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michaelpbrill.bsky.social
Michael Brill
@michaelpbrill.bsky.social
1.8K followers 1.8K following 580 posts
Ph.D. candidate in Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University | Non-Resident Fellow at USAFA Institute for Future Conflict | Part-Time Middle East Studies Lecturer at Smith College | Former Wilson Center Global Fellow
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michaelpbrill.bsky.social
Michael Brill @michaelpbrill.bsky.social · 23d
I was honored to be invited to contribute a piece to the newly published @shafrhistorians.bsky.social Passport Roundtable paying tribute to the Cold War International History Project, formerly at @wilsoncenter.org. CWIHP will thrive elsewhere.

www.shafr.org/assets/docs/...
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Reposted by Michael Brill
warontherocks.bsky.social
War on the Rocks @warontherocks.bsky.social · 3h
The war that was supposed to ignite the region instead exposed Iran’s limits.
The 12 Days of War That Didn’t Ignite the Middle East or the World
For decades, predictions about a war with Iran carried an air of inevitability: Analysts warned a conflict would close the ranks of the Iranian military
warontherocks.com
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Reposted by Michael Brill
warontherocks.bsky.social
War on the Rocks @warontherocks.bsky.social · 23h
As the U.S. mission in Iraq winds down further, regional actors are taking note.

Listen here: warontherocks.com/ep...
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Reposted by Michael Brill
zahrainstitute.bsky.social
Zahra Institute @zahrainstitute.bsky.social · 6d
📢 Missed the talk live? Watch Dr. Salah Aziz presenting on the history of Kurdish Studies in the U.S. during the 1990s.
youtu.be/9oWhBkVkEIo
Dr. Salah Aziz | Kurdish Studies Programs in the USA During the 1990s
YouTube video by Zahra Institute
youtu.be
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Reposted by Michael Brill
warontherocks.bsky.social
War on the Rocks @warontherocks.bsky.social · 1d
New today for War on the Rocks members:

The Iraq Transition: What Comes After America’s Exit? warontherocks.com/ca...
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michaelpbrill.bsky.social
Michael Brill @michaelpbrill.bsky.social · 1d
I was grateful to be invited by Nicole Wiley to join the @warontherocks.bsky.social Warcast Podcast to discuss Operation Inherent Resolve and the future of US-Iraq relations.
warontherocks.bsky.social
War on the Rocks @warontherocks.bsky.social · 1d
As the U.S. mission in Iraq winds down further, the region is already recalibrating.

Listen here: warontherocks.com/ep...
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Reposted by Michael Brill
kanchoyogo.bsky.social
Kancho Yogo @kanchoyogo.bsky.social · 8d
I reckon Ba'thist Iraq is one of the most interesting episodes in late 20th century history and the regime archives are an incredible resource. So I'm very excited about this book coming out!
samuelhelfont.bsky.social
Samuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 9d
Coming from @stanfordpress.bsky.social in the summer of 2026! @lisablaydes.bsky.social and I edited a book "Ba'thist Iraq through Archives" with a star studded list of contributors!
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smako.bsky.social
Shamiran Mako @smako.bsky.social · 8d
Glad to see this important volume come to fruition- kudos to @lisablaydes.bsky.social & @samuelhelfont.bsky.social for putting us all in conversation with each other. Thrilled to have co-authored a critical chapter with @marsin.bsky.social on archival access & hierarchies of knowledge production
samuelhelfont.bsky.social
Samuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 9d
Coming from @stanfordpress.bsky.social in the summer of 2026! @lisablaydes.bsky.social and I edited a book "Ba'thist Iraq through Archives" with a star studded list of contributors!
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Reposted by Michael Brill
marsin.bsky.social
Marsin Alshamary @marsin.bsky.social · 8d
🎙️The best podcast on Iraq is back!

