Seth Binder
@sethbinder.bsky.social
Director of Advocacy at the Middle East Democracy Center (MEDC)
[email protected] introduced an amendment during the ongoing State Dept Reauthorization markup in the House Foreign Affairs Committee that would condition $1 billion of the $3.3 billion in US military aid to Israel on human rights benchmarks. A 🧵
September 18, 2025 at 2:07 AM
[email protected] introduced an amendment during the ongoing State Dept Reauthorization markup in the House Foreign Affairs Committee that would condition $1 billion of the $3.3 billion in US military aid to Israel on human rights benchmarks. A 🧵
Israel bombed multiple countries across the Middle East in recent days. US military aid makes this possible. In our new factsheet we breakdown the $21.7B provided to Israel since Oct 7 & privileges it receives that allows it to carry on its war machine. mideastdc.org/publication/...
Extraordinary Sums and Privileges: U.S. Security Assistance to Israel Since October 7, 2023 - MEDC
mideastdc.org
September 11, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Israel bombed multiple countries across the Middle East in recent days. US military aid makes this possible. In our new factsheet we breakdown the $21.7B provided to Israel since Oct 7 & privileges it receives that allows it to carry on its war machine. mideastdc.org/publication/...
In a new piece by me and @stimsoncenter.bsky.social's Elias Yousif, we discuss the risks of the admin's legally dubious decision not to release detailed accounting for how the government intends to spend future foreign assistance. A 🧵 mideastdc.org/publication/...
President Trump is Undermining Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability - MEDC
mideastdc.org
September 9, 2025 at 2:22 PM
In a new piece by me and @stimsoncenter.bsky.social's Elias Yousif, we discuss the risks of the admin's legally dubious decision not to release detailed accounting for how the government intends to spend future foreign assistance. A 🧵 mideastdc.org/publication/...
Reposted by Seth Binder
🚨 Saudi Arabia executed a prominent journalist who exposed corruption. The world should act before other dissidents are next.
Read our commentary on the shocking execution of Turki Al-Jasser by @aalodah.bsky.social, @sethbinder.bsky.social, Sheridan Cole & Haydn Welch: mideastdc.org/publication/...
Read our commentary on the shocking execution of Turki Al-Jasser by @aalodah.bsky.social, @sethbinder.bsky.social, Sheridan Cole & Haydn Welch: mideastdc.org/publication/...
Saudi Arabia Executed a Prominent Journalist who Exposed Corruption. The World Should Act Before Other Dissidents are Next. - MEDC
mideastdc.org
June 18, 2025 at 7:56 PM
🚨 Saudi Arabia executed a prominent journalist who exposed corruption. The world should act before other dissidents are next.
Read our commentary on the shocking execution of Turki Al-Jasser by @aalodah.bsky.social, @sethbinder.bsky.social, Sheridan Cole & Haydn Welch: mideastdc.org/publication/...
Read our commentary on the shocking execution of Turki Al-Jasser by @aalodah.bsky.social, @sethbinder.bsky.social, Sheridan Cole & Haydn Welch: mideastdc.org/publication/...
Reposted by Seth Binder
"The billions in military aid compared to the pennies in democracy assistance really puts into perspective the priority of US governments, not just this administration who have eliminated even the pennies," MEDC’s @sethbinder.bsky.social tells Middle East Eye.
www.middleeasteye.net/news/usaid-i...
www.middleeasteye.net/news/usaid-i...
USAID implosion leaves Middle East activists at mercy of political crackdowns
Human rights defenders across Middle East and North Africa were reliant on US for small grants to help them relocate and resettle abroad
www.middleeasteye.net
May 20, 2025 at 10:01 PM
"The billions in military aid compared to the pennies in democracy assistance really puts into perspective the priority of US governments, not just this administration who have eliminated even the pennies," MEDC’s @sethbinder.bsky.social tells Middle East Eye.
www.middleeasteye.net/news/usaid-i...
www.middleeasteye.net/news/usaid-i...
Reposted by Seth Binder
📣 NEW EVENT: Join us next Thursday, May 8, at 11AM for a conversation in Arabic on combating disinformation & propaganda by authoritarian regimes in the MENA. With Cathrine Abuamsha, Heba Alkadri, Mohamed Nagem & MEDC's Abdelrahman Ayyash.
Register here: mideastdc.org/events/digit...
Register here: mideastdc.org/events/digit...
