Michael Brill
@michaelpbrill.bsky.social
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
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...
A very nice review of @samuelhelfont.bsky.social's new book by Ethan Chorin.
open.substack.com/pub/ethancho...
open.substack.com/pub/ethancho...
The 'Unending War' That Drained America's Superpower
Review of Samuel Helfont's The Iraq Wars: A Very Short History
open.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:12 AM
A very nice review of @samuelhelfont.bsky.social's new book by Ethan Chorin.
open.substack.com/pub/ethancho...
open.substack.com/pub/ethancho...
Reposted by Michael Brill
I’m thrilled that the Kennan Institute is back as an independent institution and delighted to have joined as a non-resident fellow www.kennaninstitute.org
Kennan Institute | Advancing Scholarship and Statecraft
Explore expert analysis on Russia, Ukraine, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia. Stay informed with the latest research, events, and policy insights from The Kennan Institute.
www.kennaninstitute.org
November 10, 2025 at 6:05 PM
I’m thrilled that the Kennan Institute is back as an independent institution and delighted to have joined as a non-resident fellow www.kennaninstitute.org
Reposted by Michael Brill
The Kennan Institute is back!
So thrilled for Michael Kimmage & honoured to join as an associate fellow, alongside much esteemed colleagues like Karl Schloegel, Andrew Monaghan, Jim Goldgeier, Linda Kinstler, @stevenerlanger.bsky.social @kirland.bsky.social & others
www.kennaninstitute.org/about
So thrilled for Michael Kimmage & honoured to join as an associate fellow, alongside much esteemed colleagues like Karl Schloegel, Andrew Monaghan, Jim Goldgeier, Linda Kinstler, @stevenerlanger.bsky.social @kirland.bsky.social & others
www.kennaninstitute.org/about
About | Explore Eurasian Insights Today — Kennan Institute
Discover the Kennan Institute's mission to provide expert analysis on Eurasia and foster policy debates. Engage with our research, events, and prominent scholars.
www.kennaninstitute.org
November 10, 2025 at 2:58 PM
The Kennan Institute is back!
So thrilled for Michael Kimmage & honoured to join as an associate fellow, alongside much esteemed colleagues like Karl Schloegel, Andrew Monaghan, Jim Goldgeier, Linda Kinstler, @stevenerlanger.bsky.social @kirland.bsky.social & others
www.kennaninstitute.org/about
So thrilled for Michael Kimmage & honoured to join as an associate fellow, alongside much esteemed colleagues like Karl Schloegel, Andrew Monaghan, Jim Goldgeier, Linda Kinstler, @stevenerlanger.bsky.social @kirland.bsky.social & others
www.kennaninstitute.org/about
Reposted by Michael Brill
The Kennan Institute returns as an independent, non-partisan institute entering a new era of scholarship and statecraft.
🎥 Watch members of our community reflect on the past, present and future of research and policy analysis on Russia, Ukraine, the South Caucasus and Central Asia.
#KennanInstitute
🎥 Watch members of our community reflect on the past, present and future of research and policy analysis on Russia, Ukraine, the South Caucasus and Central Asia.
#KennanInstitute
November 10, 2025 at 1:50 PM
The Kennan Institute returns as an independent, non-partisan institute entering a new era of scholarship and statecraft.
🎥 Watch members of our community reflect on the past, present and future of research and policy analysis on Russia, Ukraine, the South Caucasus and Central Asia.
#KennanInstitute
🎥 Watch members of our community reflect on the past, present and future of research and policy analysis on Russia, Ukraine, the South Caucasus and Central Asia.
#KennanInstitute
Reposted by Michael Brill
NEXT WEEK: Join us online on 11/12, 11 AM, the day after parliamentary elections in #Iraq, for a conversation with Alissa Walter & Marsin Alshamary on how ordinary Iraqis negotiate with state officials, militias, & political parties to survive & assert their rights. Register now:
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Survival Politics: Baghdad’s Citizens from Saddam Hussein to the 2025 Elections | A Crown Seminar with Alissa Walter. After registering, you will receive a ...
