Steven Heydemann
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Steven Heydemann
@stevenhyde.bsky.social
3K followers 760 following 1.9K 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.
https://smith.academia.edu/StevenHeydemann

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Political science 66%
Sociology 25%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 8h
The Kingdom antes up, again, with a new round of commitments in Syria, $2b plus. We know there's no money w/o strings, so we can also surmise that Syria's future government will have all of the features the Saudis hope to see in it.

www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Saudi deepens ties with Syria's new leaders through major investment package
Saudi Arabia announced on Saturday a major investment package in Syria spanning energy, aviation, real estate and telecommunications, as the kingdom positions itself as a leading backer of Syria's new...
www.reuters.com

Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 1d
Prospects for federalism in Syria have declined with the near collapse of the SDF, but it remains in the interest of the interim government to develop an integration strategy that acknowledges claims for local governance, representation, and inclusion.

epc.ae/en/details/f...
The Conclusion of the Federal SDF Project in Syria: Impact on Suwayda and the Coast
The swift retreat of Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria marked a significant shift in the Syrian landscape, with potential implications for the Alawites in the coastal region and the Druze in the so
epc.ae

Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 1d
Developments in Syria's northeast are already triggering spillover effects in Iraq. PM designate Maliki is showing flexibility on restoring ties to Syria. Whether this could become a backdoor for Iran is an interesting question.

epc.ae/en/details/f...
Implications of Developments in Eastern Syria for Iraq: Challenges Posed by ISIS and the SDF
Once the Syrian army advanced into regions east of the Euphrates previously controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), two critical issues emerged. The first concerned the future of SDF fighter
epc.ae

Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 2d
I hope they're telling the FBI to fuck off and stay out of their elections.

Reposted by Steven Heydemann

altnps.bsky.social
Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 4d
Alert: ICE is drawing weapons on legal observers in Minneapolis.

Reposted by Steven Heydemann

abuaardvark.bsky.social
Abu Aardvark @abuaardvark.bsky.social · 4d
“Yom insists on seeing Jordan for itself, not as a function of American interests or of Israeli concerns..based on deep field research and an encylopedic knowledge of the political science literature.. will likely productively annoy certain audiences.”

abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io/this-must-be...
This Must Be The Podcast: Sean Yom
It is difficult to not worry about the stability and even survival of Jordan these days. Escalating Israeli aggression in the West Bank and political momentum towards annexation puts the Kingdom squar...
abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io

Reposted by Juan Cole

Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 4d
As Trump accelerates efforts to destroy the integrity of elections let's not forget that a state audit in GA found only 20 people out of 8.2 million registered voters were not citizens. Only 9 ever voted.
Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 5d
Yeah it’s coming down and who knows where the $500m it will end up costing will come from. Not the this bobble head republican Congress cares when Trump usurps their role.
Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 5d
Thus the old saying: democracy is not a suicide pact.
andrewprlevi.bsky.social Andrew Levi @andrewprlevi.bsky.social · 5d
Both experience and logic tell us that a democracy cannot be expected survive if it allows sweeping power to be granted to people whose intention is to subvert the democratic and constitutional functioning of the state.

It isn’t “democratic” to allow such people to take power.

It’s suicidal.

Reposted by Steven Heydemann

andrewprlevi.bsky.social
Andrew Levi @andrewprlevi.bsky.social · 5d
Both experience and logic tell us that a democracy cannot be expected survive if it allows sweeping power to be granted to people whose intention is to subvert the democratic and constitutional functioning of the state.

It isn’t “democratic” to allow such people to take power.

It’s suicidal.
Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 5d
There’s putting a thumb on the scale. Then there’s putting a trump on the scale.
lkrozen.bsky.social Laura Rozen @lkrozen.bsky.social · 5d
“Trump personally ordered Gabbard to go to Atlanta for the search, and coordinated her actions with Andrew Bailey, one of two deputy F.B.I. directors, according to the U.S. official.”

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/u...
Trump Had Unusual Call With F.B.I. Agents After Election Center Search
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Steven Heydemann

lkrozen.bsky.social
Laura Rozen @lkrozen.bsky.social · 5d
“Trump personally ordered Gabbard to go to Atlanta for the search, and coordinated her actions with Andrew Bailey, one of two deputy F.B.I. directors, according to the U.S. official.”

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/u...
Trump Had Unusual Call With F.B.I. Agents After Election Center Search
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Cas Mudde, Steven Heydemann, Richard S.J. Tol , and 14 more

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 5d
Trump: "These people were brought to our country to vote, & they vote illegally. The Republicans should say, we should take over the voting in at least 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting. We have states that I won that show I didn't win. You're gonna see something in Georgia"
Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 5d
Gaza has broken every record of modern warfare.

en.majalla.com/node/329350/...
'Gaza has broken every record of modern warfare'
Former Médecins Sans Frontières president Rony Brauman explains to Al Majalla how Israel's war on Gaza has produced unprecedented suffering and exposed the collapse of international law
en.majalla.com

Reposted by Marc Lynch, Steven Heydemann, Jonathan M. Gilligan , and 7 more

liberalcurrents.com
Liberal Currents @liberalcurrents.com · 5d
“Let us be clear: we want the power of the state. We wish to hold the criminals of the regime accountable. We wish to seize back the public funds looted by Trump and his cronies. We wish to undo the damage he has done to the government. More than any of that we wish to rebuild.”
From Powerlessness to Power
We will not achieve any of our ultimate goals without exercising state power, and the most effective way to take state power is through nonviolent but confrontational resistance.
www.liberalcurrents.com

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Timothy Snyder, Steven Heydemann , and 16 more

ianbassin.bsky.social
Ian Bassin @ianbassin.bsky.social · 6d
I was a White House ethics lawyer.

