Senior Consulting Associate Fellow, Chatham House @CH_MENAP | PhD from @warstudies | a Syrian who writes about Syria among other things. RT ≠ endorsements.
Jan 28 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
🧵1/9 The #makeup_ban & personal freedoms: The #Latakia governorate’s decision to ban makeup for female employees in public institutions is framed as a neutral workplace regulation. However, it raises serious questions about personal freedoms, gender equality & state overreach.
2/9 In a follow up statement , the governorate acknowledged public anger and pledged to engage positively with criticism. Yet it kept the ban in place, arguing that it aims to regulate professional appearance rather than restrict personal freedoms. syria.tv/%D8%A8%D8%B9%D…
Jan 16 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
🧵🚨 1/9 My latest for @ArabReform_ARI dives into the Aleppo escalation, recaps how we got here, examines what the violence means for the March 10 agreement (derailment or momentum) & flags a strategic shift in Damascus’s approach to security challenges. arab-reform.net/publication/al…2/9 By altering the balance of power on the ground, Damascus appears to be signaling to the SDF that delaying negotiations is no longer viable, and that continued resistance would trigger a confrontation that forfeits the concessions offered under the March agreement.
Dec 10, 2024 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
🧵🚨 HTS and its governance model: 1- One of my biggest regrets is not turning my PhD thesis on HTS and its governance model into a book. The topic remains critical for understanding how HTS has reached its current position and how it will likely act moving forward.
2- My research explored why HTS succeeded while similar groups, including ISIS and al-Qaeda affiliates, failed. It analyzed the group's unique evolution, governance strategies, and ability to achieve what others in Syria could not: toppling—and now seems replacing—the regime.
Dec 7, 2024 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
🚨🧵Key Developments in Syria as of December 6: 1- Significant changes in the control map have been reported, with regime forces fully withdrawing from southern Syria, including Daraa and Sweida. These areas are now controlled by local groups not linked to offensive in Homs.
2- In northeastern Syria, reports indicate voluntary regime withdrawals from Deir ez-Zor, with the territory handed over to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). This marks the first time the SDF has achieved full control over this region during the conflict.
May 1, 2019 • 9 tweets • 3 min read
Thread on the ongoing efforts to start joint Russian-Turkish patrols in Idlib's buffer/desecration zone: 1- Russian and Turkish troops have recently announced their plans to start joint patrols to secure greater #Idlib, the last rebel stronghold in northwest #Syria.
2- The agreement was first announced in #Moscow on April 9 during a visit by #Turkey's President Erdogan. The deal was then discussed with the rest of the parties (namely Iran, regime and rebels) during the 12th round of #Astana Process peace talks which took place recently.