As Iraqis head to the polls in November 2025, what do the elections reveal about the country’s struggles over power, governance, and survival? In Contested City: Citizen Advocacy and Survival in Moder...
brandeis.zoom.us
November 6, 2025 at 8:06 PM
NEXT WEEK: Join us online on 11/12, 11 AM, the day after parliamentary elections in #Iraq, for a conversation with Alissa Walter & Marsin Alshamary on how ordinary Iraqis negotiate with state officials, militias, & political parties to survive & assert their rights. Register now:
Reposted by Michael Brill
Israelis repeatedly warned the Bush administration that invading Iraq would be a disaster.
Despite Israel, Not Because of It
Israelis repeatedly warned the Bush administration that invading Iraq would be a disaster.
quillette.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:39 AM
Israelis repeatedly warned the Bush administration that invading Iraq would be a disaster.
Reposted by Michael Brill
Elizabeth Tsurkov, a citizen of Israel and Russia, recounts a harrowing story of cruelty, survival, U.S. diplomatic pressure and, finally, release from the grip of a group backed by Iran.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/w...
A Woman Tells of Torture and 2½ Years of Captivity by an Iraqi Militia
www.nytimes.com
November 5, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Elizabeth Tsurkov, a citizen of Israel and Russia, recounts a harrowing story of cruelty, survival, U.S. diplomatic pressure and, finally, release from the grip of a group backed by Iran.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/w...
"The stakes in the upcoming elections are high – both for Iraq’s stability and for a wider region reeling from turmoil." @shivanfazil.bsky.social
1001iraqithoughts.com/2025/11/05/i...
1001iraqithoughts.com/2025/11/05/i...
Iraq’s High-Stakes Elections Amid Shifting Regional Dynamics - 1001 Iraqi Thoughts
1001iraqithoughts.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:47 PM
"The stakes in the upcoming elections are high – both for Iraq’s stability and for a wider region reeling from turmoil." @shivanfazil.bsky.social
1001iraqithoughts.com/2025/11/05/i...
1001iraqithoughts.com/2025/11/05/i...
The Academic Research Institute in Iraq (TARII) online conference call for abstracts deadline has been extended until November 10th. Anyone interested in participating should email their proposals to conveners Pietro Menghini, Kiki Santing, and Peter Wien.
November 3, 2025 at 4:44 PM
The Academic Research Institute in Iraq (TARII) online conference call for abstracts deadline has been extended until November 10th. Anyone interested in participating should email their proposals to conveners Pietro Menghini, Kiki Santing, and Peter Wien.
I was excited to receive my copy of @amir-moosavi.bsky.social's book this week!
Dust That Never Settles by @amir-moosavi.bsky.social considers how Iraqi and Iranian writers have wrestled with representing the Iran-Iraq War and its legacy, from wartime to the present.
#ReadUP
www.sup.org/books/middle...
#ReadUP
www.sup.org/books/middle...
November 1, 2025 at 1:13 PM
I was excited to receive my copy of @amir-moosavi.bsky.social's book this week!
Reposted by Michael Brill
Until we face every era’s crimes—not just Assad’s—true reckoning in Syria is impossible. Justice demands we confront all who built this tyranny ⬇️
Syrians must reckon: Assad regime was not the root of all evil
Until we face every era’s crimes—not just Assad’s—true reckoning in Syria is impossible. Justice demands we confront all who built this tyranny.
www.newarab.com
October 31, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Until we face every era’s crimes—not just Assad’s—true reckoning in Syria is impossible. Justice demands we confront all who built this tyranny ⬇️
Reposted by Michael Brill
🎥 Missed our 2025 Oversight Research Award presentation?
Prof. Leavitt of Smith College joined us to discuss how congressional #oversight evolved during the Trump administration and what those lessons reveal about the resilience of democratic institutions.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLvm...
Prof. Leavitt of Smith College joined us to discuss how congressional #oversight evolved during the Trump administration and what those lessons reveal about the resilience of democratic institutions.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLvm...