I used to advise people not to even accept a free cup of coffee from someone who had interests before them. And staff followed those rules.

I can’t even find the words to describe the scale of Trump’s corruption here.
vanhollen.senate.gov Senator Chris Van Hollen @vanhollen.senate.gov · 6d
Foreign countries are bribing our president to sell out the American people.
 
Trump family businesses made $187 MILLION from this deal, and just months later he gave the UAE some of our most top-secret AI tech.
 
They are selling our national security to the highest bidder.

Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 6d
After collapse of SDF Turkey hardens conditions for withdrawal of its forces from Syria. Yet its terms suggest Turkey intends to remain in Syria indefinitely.

www.dailysabah.com/politics/tur...
Türkiye will only withdraw from Syria after terror threat ends: Report
Security sources speaking to Turkish media outlets said the Turkish army would leave Syria on three conditions: complete restoration of state’s authority...
www.dailysabah.com

Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 6d
Yes, but. Look at the huge improvement in social indicators in MENA pop-auth regimes between 1965-1985. Not sustainable. An incubator of corruption. But vast life improvements for millions for two generations. Under the old orders, never would have happened.

Reposted by Marc Lynch, Steven Heydemann, Steve Peers , and 4 more

robertscotthorton.bsky.social
Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 7d
This is corruption on a breathtaking level. Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, an Abu Dhabi royal nicknamed the "spy sheikh", pumped $187mn into Trump family businesses. A WSJ team has the whole story, reported here for the first time. Remember: Jimmy Carter had to sell his peanut farm.
‘Spy Sheikh’ Bought Secret Stake in Trump Company
$500 million investment for 49% of World Liberty came months before U.A.E. won access to tightly guarded American AI chips.
www.wsj.com

Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 7d
Racism and antisemitism do seem to go hand in hand.

Bovino Is Said to Have Mocked Prosecutor’s Jewish Faith on Call With Lawyers www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/u...
Bovino Is Said to Have Mocked Prosecutor’s Jewish Faith on Call With Lawyers
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Steven Heydemann, Will Jennings, Tom Clark , and 28 more

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 7d
straight up Gestapo shit
DHS: Want affordable housing? Help report illegal aliens in your area. Call 866-DHS-2-ICE. If you are an illegal alien, you can take control of your departure using DHS.GOV/CBPHOME.

Reposted by Steven Heydemann

abuaardvark.bsky.social
Abu Aardvark @abuaardvark.bsky.social · 10d
Terrific piece, complements my book with @stevenhyde.bsky.social on the strengths and weaknesses of Arab states

press.umich.edu/Books/M/Maki...
Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 12d
Time does have a way of moving along. I have first year students born in 2006.

www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/...
Born after the Arab Spring: 37 million Egyptians have no memory of 2011
One-third of Egyptians were born after the 2011 Arab Spring protests which removed longtime President Hosni Mubarak.
www.aljazeera.com

Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 12d
www.middleeasteye.net/news/syria-a...
Exclusive: Syria's president reaches out to Kobane's Kurds after SDF leader rattles US envoy
Ahmed al-Sharaa told Kurdish leaders in Kobane that their rights would be protected under new government, sources say
www.middleeasteye.net

Reposted by Elizabeth Sharrow, Steven Heydemann, Will Jennings , and 13 more

jamellebouie.net
jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 12d
if bovino is out and conservatives are turning on noem then there is a real opportunity to demand that miller resign too.

Reposted by Steven Heydemann, Stephan Lewandowsky, Steve Peers , and 24 more

mehdirhasan.bsky.social
Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 14d
The people who spent years defending and even lionizing Kyle Rittenhouse and Ashli Babbitt now want us to believe that an unarmed mother in her car and a disarmed nurse were domestic terrorists who deserved to be murdered by law enforcement.

Reposted by Steven Heydemann, Paul Bowman, Joseph Schafer , and 4 more

joncooper-us.bsky.social
Jon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social · 14d
Holy shit.

Reposted by Steven Heydemann, Nathan P. Kalmoe

indivisible.org
Indivisible ❌👑 @indivisible.org · 14d
It is increasingly clear that stripping the Department of Homeland Security down to the studs — ICE, Border Patrol, all of it — is the minimum we must do when we regain power.

But we can’t afford to wait that long to rein in these agencies.
Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 14d
Good. Let's hope the MN National Guard can be counted on to do the right thing, protect civilians and keep ICE under control.
kylegriffin1.bsky.social Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 14d
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota National Guard will assist local police amid growing protest to 2nd fatal shooting of a protester.

Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 14d
Everything ICE tells us is a lie.
ahmedbaba.bsky.social Ahmed Baba @ahmedbaba.bsky.social · 14d
Every video I’ve seen directly contradicts the DHS narrative.

They say he approached the officers armed and ready to “massacre law enforcement.”

In reality, he was recording ICE then after they shoved a woman, he got in between them.

They then surrounded him and killed him.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 14d
Bovino shamelessly lies: "This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement"