Michael Brill

The Wilson Center held hostage Iran’s detention of Haleh Esfandiari is an attack on the Wilson Center as a place where scholarship meets policy.

David obviously knows nothing about the history of the Wilson Center & is merely a loyalist political pawn installed to reign over a hollowed out institution. This old post by Martin Kramer is a perfect description of the Wilson Center's current situation. 2/2

martinkramer.org/2007/05/25/t...

This is a laughably ignorant statement from the acting chairman of the DOGEd and MAGAfied @wilsoncenter.org. Wilson's programs, staff & scholars were crucial to performing its essential functions. Lee Hamilton & Jane Harman were central to orienting the center towards Congress. 1/2

For those here who didn't know me on Twitter, here is the cover of my book on Ottoman Palestine, have a look at it if you are interested in what Jews and Palestinains were thinking and writing about in the years before WWI. Hopefully a new book cover will replace this with time (in the making now).

"Newly declassified British documents reveal that the late Egyptian President Mubarak supported US and British efforts to defeat and humiliate Saddam Hussein during the Gulf War, predicting that a military defeat would lead to the Iraqi leader’s downfall"
www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250802-mub...

The Middle East-Told Slant Podcast Podcast · Ethan D. Chorin · "Slant" introduces listeners to resonant voices in Middle East politics, culture, and the environment. I am a former diplomat and author of four books on the region, inclu...

I enjoyed listening to the first episode of Ethan Chorin's new podcast "The Middle East-Told Slant," featuring Gidon Bromberg to discuss environmental peace building efforts in the region. Ethan's podcast has the same name as his Substack & is on Spotify.

open.spotify.com/show/39spqtD...

First women's political party launched in Iraq ahead of parliamentary elections Women activists have launched Iraq’s first women’s political party ahead of the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections in November.

"After two years of waiting for official licensing approval, the al-Mawadda Party has garnered over 7,000 members & aims to be a distinct voice for women among Iraq’s male-dominated & conservative political landscape." @womensagenda.bsky.social

womensagenda.com.au/politics/wor...

The 1990 August Invasion of Kuwait 35 Years Ago — Hungarian Perspectives ‘These Hungarians were among the luckier individuals in Europe. No less than 800 Westerners and Japanese were trucked to strategic locations in Kuwait to serve as human shields. At the same time, thou...

"These Hungarians were among the luckier individuals in Europe. No less than 800 Westerners & Japanese were trucked to strategic locations in Kuwait to serve as human shields."

www.hungarianconservative.com/articles/cul...

ذكرى غزو الكويت.. الكارثة التي فجّرها صدام وأغرقت العراق بعقود من الدمار والعزلة خاص/ المدى في الثاني من أغسطس/آب عام 1990، استيقظ العالم على وقع حدث مفصلي غيّر مجرى تاريخ الخليج والمنطقة بأسرها، حين أقدم نظام صدام حسين على غزو دولة الكويت، في خطوة وُصفت آنذاك بالكارثية وغير المحس...

"The previous regime committed a fatal strategic error by dragging Iraq into an ill-advised war, which transformed it from a country with an economic growth potential of up to 8% annually into a collapsed country with a negative growth rate of -8%."

almadapaper.net/409733/

YouTube video by WoodrowWilsonCenter Next Chapter for The Wilson Center

The March EO & April DOGE pillaging made @wilsoncenter.org similar to a holding company or the 19th century Holy Roman Empire of think-tanks. Very curious how the next chapter will unfold without the programs & scholars, the center's real legacies.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BBZ...

I spent decades at Columbia. I’m withdrawing my fall course due to its deal with Trump | Rashid Khalidi The university’s draconian policies and new definition of antisemitism make much teaching impossible

I spent decades at Columbia. I’m withdrawing my fall course due to its deal with Trump | Rashid Khalidi

We’re hosting a student panel to spotlight the inspiring experiences of our MA and language students in Kurdish Studies — and you’re invited!

🗓 Wednesday, August 6 | 🕛 12–2 PM Chicago time
🔗 Register here: zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Balancing Fairness and Stability in Syria’s Political Transition The new government says deals with Assad-era cronies are a form of justice that protects economic recovery and provides no immunity for past abuses

We spoke to the Syrian government about Reuters’ recent investigation about reported deals with Assad-era business cronies & tycoons.

New, exclusive details by @kshaheen.bsky.social and me in @newlinesmag.bsky.social

newlinesmag.com/spotlight/ba...

POMEPS Studies 56: Regional Order Making after October 7 - Project on Middle East Political Science In December 2024, we convened a workshop at the Robert Schuman Center of the European University Institute in partnership with POMEPS and SEPAD to discuss these regional changes and their meaning for ...

The Project on Middle East Political Science is pleased to announce POMEPS Studies 56: Regional Order Making after October 7. Download the full PDF here: pomeps.org/pomeps-studi...

If you are an advanced PhD student working on US foreign relations or early career scholar in the area, check this out and consider applying to the #SHAFR Summer Institute being hosted by the @mershoncenter.bsky.social at The Ohio State University in June 2026🗃️: mershoncenter.osu.edu/events/socie...