Digital Dictators: Confronting Authoritarian Narratives in the MENA Region - MEDC
ديكتاتوريو العالم الرقمي: مواجهة السرديات الاستبدادية في الشرق الأوسط في عصرٍ باتت فيه الأنظمة الاستبدادية في منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا تعتمد بشكل متزايد على تقنيات الذكاء الاصطناعي (AI) لنشر ا...
mideastdc.org
May 2, 2025 at 3:54 PM
📣 NEW EVENT: Join us next Thursday, May 8, at 11AM for a conversation in Arabic on combating disinformation & propaganda by authoritarian regimes in the MENA. With Cathrine Abuamsha, Heba Alkadri, Mohamed Nagem & MEDC's Abdelrahman Ayyash.
Register here: mideastdc.org/events/digit...
Register here: mideastdc.org/events/digit...
Reposted by Seth Binder
@sethbinder.bsky.social @mideastdc.org "...In just these 100 days, the Trump administration may have caused irreparable harm to U.S. interests, in which the full cost is only still coming into focus." #100days Read full quote at www.forumarmstrade.org/trump100days...
Assessing Trump's First 100 Days
To mark the first 100 days in office, experts independently assess aspects of the Trump administration's policies.
www.forumarmstrade.org
April 29, 2025 at 1:28 PM
@sethbinder.bsky.social @mideastdc.org "...In just these 100 days, the Trump administration may have caused irreparable harm to U.S. interests, in which the full cost is only still coming into focus." #100days Read full quote at www.forumarmstrade.org/trump100days...
Reposted by Seth Binder
President Trump's foreign aid freeze has been nothing short of chaotic & staggering in its wholesale disruption & cost to US interests, particularly in the MENA region, write MEDC's @sethbinder.bsky.social, Sheridan Cole & Haydn Welch's in @justsecurity.org:
www.justsecurity.org/107929/us-fo...
www.justsecurity.org/107929/us-fo...
The Foreign Aid Freeze's Costs to the US in the Middle East and North Africa
The Trump administration's dismantling of USAID poses significant threats to security in the Middle East and North Africa.
www.justsecurity.org
February 14, 2025 at 9:13 PM
President Trump's foreign aid freeze has been nothing short of chaotic & staggering in its wholesale disruption & cost to US interests, particularly in the MENA region, write MEDC's @sethbinder.bsky.social, Sheridan Cole & Haydn Welch's in @justsecurity.org:
www.justsecurity.org/107929/us-fo...
www.justsecurity.org/107929/us-fo...
Reposted by Seth Binder
US #ForeignAid to the Middle East and North Africa has been integral to US “safety, strength, and prosperity” – Secretary of State Rubio’s stated test for fulfilling President Trump’s America First agenda.
From @sethbinder.bsky.social, Sheridan Cole and Haydn Welch:
#MENA
From @sethbinder.bsky.social, Sheridan Cole and Haydn Welch:
#MENA
The Foreign Aid Freeze's Costs to the US in the Middle East and North Africa
The Trump administration's dismantling of USAID poses significant threats to security in the Middle East and North Africa.
www.justsecurity.org
February 14, 2025 at 2:45 PM
US #ForeignAid to the Middle East and North Africa has been integral to US “safety, strength, and prosperity” – Secretary of State Rubio’s stated test for fulfilling President Trump’s America First agenda.
From @sethbinder.bsky.social, Sheridan Cole and Haydn Welch:
#MENA
From @sethbinder.bsky.social, Sheridan Cole and Haydn Welch:
#MENA
While former US Senator Bob Menendez is sentenced to 11 years in prison for a corruption scheme in partnership with the Egyptian government, the Trump administration is allowing Egypt to continue receiving US military aid despite a global foreign aid freeze.
BREAKING
Former Senator Bob Menendez has been sentenced to 11 years in prison.
Former Senator Bob Menendez has been sentenced to 11 years in prison.
January 29, 2025 at 9:54 PM
While former US Senator Bob Menendez is sentenced to 11 years in prison for a corruption scheme in partnership with the Egyptian government, the Trump administration is allowing Egypt to continue receiving US military aid despite a global foreign aid freeze.
Reposted by Seth Binder
Egyptian poet & writer Abdulrahman al-Qaradawi has been forcibly disappeared since his extradition to the UAE from Lebanon on January 8. We call on Emirati authorities to disclose his location & immediately #FreeAbdulrahman.
Read our joint statement: mideastdc.org/publication/...
Read our joint statement: mideastdc.org/publication/...
January 21, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Egyptian poet & writer Abdulrahman al-Qaradawi has been forcibly disappeared since his extradition to the UAE from Lebanon on January 8. We call on Emirati authorities to disclose his location & immediately #FreeAbdulrahman.
Read our joint statement: mideastdc.org/publication/...
Read our joint statement: mideastdc.org/publication/...
