Michael Brill
@michaelpbrill.bsky.social
Ph.D. candidate in Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University | Non-Resident Fellow at USAFA Institute for Future Conflict | Visiting Lecturer in Political Science at Westfield State University | Former Wilson Center Global Fellow
Pinned
Michael Brill
@michaelpbrill.bsky.social
· Oct 10
Institute for Future Conflict (IFC)
www.ifc.usafa.edu
My latest piece for the Institute for Future Conflict at the United States Air Force Academy discusses the importance of Assad regime archives and efforts to preserve them. I draw some parallels with the aftermath of the 2003 Iraq War & toppling of Saddam's regime.
www.ifc.usafa.edu/articles/dig...
www.ifc.usafa.edu/articles/dig...
Reposted by Michael Brill
📚 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐬
🗣️ 𝐙𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐤𝐚𝐧𝐢
🗓️ 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟓
⏰ 𝟏𝟐𝐩𝐦 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 / 𝟏𝐩𝐦 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧
🔗 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲:
zoom.us/meeting/regi...
#ZahraInstitute #AuthorTalk #KurdishVoices #Diaspora #MiddleEasternLit
🗣️ 𝐙𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐤𝐚𝐧𝐢
🗓️ 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟓
⏰ 𝟏𝟐𝐩𝐦 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 / 𝟏𝐩𝐦 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧
🔗 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲:
zoom.us/meeting/regi...
#ZahraInstitute #AuthorTalk #KurdishVoices #Diaspora #MiddleEasternLit
February 13, 2026 at 1:56 PM
📚 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐬
🗣️ 𝐙𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐤𝐚𝐧𝐢
🗓️ 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟓
⏰ 𝟏𝟐𝐩𝐦 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 / 𝟏𝐩𝐦 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧
🔗 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲:
zoom.us/meeting/regi...
#ZahraInstitute #AuthorTalk #KurdishVoices #Diaspora #MiddleEasternLit
🗣️ 𝐙𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐤𝐚𝐧𝐢
🗓️ 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟓
⏰ 𝟏𝟐𝐩𝐦 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 / 𝟏𝐩𝐦 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧
🔗 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲:
zoom.us/meeting/regi...
#ZahraInstitute #AuthorTalk #KurdishVoices #Diaspora #MiddleEasternLit
"[T]he international community often underestimates a regime’s capacity for internal violence. Military weakness abroad does not necessarily translate into fragility at home."
www.iranintl.com/en/202602120...
www.iranintl.com/en/202602120...
What the 1991 uprising in Iraq can teach US and Iran
About a month ago, US President Donald Trump urged Iranians to keep protesting and take over institutions, saying that “help is on the way.”
www.iranintl.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:14 PM
"[T]he international community often underestimates a regime’s capacity for internal violence. Military weakness abroad does not necessarily translate into fragility at home."
www.iranintl.com/en/202602120...
www.iranintl.com/en/202602120...
Reposted by Michael Brill
Ahmed al-Sharaa’s international charm offensive has been impressive. A closer neighbour, however, remains unswayed by Syria’s interim president
Why Syria and Iraq cannot reconcile
Iraqis still find it hard to forgive the Syrian leader’s jihadist past
econ.st
February 13, 2026 at 8:40 AM
Ahmed al-Sharaa’s international charm offensive has been impressive. A closer neighbour, however, remains unswayed by Syria’s interim president
Looking forward to @jobywarrick.bsky.social's "The Jackal," to be published by Simon & Schuster in September. I'll be especially interested to learn what he found on Carlos' ties to George Habbash, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine & Iraq.
www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Ja...
www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Ja...
The Jackal
The spectacular rise and dramatic fall of super-assassin Carlos the Jackal—one of history’s most infamous terrorist masterminds—told with new revel...
www.simonandschuster.com
February 12, 2026 at 2:24 PM
Looking forward to @jobywarrick.bsky.social's "The Jackal," to be published by Simon & Schuster in September. I'll be especially interested to learn what he found on Carlos' ties to George Habbash, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine & Iraq.
www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Ja...
www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Ja...
Reposted by Michael Brill
Trying to make sense of the US operation in Venezuela? My take on what they were thinking (or not thinking) wrt oil
Explaining Trump’s Oil Grab
There’s a reason why countries don’t go to war over oil. The Trump administration miscalculated the costs.
www.lawfaremedia.org
January 13, 2026 at 3:27 PM
Trying to make sense of the US operation in Venezuela? My take on what they were thinking (or not thinking) wrt oil
"Syria once had a small but vibrant Jewish community, estimated at about 30,000 spread across three large cities, including the historic old city of Damascus. Many left as wars broke out in the years after the state of Israel was established..." @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/w...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/w...