Hassan Hadad, @alwaeli.bsky.social, Ali Al-Mawlawi, and @hamzehhadad.bsky.social discuss how sustained political calm has translated into a stability dividend and examine what steps are needed to secure long-term prosperity.

open.spotify.com/episode/3LS5...
Understanding Iraq's Stability Dividend
open.spotify.com
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michaelpbrill.bsky.social
Michael Brill @michaelpbrill.bsky.social · 8d
@aldabenjamen.bsky.social, @eckartwoertz.bsky.social, @davidpatel.bsky.social, and several others not on this site. 2/2
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michaelpbrill.bsky.social
Michael Brill @michaelpbrill.bsky.social · 8d
It's an honor to have a chapter in @samuelhelfont.bsky.social & @lisablaydes.bsky.social's book, alongside @marsin.bsky.social, @smako.bsky.social, @joosthiltermann.bsky.social, @ibrahimpasha.bsky.social, @kmwoods.bsky.social, @malfridbh.bsky.social, @lilyhindy.bsky.social... 1/2
samuelhelfont.bsky.social
Samuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 9d
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Reposted by Michael Brill
lilyhindy.bsky.social
Lily Hindy @lilyhindy.bsky.social · 28d
My father just published the life story of my great-grandfather Ali Hindy, who migrated from the Beka'a Valley (in today's Lebanon) in the early 20th century and settled in West Virginia. A rich mixture of family lore, public archives, imagination and love www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-ali-hi...
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Reposted by Michael Brill
samuelhelfont.bsky.social
Samuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 9d
Coming from @stanfordpress.bsky.social in the summer of 2026! @lisablaydes.bsky.social and I edited a book "Ba'thist Iraq through Archives" with a star studded list of contributors!
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Reposted by Michael Brill
zahrainstitute.bsky.social
Zahra Institute @zahrainstitute.bsky.social · 9d
📢 Join us for another session this Wednesday!

“Kurdish Studies Programs in the USA During the 1990s.”

Dr. Aziz, a physicist and academic has played a key role in establishing Kurdish studies programs and cultural initiatives in the U.S. and Kurdistan.

🔗 Register: zoom.us/meeting/regi...
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Reposted by Michael Brill
zahrainstitute.bsky.social
Zahra Institute @zahrainstitute.bsky.social · 15d
🎥 Watch the second talk of our Fall 2025 Speaker Series!
Prof. Mucahit Bilici – “Malik Kurd: On Kurdish Sovereignty”

youtu.be/Ma_zTVantZk
Mucahit Bilici | Malik Kurd: On Kurdish Sovereignty
YouTube video by Zahra Institute
youtu.be
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Reposted by Michael Brill
thenewarab.bsky.social
The New Arab @thenewarab.bsky.social · 12d
A founding member of the Syria Prisons Museum, Amer Matar, was detained by Syrian authorities overnight Wednesday as he attempted to leave the country, sparking outrage among colleagues and activists in Syria ⬇️
Outrage after Syria detains Prisons Museum co-founder Amer Matar
The founder of the Syrian Prisons Museum was detained at a border crossing, with the ministry of interior claiming he tried to smuggle out documents.
www.newarab.com
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Reposted by Michael Brill
drmargottudor.bsky.social
Margot Tudor @drmargottudor.bsky.social · 21d
Check out my responses - along with other UN historians - about why we study the UN (and why you should too)
passportshafr.bsky.social
Passport @passportshafr.bsky.social · 23d
The September Passport issue is available! Including video games, the US in the Middle East, the Cold War International History Project, French resistance fighter, and 7 Questions about the United Nations: www.shafr.org/passport-sep...
Passport September 2025
www.shafr.org
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Reposted by Michael Brill
zahrainstitute.bsky.social
Zahra Institute @zahrainstitute.bsky.social · 17d
🎶 Watch the first talk of Zahra Institute’s Fall 2025 Speaker Series: “What’s so Kurdish about Kurdish Music?” by Dr. Jon Bullock.

m.youtube.com/watch
JON BULLOCK | What’s So Kurdish about Kurdish Music? Perspectives from Ethnomusicology
YouTube video by Zahra Institute
m.youtube.com
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michaelpbrill.bsky.social
Michael Brill @michaelpbrill.bsky.social · 18d
Every September 17th, the Islamic Republic never misses an opportunity to peddle the canard that the Carter administration had a hand in Saddam Hussein's decision to invade Iran.