“I’ll Be the Oversight”: Lessons from the (First) Trump Era by Prof Leavitt - 2025 Research Award
YouTube video by Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy
www.youtube.com
October 31, 2025 at 1:15 PM
🎥 Missed our 2025 Oversight Research Award presentation?
Prof. Leavitt of Smith College joined us to discuss how congressional #oversight evolved during the Trump administration and what those lessons reveal about the resilience of democratic institutions.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLvm...
Prof. Leavitt of Smith College joined us to discuss how congressional #oversight evolved during the Trump administration and what those lessons reveal about the resilience of democratic institutions.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLvm...
Reposted by Michael Brill
TOMORROW!
RSVP NOW!
Prof. Claire Leavitt (Smith College) is the recipient of our 2025 Award for Excellence in Oversight Research for “I’ll be the Oversight: Lessons from the (First) Trump Era." She will present her award-winning paper on Oct. 30 from 12:15–1:30 PM ET.
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Prof. Claire Leavitt (Smith College) is the recipient of our 2025 Award for Excellence in Oversight Research for “I’ll be the Oversight: Lessons from the (First) Trump Era." She will present her award-winning paper on Oct. 30 from 12:15–1:30 PM ET.
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: 2025 Levin Center Award for Excellence in Oversight Research. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
We are pleased to announce that Claire Leavitt, Assistant Professor of Government at Smith College, is the recipient of our 2025 Award for Excellence in Oversight Research for her paper “I’ll be the O...
us02web.zoom.us
October 29, 2025 at 8:37 PM
TOMORROW!
Reposted by Michael Brill
CNN's Clarissa Ward tracked down and confronted a top advisor to former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, who held American journalist Austin Tice after his capture in 2012.
"Of course, Austin is dead. Austin is dead," he said in a video captured on hidden cameras. www.cnn.com/2025/10/28/politi...
"Of course, Austin is dead. Austin is dead," he said in a video captured on hidden cameras. www.cnn.com/2025/10/28/politi...
The road that led, 13 years later, to hearing: ‘Austin is dead’ | CNN Politics
The mystery of what happened to Austin Tice has plagued multiple US administrations. Since the Assad regime fell in December 2024, witnesses have emerged, including many who point to one man that CNN tracked to an apartment in Beirut.
www.cnn.com
October 28, 2025 at 2:57 PM
CNN's Clarissa Ward tracked down and confronted a top advisor to former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, who held American journalist Austin Tice after his capture in 2012.
"Of course, Austin is dead. Austin is dead," he said in a video captured on hidden cameras. www.cnn.com/2025/10/28/politi...
"Of course, Austin is dead. Austin is dead," he said in a video captured on hidden cameras. www.cnn.com/2025/10/28/politi...
"He cautioned that original documents tied to the programme may have been lost or destroyed, whether deliberately by regime remnants or previously by the regime itself, or due to fighting in numerous areas near labs, depots, or military units..."
english.enabbaladi.net/archives/202...
english.enabbaladi.net/archives/202...
Syria moves to fast-track destruction of Assad-era chemical-weapons remnants - Enab Baladi
Enab Baladi – Mohammad Kakhi Syria joined the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in September 2013 under […]
english.enabbaladi.net
October 30, 2025 at 12:53 AM
"He cautioned that original documents tied to the programme may have been lost or destroyed, whether deliberately by regime remnants or previously by the regime itself, or due to fighting in numerous areas near labs, depots, or military units..."
english.enabbaladi.net/archives/202...
english.enabbaladi.net/archives/202...
Reposted by Michael Brill
This article should be titled the "Murder of USAID."
"The destruction of USAID was remarkable in that it did not reflect any sort of broad-based consensus."
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
The Death of USAID: How Elon Musk and Donald Trump Ended America's Foreign Aid Agency
USAID served for decades as a vehicle for both US soft power and foreign aid. Within the first days of the Trump administration, the agency was effectively closed, its staff told to go home and its f...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
October 29, 2025 at 11:23 PM
This article should be titled the "Murder of USAID."
Another valuable former Wilson Center project finds a new institutional home that is safe from vandals.
