I just wrapped up my first trip to Damascus, Syria. Before December, I never thought I’d be able to say that. So I feel incredibly fortunate to experience the place that I have studied and have longed to see throughout much of my life. Grateful doesn’t even begin to describe it.

Here are a few, key takeaways from my brief trip:


Overall, the challenges for this new chapter for Syria are incredibly clear. The security situation is tenuous. The economy requires quick relief. And external challenges, such as Israeli encroachment, risk stifling the new government’s momentum towards stability.

However, I left with a lot of hope. The city in many ways felt like a family reunion of sorts—I ran into so many journalists, analysts, experts, activists, and civil society leaders who have all returned to help rebuild and contribute to stable governance.

It’s inspiring to see and I think one of the greatest reasons to be hopeful about Syria’s post-regime chapter. These individuals know what is required to build back a robust Syrian civil society and promote human security.

@Karam__Shaar @SoccerMouaz @shellykittleson @Arefalkrez

THREAD:

Today, the @NewlinesInst Captagon Trade Project publishes a landmark report cataloguing key trends and new findings in the #captagon trade.

newlinesinstitute.org/state-resilien… This has been well over a year in the works with @KaramShaar, with us both scraping the open-source for every captagon-related laboratory bust, seizure, arrest, and incident to pull together a comprehensive picture of how the trade has evolved since 2015.

newlinesinstitute.org/state-resilien…

After over 3 years researching the #captagon trade with @AlexSoderholm, I’m proud to announce that our report,“The #Captagon Threat: A Profile of Illicit Trade, Consumption, and Regional Realities,” published with @NewlinesInst.

A thread on its findings:

newlinesinstitute.org/terrorism/the-… The #captagon trade has mushroomed in size, scope, market value, and geopolitical significance.

newlinesinstitute.org/terrorism/the-…

THREAD:

Tomorrow, American and Iraqi delegations will sit down for Strategic Dialogue talks.

This is a big moment for the #US-#Iraq relationship with a new Biden administration and accumulating security concerns in Iraq. The talks are intended to cover shared #US and #Iraq mutual interests across a range of topics, such as improvements in trade, development, aid, Iraq’s education, industrial, and health sectors, climate issues, and of course, the elephant in the room: security.

@NewlinesInst launched our first episode of its "Contours" podcast series last Friday, but just in case you missed it: myself, @jeff_hawn, @eugenechausovsk, and @NicholasAHeras take a deep-dive into the #Russia's buildup along its border with #Ukraine.

newlinesinstitute.org/russia/is-puti… #Russia has always had an interest in protecting its influence in Ukraine as an existential imperative in Eastern Europe, but we had to ask: why is the Kremlin acting now? What elements are driving the timing of this buildup along the border with #Ukraine?