Eating Kosher in the Heart of Syria: Lamb-Stuffed Zucchini but Hold the Yogurt
www.nytimes.com
February 10, 2026 at 5:02 PM
"Syria once had a small but vibrant Jewish community, estimated at about 30,000 spread across three large cities, including the historic old city of Damascus. Many left as wars broke out in the years after the state of Israel was established..." @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/w...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/w...
Reposted by Michael Brill
Trump’s Oil Grab in Venezuela Shatters an American Taboo
U.S. presidents have long been accused of plotting to control foreign oil. But President Trump has asserted a U.S. right to take it.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/08/u...
U.S. presidents have long been accused of plotting to control foreign oil. But President Trump has asserted a U.S. right to take it.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/08/u...
Trump’s Oil Grab in Venezuela Shatters an American Taboo
www.nytimes.com
February 9, 2026 at 3:47 PM
Trump’s Oil Grab in Venezuela Shatters an American Taboo
U.S. presidents have long been accused of plotting to control foreign oil. But President Trump has asserted a U.S. right to take it.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/08/u...
U.S. presidents have long been accused of plotting to control foreign oil. But President Trump has asserted a U.S. right to take it.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/08/u...
"Iraq executes former Saddam-era security official Saadoun al-Qaisi, convicted of crimes against humanity over killing Mohammed Baqir al-Sadr." @newarab.com.web.brid.gy
www.newarab.com/news/iraq-ex...
www.newarab.com/news/iraq-ex...
Iraq executes former Saddam-era official Saadoun al-Qaisi
Iraq executes former Saddam-era security official Saadoun al-Qaisi, convicted of crimes against humanity over killing Mohammed Baqir al-Sadr.
www.newarab.com
February 9, 2026 at 10:26 PM
"Iraq executes former Saddam-era security official Saadoun al-Qaisi, convicted of crimes against humanity over killing Mohammed Baqir al-Sadr." @newarab.com.web.brid.gy
www.newarab.com/news/iraq-ex...
www.newarab.com/news/iraq-ex...
Reposted by Michael Brill
A new #history that tells the story of how European imperial ambitions destroyed the Ottoman Empire during the Great War & created a divided & unstable Middle East.
The War That Made the Middle East by Mustafa Aksakal is out now (10 March UK pub).
Learn more: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
The War That Made the Middle East by Mustafa Aksakal is out now (10 March UK pub).
Learn more: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
January 13, 2026 at 2:03 PM
A new #history that tells the story of how European imperial ambitions destroyed the Ottoman Empire during the Great War & created a divided & unstable Middle East.
The War That Made the Middle East by Mustafa Aksakal is out now (10 March UK pub).
Learn more: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
The War That Made the Middle East by Mustafa Aksakal is out now (10 March UK pub).
Learn more: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
"Written by Chris Bowers, a former British diplomat & journalist, Safe Haven traces the efforts of Kurdish diaspora communities & their international allies to secure protection for northern Iraq."
www.rudaw.net/english/worl...
www.rudaw.net/english/worl...
'Safe Haven' play brings story of Iraqi Kurds’ no-fly zone to London stage
Iraq has transferred 2,250 jailed ISIS militants into the country by air and land as part of an ongoing operation coordinated with the US-led international coalition, the Iraqi Security Media Cell sai...
www.rudaw.net
February 9, 2026 at 10:20 PM
"Written by Chris Bowers, a former British diplomat & journalist, Safe Haven traces the efforts of Kurdish diaspora communities & their international allies to secure protection for northern Iraq."
www.rudaw.net/english/worl...
www.rudaw.net/english/worl...
Reposted by Michael Brill
“The Iraq Wars is only about 150 pages of text and yet it packs a big punch. It adds a depth of analysis to the decades long conflict between the United States and Iraq making it a worthwhile read.” Thanks, Joel!
#Iraq Wars only about 150 pages but has a lot of important info Adds depth to analysis of how Iraq came to dominate US foreign policy for years musingsoniraq.blogspot.com/2026/02/revi...
Review Samuel Helfont, The Iraq Wars, A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2025
Samuel Helfont released his third book on Iraq entitled The Iraq Wars, A Very Short Introduction . It is a brief review of...
musingsoniraq.blogspot.com
February 8, 2026 at 3:08 AM
“The Iraq Wars is only about 150 pages of text and yet it packs a big punch. It adds a depth of analysis to the decades long conflict between the United States and Iraq making it a worthwhile read.” Thanks, Joel!