"This two-year project builds on the foundations of the Southern Voices Network for Peacebuilding, which started at the Wilson Center in 2011." @csis.org
www.csis.org/news/csis-la...
"This two-year project builds on the foundations of the Southern Voices Network for Peacebuilding, which started at the Wilson Center in 2011." @csis.org
www.csis.org/news/csis-la...
CSIS Launches Initiative to Strengthen U.S.-Africa Policy Dialogue
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) today announced it is launching a peer-to-peer forum that connects African think tanks, academic centers, and research institutions directly w...
www.csis.org
October 30, 2025 at 12:48 AM
Another valuable former Wilson Center project finds a new institutional home that is safe from vandals.
"This two-year project builds on the foundations of the Southern Voices Network for Peacebuilding, which started at the Wilson Center in 2011." @csis.org
www.csis.org/news/csis-la...
"This two-year project builds on the foundations of the Southern Voices Network for Peacebuilding, which started at the Wilson Center in 2011." @csis.org
www.csis.org/news/csis-la...
Another twist in the afterlife of "Ba'th vs. Ba'th."
"A controversial reference to Iraq’s former president Saddam Hussein as a 'heroic martyr' in newly revised Syrian textbooks sparked widespread criticism and confusion."
shafaq.com/en/Middle-Ea...
"A controversial reference to Iraq’s former president Saddam Hussein as a 'heroic martyr' in newly revised Syrian textbooks sparked widespread criticism and confusion."
shafaq.com/en/Middle-Ea...
Saddam Hussein reference in new Syrian textbooks triggers uproar - Shafaq News
Shafaq News – DamascusA controversial reference to Iraq’s former president Saddam Hussein as a “heroic martyr” in newly revised Syrian textbooks sparked widespread criticism and confusion.The image of
shafaq.com
October 27, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Another twist in the afterlife of "Ba'th vs. Ba'th."
"A controversial reference to Iraq’s former president Saddam Hussein as a 'heroic martyr' in newly revised Syrian textbooks sparked widespread criticism and confusion."
shafaq.com/en/Middle-Ea...
"A controversial reference to Iraq’s former president Saddam Hussein as a 'heroic martyr' in newly revised Syrian textbooks sparked widespread criticism and confusion."
shafaq.com/en/Middle-Ea...
Reposted by Michael Brill
RSVP NOW!
Prof. Claire Leavitt (Smith College) is the recipient of our 2025 Award for Excellence in Oversight Research for “I’ll be the Oversight: Lessons from the (First) Trump Era." She will present her award-winning paper on Oct. 30 from 12:15–1:30 PM ET.
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Prof. Claire Leavitt (Smith College) is the recipient of our 2025 Award for Excellence in Oversight Research for “I’ll be the Oversight: Lessons from the (First) Trump Era." She will present her award-winning paper on Oct. 30 from 12:15–1:30 PM ET.
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: 2025 Levin Center Award for Excellence in Oversight Research. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
We are pleased to announce that Claire Leavitt, Assistant Professor of Government at Smith College, is the recipient of our 2025 Award for Excellence in Oversight Research for her paper “I’ll be the O...
us02web.zoom.us
October 27, 2025 at 2:59 PM
RSVP NOW!
Prof. Claire Leavitt (Smith College) is the recipient of our 2025 Award for Excellence in Oversight Research for “I’ll be the Oversight: Lessons from the (First) Trump Era." She will present her award-winning paper on Oct. 30 from 12:15–1:30 PM ET.
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Prof. Claire Leavitt (Smith College) is the recipient of our 2025 Award for Excellence in Oversight Research for “I’ll be the Oversight: Lessons from the (First) Trump Era." She will present her award-winning paper on Oct. 30 from 12:15–1:30 PM ET.
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
This misleading statement buries or rather occludes the lede, which is that the original records & digital copy sent back to the Kadhimi government in 2020 "went missing," an entirely foreseeable & even predictable development.
www.hoover.org/news/hoover-...
www.hoover.org/news/hoover-...
