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Steven Heydemann

@stevenhyde.bsky.social
3.2K followers 806 following 2.3K posts

Ketcham Chair in Middle East Studies, Prof. of Gov, Smith College; Nonresident Senior Fellow CMEP, Brookings. Former VP, Center for Applied Research on Conflict, USIP. smith.academia.edu/StevenHeydemann

PostsRepliesMedia
Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The idiocy just spews out every damn day from Republicans. A mighty river of stupid. www.washingtonsun.com/congress/haw...
washingtonsun.com
Hawks or Hawkeyes? Senator Flubs His Jack Smith Gotcha Moment
The posterboard was prepared, the questions were asked, but the game was wrong.
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5...
english.aawsat.com
Syrian Security Forces Arrest Official Responsible for Torture of Child Hamza al-Khatib in Daraa
Syrian Internal Security Forces arrested Brig. Gen. Jaber Mehrez Ibrahim, who served as commander of the 138th Air Defense Brigade in the town of Saida during the era of the deposed regime, following ...
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#StupidSuez @diplomatofnight.com · 27/09/2026
Excellent news to see that the Dutch ban on importing goods from the illegally occupied West Bank and Golan Heights also applies to "private passengers who are bringing in products as souvenirs or gifts."
timesofisrael.com
Dutch customs authorities search luggage of El Al passengers as new ban on bringing in items from West Bank settlements, Golan takes effect
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
What the Fuck. I hadn’t seen this Trump propaganda clip before. It’s way worse than it’s been described in the media. This is full blown state fascism. Illegal as hell.It must be fought in every possible way.
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Everything he touches turns to shit.
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IMEU Policy Project @imeupolicy.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
NEW POLLING: An overwhelming supermajority of Americans across partisan lines support a resolution being brought forward by Senator Chris Van Hollen to investigate the Israeli government’s killing of American citizens and the rampant human rights abuses in the illegally-occupied West Bank.
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Debating Syria's economic transition. syrianobserver.com/society/syri...
syrianobserver.com
Syria’s Market Economy: Dismantling Subsidies and Protecting Vulnerable Groups - The Syrian Observer
Syria is navigating a difficult post-conflict transition after the fall of the Assad regime, Syria TV writes.
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Tackling Assadist networks in Lebanon. syrianobserver.com/syrian-actor...
syrianobserver.com
Lebanese Judiciary Moves to Prosecute Network Linked to Assad Remnants and Hezbollah - The Syrian Observer
Lebanon’s Public Prosecutor has completed the initial phase of the inquiry and forwarded the file to the Court of Cassation Public Prosecutor to take the necessary legal measures.
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
theguardian.com
We followed five people in Gaza from dawn to dusk – this is what the headlines don’t tell us
Behind the stories of bombings and mass deaths, the everyday challenges facing Palestinians living under siege portray a quieter tragedy we rarely hear
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This program funded my graduate training. It’s a travesty that core science and social science fields are being excluded politicalsciencenow.com/apsa-joint-s...
politicalsciencenow.com
APSA Joint Statement on the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program -
The American Political Science Association (APSA) and the undersigned organizations are writing to express disappointment in the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) removal of STEM education and several major social science disciplines from eligibility for the [...]
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This is a huge story that has to be pursued.
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Iraq: “There is no security as long as weapons are outside the control of the state.” www.al-monitor.com/originals/20...
al-monitor.com
From Maysan to Saudi Arabia, drone attack puts Iraqi province under scrutiny
Officials have been removed but worsening problems need to be addressed in militia stronghold bordering Iran, local residents and observers say.
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Another step to enable Trump to seize power. apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com
Trump says his planned arch would become a 'military complex' able to host drones and snipers
President Donald Trump says the massive arch he wants to build between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery would become a “top grade military complex” able to host drones and snipers ...
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Imani Gandy @angryblacklady.blacksky.app · 20/09/2026
I just honestly can't get over that Save Women Sports, an anti-trans group could only find five trans athletes competing K through 12. Five. The NCAA president testified a year and a half ago or so that there were less than 10 college level trans athletes. What the fuck are we doing, people
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
yetkinreport.com/en/2026/09/1...
yetkinreport.com
Ankara hits Iran with economic sanctions ahead of Erdoğan-Trump meeting - Yetkin Report - Murat Yetkin
Ahead of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to the United States to attend the UN General Assembly on September 22, Ankara announced two economic sanctions against Iran, shortly before his expecte...
