump era beckons.
Reposted by Siavush Randjbar-Daemi
Why did it take so long to confirm what 972mag reported a year ago? When Ronen Bergman (one of the NYT authors) was asked in May about Israel’s use of AI in mass killing,he mocked the claims as something from a Netflix show.
We've long known about the AI-enabled genocide👇 jacobin.com/2024/12/term...
We've long known about the AI-enabled genocide👇 jacobin.com/2024/12/term...
December 30, 2024 at 8:37 PM
Why did it take so long to confirm what 972mag reported a year ago? When Ronen Bergman (one of the NYT authors) was asked in May about Israel’s use of AI in mass killing,he mocked the claims as something from a Netflix show.
We've long known about the AI-enabled genocide👇 jacobin.com/2024/12/term...
We've long known about the AI-enabled genocide👇 jacobin.com/2024/12/term...
Reposted by Siavush Randjbar-Daemi
Colossal, historic crimes are underway in Gaza. And the true, full toll — all the mortality not just from bullets and bombs but from disease and exposure and hunger and debilitation — is utterly unknown yet dreadfully enormous.
December 31, 2024 at 4:45 AM
Colossal, historic crimes are underway in Gaza. And the true, full toll — all the mortality not just from bullets and bombs but from disease and exposure and hunger and debilitation — is utterly unknown yet dreadfully enormous.
Carter’s presidency was irredeemably shaped by the Iranian Revolution. His early human rights agenda contributed to the dire prison conditions of political detainees improving in mid-1977, so much that they started owing it to “Jimmicracy”.
Breaking News: Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the U.S. who built a legacy as a champion for peace, has died at age 100.
t.co/dwaN5MrjWN
t.co/dwaN5MrjWN
December 29, 2024 at 11:29 PM
Carter’s presidency was irredeemably shaped by the Iranian Revolution. His early human rights agenda contributed to the dire prison conditions of political detainees improving in mid-1977, so much that they started owing it to “Jimmicracy”.
Reposted by Siavush Randjbar-Daemi
Skilful blending of the human story with the politics of a Shia Lebanese family, the South, and Hezbullah:
‘Death is not a stranger in our house’ www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
‘Death is not a stranger in our house’ www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Zain Samir · ‘Death is not a stranger in our house’: In Lebanon
Israel’s goal of ending the threat to its northern population is as elusive as ever. What set this war apart was its...
www.lrb.co.uk
December 26, 2024 at 8:18 AM
Skilful blending of the human story with the politics of a Shia Lebanese family, the South, and Hezbullah:
‘Death is not a stranger in our house’ www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
‘Death is not a stranger in our house’ www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
The continuous crash of the Iranian currency riyal has created design issues for the main rate-reporting website Bonbast, which started activities when the Pounds was 4-5000 tomans. Six figures were likely not predicted in the original design.
December 26, 2024 at 12:38 PM
The continuous crash of the Iranian currency riyal has created design issues for the main rate-reporting website Bonbast, which started activities when the Pounds was 4-5000 tomans. Six figures were likely not predicted in the original design.
Reposted by Siavush Randjbar-Daemi
December 17, 2024 at 2:50 PM
Very good, informative and cautionary analysis on the current state of Syria. Well worth the read.
"Syria after Assad" - On the coexistence of relief, uncertainty & fear, and Israel's (re)invasion of Syria.
jasminekgani.wordpress.com/2024/12/10/s...
jasminekgani.wordpress.com/2024/12/10/s...
Syria after Assad
The Assad regime, which ruled over Syria for more than fifty years, has ended. The scenes of people being freed from some of the world’s most brutal and notorious torture prisons were deeply m…
jasminekgani.wordpress.com
December 14, 2024 at 10:23 PM
Very good, informative and cautionary analysis on the current state of Syria. Well worth the read.
Reposted by Siavush Randjbar-Daemi
"By almost every metric, the harm to civilians from the first month of the Israeli campaign in Gaza is incomparable with any 21st century air campaign. It is by far the most intense, destructive, and fatal conflict for civilians that Airwars has ever documented."
gaza-patterns-harm.airwars.org
gaza-patterns-harm.airwars.org
Airwars Gaza Patterns of Harm
Airwars monitors, assesses and preserves civilian casualty claims resulting from explosive weapons use in multiple conflicts.
gaza-patterns-harm.airwars.org
December 14, 2024 at 12:22 PM
"By almost every metric, the harm to civilians from the first month of the Israeli campaign in Gaza is incomparable with any 21st century air campaign. It is by far the most intense, destructive, and fatal conflict for civilians that Airwars has ever documented."
gaza-patterns-harm.airwars.org
gaza-patterns-harm.airwars.org
I would certainly preserve/avoid destroying the building itself, and turn it into a permanent museum on the regime's repressive methods and mechanisms.
