Amar Mustafa | امار مصطفى

‘Neither Gaza nor Lebanon!’ Iranian unrest is about more than the economy − protesters reject the Islamic Republic’s whole rationale Angered not just by social crises, Iranians are asking fundamental questions about the costs and sacrifices demanded by the Islamic Republic’s ruling ideology.

Really interesting article and I believe a similar argument is taking place in some aspect of Lebanese society in regards to HA

theconversation.com/neither-gaza...

A society that cannot distinguish between correcting the record and sanitising it has already surrendered the future to whoever controls the past.

In an age where the past is increasingly mediated through partisan outlets, online narratives, and culture wars, the integrity of historical memory depends on maintaining the conditions under which all stories can be interrogated, contested, and held accountable to evidence.

The question is not whether we will revise our understanding of history, even when scholarship demands we do, but whether those revisions expand our capacity for truth or merely renovate the myths we find convenient.

Historical revisionism reveals more about the anxieties of today than the realities of yesterday. When societies cannot face the full weight of their past, they outsource responsibility to selective memory.

The former opens contested ground for genuine inquiry, while the latter contracts it, insisting on a single story that absolves institutions and actors and disciplines the present. One opens history up while the other seals it shut.

Yet not all challenges to dominant narratives are revisionist in the pejorative sense. There is a crucial distinction between critical historiography and ideological revisionism.

Revisionism thrives in moments of rupture. After revolutions, defeats, or regime change, the past becomes a battleground and nuance and complexity is flattened into moral binaries that serve contemporary needs.

Depending on its use, it has both the ability to ask new questions of old evidence and selectively amplify, erase, and rearranges facts to make history more palatable to power in the present.

Historical revisionism is often framed as the sober re-examination of the past, but outside of academia and in practice, it is just as frequently the political re-engineering of memory.

Looking ahead to 2026, Asia-Pacific leaders anticipate higher military tensions, economic reconfiguration, green energy acceleration, and intensified tech competition, alongside widening gaps between advanced economies and climate-vulnerable Pacific island states.

Asia-Pacific leaders entered 2026 acknowledging a shift in the global order: the post–Cold War era of open markets and predictable cooperation is giving way to strategic economic management in a more fragmented world.

Happy New Year Friends!
I hope this year is gentler than the last, and that it brings moments of clarity, good health and success. Wishing you strength for what’s hard, joy where it finds you, and enough calm to notice both. ⭐️

Nepal saw major Gen Z–led protests in September after a social media ban, driven by anger over corruption and economic stagnation. Clashes left dozens dead, forced PM K.P. Sharma Oli to resign, and pushed youth demands for deeper political reform.

Pakistan–Afghanistan tensions flared after October explosions in Kabul, triggering cross-border shelling that killed dozens. A Qatar-brokered ceasefire has mostly held, but talks have stalled, trade routes remain disrupted, and relations are still strained.

India and Pakistan saw their worst military clash in decades after an April terror attack in Kashmir. India launched Operation Sindoor, Pakistan retaliated, marking the first drone warfare between the two nuclear-armed rivals. A US-backed ceasefire on 10 May has largely held.

Thailand and Cambodia agreed to a ceasefire after deadly border clashes over a long-running territorial dispute. The truce follows ASEAN mediation and pressure from the US and China, after fighting killed 100+ people and displaced over 1 million.

We continue to look at the stories that defined Asia-Pacific in 2025:

From political upheavals and elections to landmark agreements, 2025 was a year of big shifts and defining moments across the region. Swipe through to catch the key stories that shaped Asia-Pacific this year.

A window into the diverse narratives, cultures, histories and lived experiences of the Asia-Pacific.

Our mission is to bring these stories into conversation with the world.

Syria stands at a crossroads: either it establishes itself as a state that upholds the rule of law and protects the rights of its citizens, or it forfeits its claim to being a state altogether, descending further into lawlessness and another authoritarian rule.

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A government that refuses to address these crimes cannot claim to represent its people, nor can it function as a legitimate authority.

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This is not just a legal obligation but a national duty, essential for restoring faith in the institutions of the state and ensuring a future built on the principles of justice and citizenship.

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Justice is not a luxury that has time or the space to be negotiated. It is the foundation upon which a new and legitimate government must be built.

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Without holding those responsible accountable, as violence, massacres and kidnapping continue, Syria risks remaining trapped in a cycle of denial, violence, oppression, instability, and indifference.

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There are no longer any legitimate justifications for inaction. The argument that political expediency or transitional stability should take precedence over justice is nothing more than an excuse to perpetuate impunity.

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Any further delay in addressing these injustices only deepens the wounds of the past and undermines the possibility of national reconciliation.

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The suffering endured by generations of Syrians due to war crimes, political repression, and human rights violations by all perpetrators demands accountability.

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The demand to expose the identities of those responsible for crimes against civilians over the past 54 years, as well as in the present, and to bring them to trial before the Syrian people, is a demand that must not be ignored or delayed.

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I need some book recommendations or what you deem as essential books on truth, Justice, memory, and reconciliation.

Thanks!