Amar Mustafa | امار مصطفى

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.

9/9

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

8/9

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.

7/9

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.

6/9

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.

5/9

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.

4/9

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

3/9

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

2/9

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.

1/9

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

Thanks!

How Everything Became National Security by Daniel W. Drezner

Drezner examines the use of the term 'national security' in US policy discourse, arguing that labelling numerous challenges as NS threats can lead to policy overreach & misallocation of resources

www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

How Gulf States Are Reinterpreting National Security Beyond Their Land Borders by Abdullah Baabood.

Examines the evolving security strategies of the GCC expanding to airspace & martime. He argues that securing territorial borders alone is insuffient.

carnegieendowment.org/research/202...

Homeland Security by Mays Albeik.

Albeik interweaves 3 timelines to explore the intergenerational impact of displacement and statelessness on Palestinian refugees.

www.the-outpost.com/HomelandSecu...

Number 3: Its been quite a week for me and so not much reading was done, but these 3 were on my mind all week.

Also, if you have any journals/magazines/websites to explore - Middle East or beyond, please share. Always looking for new material to read.

Reading is resistance because even knowledge is seen as a threat to occupation

When the truth is silenced, books become weapons, and every page turned is an act of defiance.

Where history is revionised and erased, where voices are suppressed, reading becomes a revolutionary act

The Forgotten Medieval Habit of 'two sleeps' by @zariagorvett.bsky.social

Explores the historical practice of biphasic sleep - sleeping in 2 distinct phases during the night, with wakeful period in between. It also discusses how modern sleep patterns have shifted

www.bbc.com/future/artic...

There Are No Pure Cultures by Inanna Hamati-Ataya

In her essay, Hamati-Ataya challenges the notion that globalisation is a recent phenomenon, arguing that human cultures have always been dynamic, interactions, migrations and exchanges throughout history.

aeon.co/essays/there...

Nasrallah, Syria and Palestine: Thinking Beyond the Narratives that Speak Us by @yazanbadran.bsky.social

Dives into the complex narratives surrounding Nasrallah, Syria & Palestine. Badran challenges the reader to move beyond perspectives that dominate discourse.

untoldmag.org/nasrallah-sy...

The Making and Mourning of Ahmad Adawiya, a Musical Legend by @simongandrew.bsky.social

Absolutely stunning piece of writing. The essay explores the life and legacy of Ahmad Adawiya, an Egyptian singer who revolutionised Egypt's music schene in the 70s

The Gendering of Sudan's Brutal War by Nafisa Bedri & Tamsin Bradley.

Examines how the war & genocide in Sudan disproportionately affects women and children and critiques the role of media in the war. This is an essential read.

www.thecairoreview.com/essays/the-g...

2nd edition of Sharp Takes and Deep Dives.

Some of you recommended I start a substack to store these as an archive. I'm still trying to figure out how to use it, but last weeks essays are up with a short piece from me.

sharptakesanddeepdives.substack.com

They should both equally be given a chance. Those whining saying they want diplomacy, but don't want them to speak to certain parties are really setting themselves up for disappointment.

Interesting to see this double standard - one that overlooks irregularities when it suits their preferred candidate but holds others to an entirely different standard, despite the other being as clean is it gets.

Symbolic discussions should not distract from the pressing need for competent leadership and practical solutions whether you like them or not.

What matters most is whether the new government, if formed, can address Lebanon's urgent crises, including economic collapse, corruption, and governance failures.

The same voices critical of Nawaf Salam from the outset despite at this current stage, the formation of the government is yet to be confirmed and he has the chance to govern. It's premature to judge its composition or effectiveness when all we have is 'leaks'.

completely ignoring the fact that the constitution was violated to secure his appointment (and I do think, given the dire context, its is also premature to determine whether this violation was a positive or negative risk).

Also quite interesting to observe: the over-praising of Joseph Aoun, a military man, despite the presidency being primarily symbolic and arbitrative, with limited executive power,

Reducing the conversation to simplistic binaries ignores the complexities of governance in a system that demands extraordinary negotiation, compromise, and political maneuvering.

At this stage, the formation of the government is yet to be confirmed and people's impatience and emotions are are overruling critical thinking. Lebanon's political reality is far from black and white and cannot be reduced to a simplistic binary view.