What remains of Hafez Al-Assad’s grave after it was burned.
December 12, 2024 at 9:21 AM
I would certainly preserve/avoid destroying the building itself, and turn it into a permanent museum on the regime's repressive methods and mechanisms.
A good and sanguine take on what lies ahead for Syria, with necessary emphasis on the meddling of many regional actors: Israel, Turkey in particular. The return of full authority of a central government over the whole of Syria is still very much in the balance.
My quick look at the momentous news from #Syria, for @newyorker.com www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
The Fall of Assad’s Syria
In the wake of President Bashar al-Assad’s remarkable abdication of power, jubilation and fear collide as the country—and the region—faces an uncertain future.
www.newyorker.com
December 11, 2024 at 6:42 AM
A good and sanguine take on what lies ahead for Syria, with necessary emphasis on the meddling of many regional actors: Israel, Turkey in particular. The return of full authority of a central government over the whole of Syria is still very much in the balance.
The Onion always makes sense of it all.
Assad Returns To Ophthalmology At Moscow LensCrafters — theonion.com/assad-return...
Assad Returns To Ophthalmology At Moscow LensCrafters
MOSCOW—Just days after rebels seized Damascus, deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad reportedly returned to practicing ophthalmology at a Moscow LensCrafters, sources confirmed Tuesday. “Which one ...
theonion.com
December 10, 2024 at 5:16 PM
The Onion always makes sense of it all.
Of course too early to tell whether these documents are genuine or complete. But assuming they are, these documents do provide us with a tantalising glimpse of what the archives of the Assad regime could tell us about past and present dealings of Syria with the main regional actors.
Why is Israel striking Syria now?
Top secret and urgent” classified documents found after Assad’s fall provide interesting insights about the “mechanism” overseen by Russia to manage Israeli-Syrian-Iranian dynamics, and Israeli military actions against Iranian & Hezbollah buildup.
Thread
Top secret and urgent” classified documents found after Assad’s fall provide interesting insights about the “mechanism” overseen by Russia to manage Israeli-Syrian-Iranian dynamics, and Israeli military actions against Iranian & Hezbollah buildup.
Thread
December 10, 2024 at 5:15 PM
Of course too early to tell whether these documents are genuine or complete. But assuming they are, these documents do provide us with a tantalising glimpse of what the archives of the Assad regime could tell us about past and present dealings of Syria with the main regional actors.
Shows how comfortable Israel was with the armed forces situation under Assad and how deeply insecure it now is.
Farzan Sabet, Senior Research Associate at Global Governance Center, on X: "So the first act of Israel towards the new Syria is to pre-emptively and unilaterally declare war, destroy its military (which has not been at war with it for over 50 years), and invade and occupy Syrian territory ...
December 10, 2024 at 11:40 AM
Shows how comfortable Israel was with the armed forces situation under Assad and how deeply insecure it now is.
Iranians are inveterate masters of two things: 1) Blaming their own defeats on others 2) Endlessly repeating “We told you so”
Iranian pro-regime Telegram channels now running infographics explaining how Khamenei over six months had been warning Assad of his impending fate and need to do more to resist threats.
December 10, 2024 at 8:27 AM
Iranians are inveterate masters of two things: 1) Blaming their own defeats on others 2) Endlessly repeating “We told you so”
We are getting a steady stream of reports of people suddenly discovering their loved ones are alive, well over a decade after being told they were dead. The anguish they felt over that period, and the readjustment now are frankly impossible to feel for the rest of us. x.com/muslimdaily_...
x.com
x.com
December 9, 2024 at 8:21 PM
We are getting a steady stream of reports of people suddenly discovering their loved ones are alive, well over a decade after being told they were dead. The anguish they felt over that period, and the readjustment now are frankly impossible to feel for the rest of us. x.com/muslimdaily_...