Hoover Provides Additional Digital Copy of Baʿth Party Archive to the Government of Iraq
www.hoover.org
October 26, 2025 at 2:17 PM
This misleading statement buries or rather occludes the lede, which is that the original records & digital copy sent back to the Kadhimi government in 2020 "went missing," an entirely foreseeable & even predictable development.
www.hoover.org/news/hoover-...
www.hoover.org/news/hoover-...
Reposted by Michael Brill
Lisa Blaydes et Samuel Helfont (eds.) - Ba‘thist Iraq Through Archives
Reflections, Explorations, and Opportunities
À paraître en juin aux Stanford UP
Reflections, Explorations, and Opportunities
À paraître en juin aux Stanford UP
October 22, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Lisa Blaydes et Samuel Helfont (eds.) - Ba‘thist Iraq Through Archives
Reflections, Explorations, and Opportunities
À paraître en juin aux Stanford UP
Reflections, Explorations, and Opportunities
À paraître en juin aux Stanford UP
"A single sentence by US President Donald Trump during a summit on Gaza in Sharm El-Sheikh unexpectedly shifted the focus to Iraq: 'Iraq is a country full of oil… but it doesn’t know what to do with it. That’s your problem.'"
shafaq.com/en/Report/Ba...
shafaq.com/en/Report/Ba...
Back on Washington’s radar: Iraq’s return to the US strategic map - Shafaq News
Shafaq News
A single sentence by US President Donald Trump during a
summit on Gaza in Sharm El-Sheikh unexpectedly shifted the focus to Iraq: “Iraq
is a country full of oil… but it doesn’t know what
shafaq.com
October 26, 2025 at 12:13 PM
"A single sentence by US President Donald Trump during a summit on Gaza in Sharm El-Sheikh unexpectedly shifted the focus to Iraq: 'Iraq is a country full of oil… but it doesn’t know what to do with it. That’s your problem.'"
shafaq.com/en/Report/Ba...
shafaq.com/en/Report/Ba...
"An official from the ICRC said Wednesday that more than 52,000 Iraqi & around 12,000 Iranian soldiers have remained missing, nearly four decades since the end of the eight-year-long bloody war between the two neighboring countries." @rudawenglish.bsky.social
www.rudaw.net/english/midd...
www.rudaw.net/english/midd...
www.rudaw.net
October 26, 2025 at 12:12 PM
"An official from the ICRC said Wednesday that more than 52,000 Iraqi & around 12,000 Iranian soldiers have remained missing, nearly four decades since the end of the eight-year-long bloody war between the two neighboring countries." @rudawenglish.bsky.social
www.rudaw.net/english/midd...
www.rudaw.net/english/midd...
Reposted by Michael Brill
Prof. Claire Leavitt at @smithcollege is the recipient of our 2025 Award for Excellence in Oversight Research for “I’ll be the Oversight: Lessons from the (First) Trump Era." She will present her award-winning paper on Oct. 30 from 12:15–1:30 PM ET. RSVP!
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: 2025 Levin Center Award for Excellence in Oversight Research. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
We are pleased to announce that Claire Leavitt, Assistant Professor of Government at Smith College, is the recipient of our 2025 Award for Excellence in Oversight Research for her paper “I’ll be the O...
us02web.zoom.us
October 14, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Prof. Claire Leavitt at @smithcollege is the recipient of our 2025 Award for Excellence in Oversight Research for “I’ll be the Oversight: Lessons from the (First) Trump Era." She will present her award-winning paper on Oct. 30 from 12:15–1:30 PM ET. RSVP!
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Congrats @robert-yee.bsky.social on the publication of "The City's Defense: The Bank of England & the Remaking of Economic Governance, 1914-1939" by @universitypress.cambridge.org!
www.cambridge.org/core/books/c...
www.cambridge.org/core/books/c...
The City's Defense
Cambridge Core - Economic Theory - The City's Defense
www.cambridge.org
October 26, 2025 at 1:24 AM
Congrats @robert-yee.bsky.social on the publication of "The City's Defense: The Bank of England & the Remaking of Economic Governance, 1914-1939" by @universitypress.cambridge.org!
www.cambridge.org/core/books/c...
www.cambridge.org/core/books/c...