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Yes. It’s right to ask that the president be honest and fair.
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
www.npr.org/2026/09/18/n...
npr.org
Syrian regime planned American journalist's kidnapping for weeks
New reporting finds the abduction of journalist Austin Tice was planned by the Syrian government for weeks.
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/...
aljazeera.com
Syria arrests five former al-Assad-era officers over strikes on civilians
Former air officers, including an air force general, were arrested in a series of operations.
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
So how close are we, really, to an AI generated global conflagration? Probably a lot closer then we once imagined. www.cnn.com/2026/09/18/p...
cnn.com
Exclusive: US military had close call after using AI for false intelligence report, sources say | CNN Politics
The episode shows the risks of using this new, relatively poorly understood technology in the middle of the Iran war
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
It’s not the heat, it’s the stupidity.
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-tuc-...
middleeasteye.net
UK Trade Union Congress votes to endorse BDS and end arms sales to Israel
TUC's motion supports the boycott movement for the first time and mandates the five-million-strong federation to campaign for workplace action, divestment and sanctions
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
syrianobserver.com/society/you-...
syrianobserver.com
You Cannot Run a Country on Improvised Numbers - The Syrian Observer
Reliable numbers are not a luxury, Mohammad Al-Salloum writes.
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/...
aljazeera.com
Syria abolishes al-Assad-era ‘terrorism’ court as Kurdish tensions flare
Discontent is testing President Ahmed al-Sharaa's ability to unify a country emerging from 14 years of conflict.
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
www.yahoo.com/news/world/a...
yahoo.com
Tensions flare in Syria’s Kurdish northeast as government integration deal moves forward
Hundreds of oil tanker trucks were stranded in northeastern Syria's Kurdish region Wednesday after demonstrators blocked a major highway near the town of Tal Tamr in protest over rising fuel prices. ...
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
According to the NY Times, Charlie Kirk "held strongly conservative views on guns, gender and race." Guess it's still too much to expect the Times to acknowledge who Kirk really was.
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Syrian Kurds aim to preserve Kurdish schooling as Damascus reasserts authority - www.reuters.com/business/med...
reuters.com
Syrian Kurds aim to preserve Kurdish schooling as Damascus reasserts authority
Syrian Kurds are seeking to preserve schooling in their mother tongue as Damascus reasserts authority over Kurdish regions that governed ​themselves during years of war, welcoming a decree that allows...
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Semi embalmed. Saves work later.
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Democracy indicators in US at lowest levels for 50 years, data shows
Trump administration undermining rule of law at home and worldwide, according to intergovernmental report
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Trump strengthens ties among allies. Global unity among US adversaries finds "easy consensus" at BRICs summit. www.ft.com/content/d17c...
ft.com
‘Trumpism’ spawns rare unity at Brics summit
Historically unruly bloc finds easy consensus amid worries over Gulf war, tariffs and US sanctions
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Out of control. Just delusional. www.newarab.com/news/israeli...
newarab.com
Israeli troops in Syria call for ’conquest of Damascus’
Israeli reservists have called for an advance on Damascus, as troops launch fresh incursions and Syria condemns violations of its sovereignty.
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Syrian private airport plans spark outcry over mass graves, land rights - www.reuters.com/world/middle...
reuters.com
Syrian private airport plans spark outcry over mass graves, land rights
Syrian government plans to turn a former military airport in Damascus into a hub for private jets are raising alarm among rights groups and residents who say redevelopment could disturb suspected mass...
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
What’s needed are systematic, transparent vetting processes. This is an important step but feels much too ad hoc. www.newarab.com/news/syria-d...
newarab.com
Syria doctors struck off over abuses under Assad’s brutal regime
Syria’s Doctors Syndicate has struck 10 doctors from its register over alleged involvement in abuses at Tishreen Military Hospital under the Assad regime
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/...
aljazeera.com
As SDF disband in Syria, Kurds ponder how to secure their rights
As the Kurdish forces dissolve, experts express concern if their rights will be won through democratic means.
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Air Force One attempts to eject Donald Trump. Military Aide Accidentally Deploys Emergency Slide on New Air Force One www.nytimes.com/2026/09/09/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Is Delayed After Emergency Slide Deploys on New Air Force One
The mishap occurred while the Qatari-donated jet was parked on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews. It delayed President Trump’s departure to a Republican convention in Dallas.