"The overall prohibition on conferences provides Hegseth & his deputies (many of whom have no serious experience with defense issues) with an excuse for ducking out & avoiding making fools of themselves." @radiofreetom.bsky.social for @theatlantic.com

Legacy of Saddam-Era: How old laws cripple Iraq's legislative future - Shafaq News Shafaq News More than two decades after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, the legacy of Iraq’s dissolved Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) continues to obstruct the country’s legislative deve

"Under Saddam Hussein, the RCC wielded unchecked legislative & executive powers. Many of its rulings were instrumental in consolidating authoritarian rule & suppressing dissent.

Legal experts estimate that 5,903 of these decisions are still in force."

shafaq.com/en/Report/Le...

The United States Should Act Now to Mitigate Conflict Escalation on the Moon - War on the Rocks On June 25, 2024, China’s Chang’e 6 mission safely returned to Earth, becoming the first mission in the world to retrieve lunar samples from the far side

The next space race isn’t just for territory, it’s for the rulebook. warontherocks.com/20...

Pentagon thrown into confusion over think tank ban The department’s decision not to allow employees to participate in certain events carries bigger repercussions than missed attendance.

"The officials & experts warned cutting off employees’ access to such venues, which include major global conferences, gives the appearance of partisanship to the Pentagon, an institution intended as largely apolitical." @politico.com

www.politico.com/news/2025/07...

The hunt for Austin Tice, part 3 Bird in the cage

“The bird is in the cage.” A shady businessman tells Gareth Browne how Austin Tice was kidnapped, on “The Weekend Intelligence”.

The first episode in this three-part series is free to listen to. Subscribe to Podcasts+ for full access

Why Saddam Hussein buried Iraq's air force in the desert Saddam's air force was buried for its own safety, but without his planes, he was soon forced to go underground himself.

"He also remembered what his pilots did during the first Gulf War when they were sent to defend the homeland against American fighters: They flew to the relative safety of Iran rather than face annihilation, & Iran never gave the airplanes back."

www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-trend...

Al-Qirbi to Asharq Al-Awsat: Saddam Told Me Iraq Fight Was for Arab Dignity When al-Qaeda’s planes tore through New York’s skyline on September 11, 2001, Yemen’s then-Foreign Minister Abubakr al-Qirbi cut short a visit to Berlin and rushed back to Sana’a, confronting a moment...

"The second step was to try to convince Saddam Hussein to avoid war. I was the last Arab official to visit Iraq carrying a personal message from President Saleh to Saddam—this was about six to eight weeks before the invasion."

english.aawsat.com/interviews/5...

"The judges ruled there were no exceptions, but said their decision did allow for a new arrest warrant to be issued now Assad was no longer a head of state." @theguardian.com

Right up there with the Hooters 'alpha male" appointed to the Wilson Center board. For all the talk about putting "competent white men" in charge, I still haven't seen any....

How Syria’s Dictatorship Lost the War of Information Despite claims of ‘digital transformation,’ Assad’s security state clung to outdated methods, becoming a fractured system consumed by internal rivalry and corruption

NEW: The Assad regime's once-feared security state crumbled from within because it failed to adapt to the information age, writes Kamal Shahin in a new investigative essay for @newlinesmag.bsky.social

newlinesmag.com/reportage/ho...

Absolutely. The Heritage Foundation got its wish with the inclusion of the Wilson Center in Trump's executive order. Clearly the presence of so many programs under one roof providing non-partisan research and analysis was the central problem....

Fortunately the Wilson Center programs & institutes, which had private donor money, have found or are in the process of finding new institutional homes, in most cases. The senseless vandalism of the DOGE morons was astounding in its levels of malevolence & ignorance.

George W Bush 'feared Saddam Hussein would attempt his own 9/11' Private remarks from the US President in the months leading up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq underlined his commitment to 'ridding (the world) of evil-doers', according to the UK's ambassador.

"More than anything else he fears another catastrophic terrorist attack on the homeland, especially one with an Iraqi connection." @dailymail.co.uk

This delusion about Iraq & terrorism was fueled by Paul Wolfowitz & his fellow conspiracy theorists.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

They also moved liberated civilians to safety in the rear areas as the ISF advanced, rather than herding them like fish trapped in a barrel being bombed. The Battle of Mosul & OIR had clear strategies developed by local partners in consultation with the US-led coalition. 2/2

Along with all the other problems with this piece, Bret Stephens demonstrates his profound ignorance on Operation Inherent Resolve & the Battle of Mosul. The Iraqis didn't endlessly bomb & play whack a mole; they advanced head-on, suffering massive casualties. 1/

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/o...

I get that Bret has mostly been a pundit and never a serious war or military affairs reporter, hence a piece fully substantiated by his opinions. He would be well served to read @sfrantzman.bsky.social, who covered OIR & has criticized the lack of a similar Israeli strategy in Gaza. 2/2