I really worry that those who are relatively new (or just not completely seeped in) conversations a/b conflict, human rights, & imperialism in MENA/SWANA, esp. Gens Z/A who rely on social media for news, don't know these people's history. Like no, Aaron Mate is absolutely not a trustworthy journo.
Now an outlet I generally respect is platforming Max Blumenthal, who mocked Syrians under chemical attack & parroted Syrian gov't talking points while on a regime press junket. He's discussing journalistic standards, bias, & how hoaxes spread. This is gross, & risks tainting smart people's work.
There’s lots of good books (and a lot of dreck) on Hezbollah, and I recommend a few of them here. But my top recommendation is Munira Khayyat’s Landscapes of War which really shows the long term effects of decades of Israeli war on south Lebanon. abuaardvark.substack.com/p/what-after...
The risks of a widening war with no limits, plus this week's MENA Academy
Thanks for the generous comments on the book!
Pretty proud of this great special issue on Islamist armed groups in protracted conflicts I helped edit and shepherd. I think we break some theoretical ground in the framing essay and the six articles are top-notch. Read all about it! abuaardvark.substack.com/p/islamists-...
Our new special issue on Iraq, Syria and MENA warscapes and a new book on Syria join the MENA Academy
My book on the Syrian conflict, From Jihad to Politics, is out online and in paperback. You can download the pdf: academic.oup.com/book/57951/b... I answer two key questions: Why have Jihadis took over the Syrian armed opposition? Why have Syrian Jihadis became more pragmatic over the years?
I focus on Ahrar al-Sham, and to some extent Jabhat al-Nusra, though the book also covers armed groups' mobilisation, alliance systems, relations to foreign states, and governance. I quote many interviewees in the book to present a more ethnographic feel to this research
This work is based on several years of field research, including multiple trips to northwest Syria, and interviews with the main leaders of the armed opposition, especially Ahrar al-Sham and Jabhat al-Nusra / HTS
My book on the Syrian conflict, From Jihad to Politics, is out online and in paperback. You can download the pdf: academic.oup.com/book/57951/b... I answer two key questions: Why have Jihadis took over the Syrian armed opposition? Why have Syrian Jihadis became more pragmatic over the years?
