Karena Avedissian

Is there a road forward for Suwayda’s Druze and Damascus? - Syria Direct Activists in Suwayda who were once open to the Damascus government weigh in on how their views have changed following a wave of sectarian violence—and whether any path forward remains.

Good piece from @natachadanon.bsky.social on what people in Sweida say the central government must do to regain their trust.

The government is hemorrhaging faith, particularly from minority groups, and seems unwilling or unable to confront the more extreme factions

syriadirect.org/is-there-a-r...

Hear me talk with @leilashami.bsky.social about my time in NE Syria, also known as Rojava, speaking with Islamized Armenians, descendants of survivors of the Armenian Genocide who were forcibly ‘assimilated’ during and after 1915. And listen to the other episodes of her podcast!

this podcast and this episode in particular really help me putting at least the tip of the toe to a blade of grass. i am not claiming i am touching it, but it helps imagining a world where steady ground could be imagined

In the latest episode of @syriapodcast.bsky.social I'm joined by @karena1.bsky.social to talk about the experiences of Islamized Armenians in Northeast Syria. Available on all podcast apps or here:
fromtheperiphery.com/2025/07/30/s...

I needed to hear this episode today ❤️ if anything just to know what I'm feeling is felt by others

This cannot be the new normal

The Gaza famine and genocide cannot become the new normal. The latest episode of The Fire These Times is now available everywhere.

With @ayoub.bsky.social @leilashami.bsky.social @danielvoskoboynik.bsky.social @essssraaa.bsky.social & @karena1.bsky.social

www.patreon.com/posts/135258...

i find myself regularly reminding people that not one single German was severely punished for simply refusing to contribute to the Holocaust

WeTransfer TOS says they can use all your uploaded content for genAI

Bye forever, WeTransfer.

the stories that come out of the ICE camps are going to look like the stories that come out of every camp system; rampant corruption, epidemic disease, physical and sexual abuse on a vast scale, a death rate far higher than normal, and medical abuses.

BBC boss offers to meet Jewish staff over Bob Vylan performance Tim Davie tells staff that comments during Glastonbury show streamed live by BBC were ‘deeply offensive and totally unacceptable’

So the head of the BBC is implying that British Jews are somehow connected to a chant about the Israeli army?

Does the BBC apologise to British Muslims when armies of self-described Muslim states are criticised?

How are we still at this level of the discourse?

www.theguardian.com/media/2025/j...

loved this conversation and so appreciate the space for independent thought @thefirethesetimes.com has created

My @civilnet.bsky.social interview on my trip to Northeast Syria (AANES), where I met with Islamized Armenians reclaiming their identity

Zohran Mamdani hasn’t said anything negative about Jewish people or cheered on their suffering. Yet these 4 demand he “distance himself” from such rhetoric.

They, however, have *all* expressed support for a government that’s committing a genocide & killed Americans. Will they “distance” themselves?

'Who are these people?' Masked immigration agents challenge local police, sow fear in L.A. Local police have little or no insight into where the federal enforcement actions are taking place. In some cases, local cops have been mistaken for federal agents, eroding years of work to have immig...

“In Pasadena last week, a man stepped out of his unmarked vehicle at an intersection, unholstered his pistol and aimed it at a group of pedestrians before returning to his car… That incident left the police chief of Pasadena resigned to figure out whether it was a crime or part of a federal raid.”

YouTube video by CIVILNET Islamized Armenians in Syria: A Hidden Diaspora Reemerges

Dr. Karena Avedissian, political scientist and researcher, shares insights from her recent visit to the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, also known as Rojava.
@karena1.bsky.social

Make it a mainstream Dem platform to abolish ICE

You remember how last week we are all saying we should stay vigilant for a 'false-flag' attack by the U.S to justify an attack on Iran. They didn't need it. They just did it. I think that really signals where we are in terms of the self-righteousness of imperialist forces.

Ppl already spinning this as an act of support for the Iranian people. I’m sorry but solidarity doesn’t come from above with bombs.

4 female political prisoners inside, one of them w/ death sentence, just condemned Israel’s aggression. That’s moral clarity - not whatever this violence is

There is already a nuclear-armed country in the Middle East that does not allow international inspectors despite having nukes for decades - and it’s not Iran.

Israel is also one of a handful of countries to have never signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

It’s completely insane that US troops are illegally deployed to suppress domestic opposition and it’s not uniformly condemned by the press and political elite.

LAPD appears to have kettled protesters around 7:45pm to prevent them from leaving, waited for the 8pm curfew to kick in and then mass-arrested them for curfew violations.

When Los Angeles actually *was* burning down six months ago, these people didn't give a damn about us. Now they're spreading fake AI videos showing LA burning

Everyone I knew who covered disinformation got laid off, their bosses got bullied into firing them, or they changed their beats from actual Nazi harassment campaigns. It cannot be stressed the damage the paid-for Substack “free speech” guys did in the service of fascism and against real free speech.

It is as stupid as you think it is. There is no long-term plan. It is actually that stupid. It’s simply that it’s also very dangerous.

The system we live in rewards people like these idiots and perhaps that’s a sign that it’s not a good system.

Syria: Türkiye-backed Armed Groups Detain, Extort Civilians Syrian National Army (SNA) factions that fought the Assad government with backing from Türkiye continue to detain, mistreat, and extort civilians in northern Syria, Human Rights Watch said today.

With lots of attention (rightfully) on Israel’s attacks on Syria, let’s not forget that Turkey-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) factions continue to occupy swathes of territory as well as detain, mistreat, and extort civilians in northern Syria. A new HRW report details ongoing abuses here:

UK minister asks Big Tech to help create ‘prison outside prison’ for criminals Shabana Mahmood calls on tech groups to develop AI surveillance of offenders in the community

Labour’s love of Big Tech is as dangerous as its embrace of Enoch Powell-style discourse on foreigners.

www.ft.com/content/438f...

The Intelligence Curse This series examines the incoming crisis of human irrelevance and provides a map towards a future where people remain the masters of their destiny.

A sobering - but must read piece - on what lies ahead for humanity with the rise of AGI

Autocracy Crushed My Alma Mater. Then I Got to Columbia. Smolny College is a warning.

It can happen here. From my student who went from Smolny in Russia to Columbia. She was able to nurture her brilliance. I think about all the other students trapped in not just authoritarian but hostile and dangerous regimes who will never reach their potential.

www.theatlantic.com/internationa...