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Berin Szóka @berinszoka.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Photo of the decade: AfD leader Alice Weidel
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Some Israeli actions in Syria may amount to war crimes, UN probe says - www.reuters.com/world/middle...
reuters.com
Some Israeli actions in Syria may amount to war crimes, UN probe says
A U.N. commission investigating Syria said on Tuesday ‌it was deeply alarmed over Israel's military activity inside Syrian territory, warning that some actions including the detention of civilians cou...
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
UK, France and Canada sanction Israeli West Bank settlements, in support for two-state solution - www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-...
reuters.com
UK, France and Canada sanction Israeli West Bank settlements, in support for two-state solution
British Foreign Minister Ed Miliband said Britain could no longer simply "call out" injustice and suffering.
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Culture wars in Syria’s transition. From @haidhaid22.bsky.social en.majalla.com/node/332929/...
en.majalla.com
Concert backlash shows fight over Syria's cultural future
Assala's concert, if it goes ahead, would be an important sign that the government can resist conservative pressure campaigns, but it is not a long-term solution
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
www.thenationalnews.com/news/uk/2026...
thenationalnews.com
Syrian minister asks for more 'trust' in UK parliament hearing | The National
Minister for Social Affairs Hind Kabawat says Syria wants direct support from Britain to rebuild
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5...
english.aawsat.com
Syria Arrests Assad-era General Accused of Deadly Repression
Syrian authorities on Monday said they had arrested a former general accused of involvement in the bloody repression of protests in 2011 that sparked the country's civil war and the 1982 Hama massacre...
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Journeying through Syria’s shattered cities as they move from war to peace - www.durham.ac.uk/research/cur...
durham.ac.uk
Journeying through Syria’s shattered cities as they move from war to peace - Durham University
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Everything he touches turns to shit. Everything.
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Frederick Deknatel @freddydeknatel.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
"What is unfolding in Jobar and al-Qaboun is a contest over who pays for reconstruction, who decides its terms, and whose interests it ultimately serves. On each count, the process has so far favored investors over locals." Jad Baghdadi on investor-driven reconstruction as dispossession in Syria:
timep.org
Who Pays for Syria’s Reconstruction? Residents Push Back on Investor-Led Projects in Eastern Damascus
As Syria turns to private investment to finance reconstruction, the absence of a rights-based framework risks reproducing patterns that took shape under the Assad regime.
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Rima I Anabtawi @rimaanabtawi.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
NBC News correspondent Matt Bradley, three members of his team and a Palestinian woman were attacked and injured by masked Israeli settlers while reporting in the occupied West Bank on Saturday. www.nbcnews.com/world/middle...
nbcnews.com
Palestinian woman and NBC News team attacked by masked Israeli settlers in West Bank
The woman and crew were treated for injuries. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he condemned the violence committed “by a handful of rioters.”
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
www.thetimes.com/world/middle...
thetimes.com
What next for elite all-female militia that Syria doesn’t want?
We make better snipers than men, insists the YPJ, but the new leader in Damascus says there is no place for them in the army
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Trump’s speech puts Trump asleep.
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
What? Bovino isn’t Hi-T enough to defend himself?
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#StupidSuez @diplomatofnight.com · 28/08/2026
For all the talk that a cohort of people on here like to push about equal rights under the law within "Israel Proper", here is the Finance Minister of Israel explicitly saying that his goal is to do demographic changes in the Negev and Galilee and to reduce the Arab population. Both within 48.
timesofisrael.com
Smotrich calls to ‘Judaize’ Negev, Galilee as part of his settlement ‘revolution’
Far-right minister's pre-election plan would establish dozens of towns for one million new Jewish residents while curbing Arab building
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Shibley Telhami @stelhami.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Three quarters of all US undergraduate students polled by Brandeis University say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, while a quarter say it is not. s3.amazonaws.com/na-st01.ext....
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Further evidence of how out of touch House Dem leaders are. This decision was made behind closed doors by Dem leaders and committee members. Joaquin Castro, Ted Lieu, almost any other D on the committee would be a better choice. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/27/u...
nytimes.com
Progressives Condemn Pick of Pro-Israel Democrat Atop House Panel
Outrage over making Representative Jared Moskowitz, who is vocally pro-Israel, the top Democrat on a Middle East policy subcommittee reflected the party’s rift over Israel.
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