www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/...
Explainer: How Ba’athist Iraq tore up Algiers Agreement and imposed war on Iran
Ba’athist Iraq’s 1980 abrogation of the Algiers Agreement with Iran over the Arvand River was an aggressive move that led to war, devastation, and lasting geopolitical consequences.
www.presstv.ir
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michaelpbrill.bsky.social
Michael Brill @michaelpbrill.bsky.social · 18d
"State repression has affected journalists, members of political parties, civil society activists, university students, professors, artists, & lawyers, even Algerians involved in the Hirak in the diaspora." @markaz-review.bsky.social

themarkaz.org/the-silencin...
The Silencing of Algeria
Six years after the Hirak mass protest movement in Algeria in 2019, an atmosphere of fear and silence continues to loom over the country.
themarkaz.org
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michaelpbrill.bsky.social
Michael Brill @michaelpbrill.bsky.social · 18d
"A 1958 Bentley S1 Continental, previously owned by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, will be staying with its current owner for a little while longer having failed to meet its reserve price at auction."

www.hotcars.com/a-dictator-o...
The History Behind This 1958 Bentley Is Seriously Dark
1958 Bentley S1 Continental ceased by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein doesn’t meet its reserve sale price, despite bids of $1.735 million USD.
www.hotcars.com
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michaelpbrill.bsky.social
Michael Brill @michaelpbrill.bsky.social · 18d
"Many experts wrote off the battleship before 1991—but that year, they proved key to ensuring America’s decisive, rapid victory over Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi Army."

nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/op...
Operation Desert Storm Was the Battleship’s Swan Song
Many experts wrote off the battleship before 1991—but that year, they proved key to ensuring America’s decisive, rapid victory over Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi Army.
nationalinterest.org
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taskandpurpose.com
Task & Purpose @taskandpurpose.com · 26d
Congress tries yet again to limit president’s war powers trib.al/0V0DosZ
Congress tries yet again to limit president’s war powers
The 2002 authorization for use of military force that Congress passed prior to the Iraq war has been used to justify military actions since.
trib.al
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Reposted by Michael Brill
drjlhazelton.bsky.social
Jacqueline L. Hazelton @drjlhazelton.bsky.social · 21d
Great book on Iraq, which seems to have fallen off the map lately. Read my review, too. @intsecurity.bsky.social @mitpress.bsky.social @belfercenter.bsky.social @ssp-mit.bsky.social
h-diplo.bsky.social
H-Diplo with the Jervis Forum @h-diplo.bsky.social · 23d
Jervis Forum Roundtable 17-3
Roger D. Petersen’s Death, Dominance, and State-Building: The US in Iraq and the Future of American Military Intervention
wp.me/p2Insd-7u3
“counterinsurgency and military intervention will not go away, despite any US desire to turn away from it” –Jacqueline L. Hazelton
The Jervis Forum Roundtable 17-3 on Petersen, Death, Dominance, and State-Building
Roger D. Petersen, Death, Dominance, and State-Building: The US in Iraq and the Future of American Military Intervention. Oxford University Press, 2024. ISBN: 9780197760741. 15 September 2025 | PDF…
wp.me
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michaelpbrill.bsky.social
Michael Brill @michaelpbrill.bsky.social · 20d
"But I think many people have convinced themselves, at some level, that violence is virtual & that the dead either never lived in human form, or would respawn after their death, after taking the L for the day." @gcaw.bsky.social for @theatlantic.com

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Political Violence Could Devour Us All
Charlie Kirk’s murder was one of the worst moments in recent American history.
www.theatlantic.com
michaelpbrill.bsky.social
Michael Brill @michaelpbrill.bsky.social · 20d
"On Monday, the Wilson Center announced new distinguished fellows, though did not respond to a request for comment from RS on its future." @quincyinst.bsky.social

responsiblestatecraft.org/us-think-tan...
US think tanks are the world's least transparent
A new global survey finds American institutions lagging behind in disclosing their donors
responsiblestatecraft.org
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