Reposted by Seth Binder
Disturbed to hear of new charges against HRD & Director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, Hossam Bahgat, in connection with his work on prison conditions. He has been a strong, impartial HRD throughout 3 political leaderships & has been harassed for years. His targeting should end.
January 20, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Disturbed to hear of new charges against HRD & Director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, Hossam Bahgat, in connection with his work on prison conditions. He has been a strong, impartial HRD throughout 3 political leaderships & has been harassed for years. His targeting should end.
Reposted by Seth Binder
"Building production capabilities takes time & lots of funds—just look at the US struggles to increase capacity for globally needed munitions," MEDC's @sethbinder.bsky.social tells @mradamtaylor.bsky.social on Israel's push to produce heavy bombs domestically.
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...
Israel moves to make heavy bombs, but U.S. reliance hard to shake, experts say
Israel said last week it would move to produce heavy bombs and raw materials for defense domestically, after learning “a central lesson from the war” in Gaza.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 13, 2025 at 7:56 PM
"Building production capabilities takes time & lots of funds—just look at the US struggles to increase capacity for globally needed munitions," MEDC's @sethbinder.bsky.social tells @mradamtaylor.bsky.social on Israel's push to produce heavy bombs domestically.
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...
Last Sept, the Biden admin fraudulently certified Egypt’s gov made “clear and consistent” progress in releasing political prisoners in order to provide this $95 million to Egypt’s military. Congress blocked those funds from going to Egypt. Now it’s been reprogrammed to Lebanon.
The US plans to divert to Lebanon $95m in military aid that was originally allocated to Egypt, according to an unconfirmed Reuters report aje.io/6qtdcf
January 7, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Last Sept, the Biden admin fraudulently certified Egypt’s gov made “clear and consistent” progress in releasing political prisoners in order to provide this $95 million to Egypt’s military. Congress blocked those funds from going to Egypt. Now it’s been reprogrammed to Lebanon.
Reposted by Seth Binder
Reposted by Seth Binder
"By almost every metric, the harm to civilians from the first month of the Israeli campaign in Gaza is incomparable with any 21st century air campaign. It is by far the most intense, destructive, and fatal conflict for civilians that Airwars has ever documented."
NEW: How does the scale of harm in Gaza compare to other conflicts?
Our new report presents a unique analysis of where and how thousands of civilians were killed in the first 25 days in Gaza - and how these patterns are unprecedented in modern warfare.
gaza-patterns-harm.airwars.org
Our new report presents a unique analysis of where and how thousands of civilians were killed in the first 25 days in Gaza - and how these patterns are unprecedented in modern warfare.
gaza-patterns-harm.airwars.org
Airwars Gaza Patterns of Harm
Airwars monitors, assesses and preserves civilian casualty claims resulting from explosive weapons use in multiple conflicts.
gaza-patterns-harm.airwars.org
December 13, 2024 at 2:24 AM
"By almost every metric, the harm to civilians from the first month of the Israeli campaign in Gaza is incomparable with any 21st century air campaign. It is by far the most intense, destructive, and fatal conflict for civilians that Airwars has ever documented."
Reposted by Seth Binder
We at Human Rights First are hearing more & more reports of serious unrest in #Bahrain’s notorious Jau prison; that in Building 7 food, water & electricity have been cut for a week. Foreign diplomats should demand prison access to see & report the crisis for themselves @gulfcentre4hr.bsky.social
December 13, 2024 at 12:58 PM
We at Human Rights First are hearing more & more reports of serious unrest in #Bahrain’s notorious Jau prison; that in Building 7 food, water & electricity have been cut for a week. Foreign diplomats should demand prison access to see & report the crisis for themselves @gulfcentre4hr.bsky.social
Reposted by Seth Binder
If you want to fill your Friday with something truly remarkable, take a moment to look at the images and videos from across Syria today, where Syrians are celebrating the first Friday following the fall of the 54-year Assad family rule.
✊❤️
✊❤️
December 13, 2024 at 1:33 PM
If you want to fill your Friday with something truly remarkable, take a moment to look at the images and videos from across Syria today, where Syrians are celebrating the first Friday following the fall of the 54-year Assad family rule.
✊❤️
✊❤️
"The administration never truly tested the proposition that it could both uphold its commitment to recalibrate the US-Saudi relationship, a process that would take significant time and effort, and simultaneously advance its other priorities, such as warding off China’s encroachment into the region."
🚨NEW MEDC Policy Brief: Biden entered office promising to make #SaudiArabia a "pariah." But despite campaign promises, he repeatedly chose policies fundamentally mirroring Trump’s approach.
Read our Policy Brief examining US-Saudi relations under Biden:
mideastdc.org/publication/...