"If the rivers are the film’s most important unifying image, Hussein’s face is a close second. You see it everywhere onscreen, reproduced in photos, posters, and murals."
www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-...
www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-...
The President's Cake review: Making sweets for Saddam
This is a substantial and promising debut that could propel Hasan to either homegrown or international importance.
www.rogerebert.com
February 7, 2026 at 8:45 PM
"If the rivers are the film’s most important unifying image, Hussein’s face is a close second. You see it everywhere onscreen, reproduced in photos, posters, and murals."
www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-...
www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-...
Reposted by Michael Brill
As his regime crumbled, Bashar al-Assad was obsessed with sex and video games, and he refused every lifeline he was offered. Palace insiders told Robert F. Worth that Assad could have saved his regime if he hadn’t been so stubborn and vain.
The Fall of the House of Assad
A detached ruler, obsessed with sex and video games, refused every lifeline he was offered.
bit.ly
February 7, 2026 at 5:45 PM
As his regime crumbled, Bashar al-Assad was obsessed with sex and video games, and he refused every lifeline he was offered. Palace insiders told Robert F. Worth that Assad could have saved his regime if he hadn’t been so stubborn and vain.
Reposted by Michael Brill
Cannes favorite ‘The President’s Cake’ is a fable with real-world immediacy
Cannes favorite ‘The President’s Cake’ is a fable with real-world immediacy
ebx.sh
February 5, 2026 at 6:06 PM
Cannes favorite ‘The President’s Cake’ is a fable with real-world immediacy
"The deprivations & darkness of the dictatorship, which immiserates the Iraqi people even as it demands performative displays of happiness, lurk around every corner." @benkenigsberg.bsky.social for @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/m...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/m...
‘The President’s Cake’ Review: Party Politics
www.nytimes.com
February 6, 2026 at 3:36 PM
"The deprivations & darkness of the dictatorship, which immiserates the Iraqi people even as it demands performative displays of happiness, lurk around every corner." @benkenigsberg.bsky.social for @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/m...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/m...
Reposted by Michael Brill
Check out Dr. Claire Leavitt's new piece on The Conversation US! Dr. Leavitt was our 2025 Excellence in Oversight Research award winner.
theconversation.com/congress-has...
theconversation.com/congress-has...
Congress has exercised minimal oversight over ICE, but that might change
Congress has handed ICE a blank check, dramatically increasing its funding without exercising oversight.
theconversation.com
February 6, 2026 at 2:04 PM
Check out Dr. Claire Leavitt's new piece on The Conversation US! Dr. Leavitt was our 2025 Excellence in Oversight Research award winner.
theconversation.com/congress-has...
theconversation.com/congress-has...
"Since ICE’s funding increase, the Senate has held just one public hearing on ICE, according to my own unpublished data. Although the House has held a few routine oversight hearings of DHS, none have focused on ICE..." @ccleavitt.bsky.social @theconversation.com
theconversation.com/congress-has...
theconversation.com/congress-has...
Congress has exercised minimal oversight over ICE, but that might change
Congress has handed ICE a blank check, dramatically increasing its funding without exercising oversight.
theconversation.com
February 5, 2026 at 8:56 PM
"Since ICE’s funding increase, the Senate has held just one public hearing on ICE, according to my own unpublished data. Although the House has held a few routine oversight hearings of DHS, none have focused on ICE..." @ccleavitt.bsky.social @theconversation.com
theconversation.com/congress-has...
theconversation.com/congress-has...
Reposted by Michael Brill
Congress increased ICE's funding from $8 billion in 2024 to $28 billion in 2025, making it the nation's most highly funded law enforcement agency. Yet the Senate has held just one public hearing on ICE since then. buff.ly/4tjognS
Congress has exercised minimal oversight over ICE, but that might change
Congress has handed ICE a blank check, dramatically increasing its funding without exercising oversight.
theconversation.com
February 5, 2026 at 5:35 AM
Congress increased ICE's funding from $8 billion in 2024 to $28 billion in 2025, making it the nation's most highly funded law enforcement agency. Yet the Senate has held just one public hearing on ICE since then. buff.ly/4tjognS
"On Monday, the court rejected the family’s $22 million lawsuit accusing the French government of unjustly profiting from cheap deals with Iraqi officials who claimed control of the home under antisemitic laws." @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/w...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/w...
Paris Court Deals Family Blow in Battle for Rent From the French Embassy in Iraq
www.nytimes.com
February 5, 2026 at 12:10 AM
"On Monday, the court rejected the family’s $22 million lawsuit accusing the French government of unjustly profiting from cheap deals with Iraqi officials who claimed control of the home under antisemitic laws." @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/w...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/w...