Read our Policy Brief examining US-Saudi relations under Biden:
mideastdc.org/publication/...
Broken Promises: Biden's Retreat from Saudi Arabia Accountability - MEDC
mideastdc.org
December 11, 2024 at 7:54 PM
"The administration never truly tested the proposition that it could both uphold its commitment to recalibrate the US-Saudi relationship, a process that would take significant time and effort, and simultaneously advance its other priorities, such as warding off China’s encroachment into the region."
Reposted by Seth Binder
Today’s confirmation of #SaudiArabia as host of the 2034 FIFA Men’s World Cup risks lives and exposes FIFA’s empty human rights commitments.
Read our joint statement: mideastdc.org/publication/...
Read our joint statement: mideastdc.org/publication/...
Joint Statement: Award of 2034 Men’s World Cup to Saudi Arabia Risks Lives and Exposes FIFA’s Empty Human Rights Commitments - MEDC
mideastdc.org
December 11, 2024 at 5:32 PM
Today’s confirmation of #SaudiArabia as host of the 2034 FIFA Men’s World Cup risks lives and exposes FIFA’s empty human rights commitments.
Read our joint statement: mideastdc.org/publication/...
Read our joint statement: mideastdc.org/publication/...
Reposted by Seth Binder
MEDC stands in solidarity with the Syrian people as they celebrate the fall of the Assad regime and is overjoyed to see all those wrongfully detained in Assad’s dungeons, including the infamous Sednaya Military Prison, be freed and reunited with loved ones.
December 9, 2024 at 9:14 PM
MEDC stands in solidarity with the Syrian people as they celebrate the fall of the Assad regime and is overjoyed to see all those wrongfully detained in Assad’s dungeons, including the infamous Sednaya Military Prison, be freed and reunited with loved ones.
In Feb 2021, State announced the "Khashoggi Ban" & placed visa bans on 76 Saudis for transnational repression. Today, State announced that nearly 4 years later it has only banned "over 100 individuals" and none are from a US partner country other than Saudi. www.state.gov/accountabili...
Accountability Actions to Counter Global Corruption and Human Rights - United States Department of State
On International Anti-Corruption Day and on the eve of Human Rights Day the United States is taking the following actions to promote accountability for perpetrators of corruption and human rights abus...
www.state.gov
December 9, 2024 at 7:28 PM
In Feb 2021, State announced the "Khashoggi Ban" & placed visa bans on 76 Saudis for transnational repression. Today, State announced that nearly 4 years later it has only banned "over 100 individuals" and none are from a US partner country other than Saudi. www.state.gov/accountabili...
Reposted by Seth Binder
Tomorrow is International Human Rights Defenders Day.
Wouldn’t it be great if the Gulf regimes released their HRDs in prison? Abdulhadi Al Khawaja, Abduljalil Al Singace & others in Bahrain; Ahmed Mansoor, Mohamed Al Roken, Nasser bin Ghaith & others in the UAE; Mohammad Al Qahtani & others in Saudi
Wouldn’t it be great if the Gulf regimes released their HRDs in prison? Abdulhadi Al Khawaja, Abduljalil Al Singace & others in Bahrain; Ahmed Mansoor, Mohamed Al Roken, Nasser bin Ghaith & others in the UAE; Mohammad Al Qahtani & others in Saudi
December 8, 2024 at 2:52 PM
Tomorrow is International Human Rights Defenders Day.
Wouldn’t it be great if the Gulf regimes released their HRDs in prison? Abdulhadi Al Khawaja, Abduljalil Al Singace & others in Bahrain; Ahmed Mansoor, Mohamed Al Roken, Nasser bin Ghaith & others in the UAE; Mohammad Al Qahtani & others in Saudi
Wouldn’t it be great if the Gulf regimes released their HRDs in prison? Abdulhadi Al Khawaja, Abduljalil Al Singace & others in Bahrain; Ahmed Mansoor, Mohamed Al Roken, Nasser bin Ghaith & others in the UAE; Mohammad Al Qahtani & others in Saudi
Reposted by Seth Binder
"The Syrian people topple the regime of Bashar al-Assad"
December 8, 2024 at 3:04 AM
"The Syrian people topple the regime of Bashar al-Assad"
Joint Statement: Egyptian Authorities Must Lift Punitive Measures Against EIPR Staff mideastdc.org/publication/...
Joint Statement: Egyptian Authorities Must Lift Punitive Measures Against EIPR Staff - MEDC
mideastdc.org
December 4, 2024 at 2:13 PM
Joint Statement: Egyptian Authorities Must Lift Punitive Measures Against EIPR Staff mideastdc.org/publication/...