Reposted by Michael Brill
Shock, awe, death, joy and looting: how the Guardian covered the outbreak of the Iraq war
Shock, awe, death, joy and looting: how the Guardian covered the outbreak of the Iraq war
The long read: In spring 2003, exuberance at the fall of Saddam was swiftly followed by a descent into deadly chaos. Whether moving independently or embedded with troops, Guardian reporters witnessed the violence on the ground
www.theguardian.com
February 3, 2026 at 6:31 AM
Shock, awe, death, joy and looting: how the Guardian covered the outbreak of the Iraq war
Reposted by Michael Brill
‘Yes, they would execute a child’: the film about a girl who has to bake a birthday cake for Saddam Hussein
‘Yes, they would execute a child’: the film about a girl who has to bake a birthday cake for Saddam Hussein
Warm, funny and heartbreaking, The President’s Cake tells the story of a brutal ruler and a girl forced to make him a present in a time of sanctions-induced hardship. Its Iraqi director Hasan Hadi remembers his own fearful childhood
www.theguardian.com
February 2, 2026 at 8:46 AM
‘Yes, they would execute a child’: the film about a girl who has to bake a birthday cake for Saddam Hussein
"Since no concerned party has denied the authenticity of these minutes, it is most likely that they are accurate. In doing so, Wahhab has commendably placed in readers’ hands one of the most important documents of the Lebanese War."
syriacpress.com/blog/2026/02...
syriacpress.com/blog/2026/02...
The Fatal Encounter: Jumblatt / Assad — Part 6 - SyriacPress
By Hicham Bou Nassif | Weinberg Associate Professor of International Relations and the Middle East and George R. Roberts Fellow at Claremont McKenna College-California Throughout the five parts of thi...
syriacpress.com
February 2, 2026 at 11:50 PM
"Since no concerned party has denied the authenticity of these minutes, it is most likely that they are accurate. In doing so, Wahhab has commendably placed in readers’ hands one of the most important documents of the Lebanese War."
syriacpress.com/blog/2026/02...
syriacpress.com/blog/2026/02...
Reposted by Michael Brill
Xi Jinping’s recent purges of senior PLA officers reveal a military stripped of independence, with obedience engineered by Leninist party structures.
China’s century of purges | Clark Aoqi Wu
engelsbergideas.com/essays/china...
China’s century of purges | Clark Aoqi Wu
engelsbergideas.com/essays/china...
China’s century of purges
Xi Jinping’s recent purges of senior PLA officers reveal a military stripped of independence, with obedience engineered over decades of Leninist structures.
engelsbergideas.com
January 30, 2026 at 9:00 AM
Xi Jinping’s recent purges of senior PLA officers reveal a military stripped of independence, with obedience engineered by Leninist party structures.
China’s century of purges | Clark Aoqi Wu
engelsbergideas.com/essays/china...
China’s century of purges | Clark Aoqi Wu
engelsbergideas.com/essays/china...
Reposted by Michael Brill
📢 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞!
Our Spring Speaker Series kicks off on 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟏 with another inspiring group of scholars and practitioners.
📄 Check out the flyer for full details
🌐 Learn more: www.zahrainstitute.org
Help us spread the word and share widely.
Our Spring Speaker Series kicks off on 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟏 with another inspiring group of scholars and practitioners.
📄 Check out the flyer for full details
🌐 Learn more: www.zahrainstitute.org
Help us spread the word and share widely.
January 28, 2026 at 4:14 PM
📢 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞!
Our Spring Speaker Series kicks off on 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟏 with another inspiring group of scholars and practitioners.
📄 Check out the flyer for full details
🌐 Learn more: www.zahrainstitute.org
Help us spread the word and share widely.
Our Spring Speaker Series kicks off on 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟏 with another inspiring group of scholars and practitioners.
📄 Check out the flyer for full details
🌐 Learn more: www.zahrainstitute.org
Help us spread the word and share widely.
"While Iraqis were dazzled by the luxuries of Western consumer goods, stories existed on the margins of tragedies, forced disappearances of political figures, imagined conspiracies forcefully snuffed out."
www.annahar.com/news/details....
www.annahar.com/news/details....
Iraq before Saddam: the lost golden age
Follow the latest News and views from the Middle East and the region
www.annahar.com
January 30, 2026 at 12:11 AM
"While Iraqis were dazzled by the luxuries of Western consumer goods, stories existed on the margins of tragedies, forced disappearances of political figures, imagined conspiracies forcefully snuffed out."
www.annahar.com/news/details....
www.annahar.com/news/details....