Salam Alsaadi
@alsaadi.bsky.social
Ph.D. Candidate, Polisci | University of Toronto
Ethnically-exclusive autocracies, political transitions, contentious politics, MENA region.
سلام السعدي
https://salamalsaadi.weebly.com/
Ethnically-exclusive autocracies, political transitions, contentious politics, MENA region.
سلام السعدي
https://salamalsaadi.weebly.com/
Pinned
Salam Alsaadi
@alsaadi.bsky.social
· May 9
Personal news- I’ll be joining the University of Georgia’s Department of International Affairs as an Assistant Professor in 2026, after a postdoc at Harvard’s Weatherhead Center this year. I’m really excited for these next steps and deeply thankful to everyone who’s supported me along the way.
Reposted by Salam Alsaadi
Happy to see this out in the world!
In a nutshell: people are more willing to support violence when they don't see readily available nonviolent alternatives.
In a nutshell: people are more willing to support violence when they don't see readily available nonviolent alternatives.
New study by @matthewcebul.bsky.social & J. Pinckney asks “How do nonviolent alternatives affect international support for violent rebel groups?”
Surveys across 30+ countries find “alternative resistance options consistently reduce support for armed rebellion…” journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Surveys across 30+ countries find “alternative resistance options consistently reduce support for armed rebellion…” journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Nonviolent alternatives reduce external support for rebel groups: Evidence from two cross-national survey experiments - Matthew Cebul, Jonathan Pinckney, 2025
How do nonviolent alternatives affect international support for violent rebel groups? Armed rebellions are often sustained by outside sympathy and support, whic...
journals.sagepub.com
June 23, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Happy to see this out in the world!
In a nutshell: people are more willing to support violence when they don't see readily available nonviolent alternatives.
In a nutshell: people are more willing to support violence when they don't see readily available nonviolent alternatives.
Very happy to see my paper, "Unconditional Loyalty: The Survival of Minority Autocracies", finally out in the American Political Science Review @apsrjournal.bsky.social
Quick thread below🧵
Quick thread below🧵
#OpenAccess from @apsrjournal.bsky.social -
Unconditional Loyalty: The Survival of Minority Autocracies - cup.org/4dGBC0K
"a multi-method approach, using a novel dataset of minority regimes and a case study of Bahrain based on original interviews"
- @alsaadi.bsky.social
#FirstView
Unconditional Loyalty: The Survival of Minority Autocracies - cup.org/4dGBC0K
"a multi-method approach, using a novel dataset of minority regimes and a case study of Bahrain based on original interviews"
- @alsaadi.bsky.social
#FirstView
June 3, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Very happy to see my paper, "Unconditional Loyalty: The Survival of Minority Autocracies", finally out in the American Political Science Review @apsrjournal.bsky.social
Quick thread below🧵
Quick thread below🧵
Reposted by Salam Alsaadi
🚨 “Good Description” with @annagbusse.bsky.social 🚨
What sets 'good' description apart from 'mere' description?
We develop a framework for evaluating descriptive research, whether we are doing it as scholars or assessing it as readers.
Two main contributions...
🔗📄 tinyurl.com/gooddesc
What sets 'good' description apart from 'mere' description?
We develop a framework for evaluating descriptive research, whether we are doing it as scholars or assessing it as readers.
Two main contributions...
🔗📄 tinyurl.com/gooddesc
good_description/good_description_ddk_agb.pdf at main · ddekadt/good_description
Homepage of "Good Description" by Daniel de Kadt & Anna Grzymala-Busse - ddekadt/good_description
tinyurl.com
May 14, 2025 at 9:52 PM
🚨 “Good Description” with @annagbusse.bsky.social 🚨
What sets 'good' description apart from 'mere' description?
We develop a framework for evaluating descriptive research, whether we are doing it as scholars or assessing it as readers.
Two main contributions...
🔗📄 tinyurl.com/gooddesc
What sets 'good' description apart from 'mere' description?
We develop a framework for evaluating descriptive research, whether we are doing it as scholars or assessing it as readers.
Two main contributions...
🔗📄 tinyurl.com/gooddesc
Reposted by Salam Alsaadi
A few further thoughts on Trump's Syria announcement. First, beyond the obvious benefit for Syrians, it might have a broader impact: it demonstrates, for the first time I can remember, that American sanctions aren't a one-way ratchet. They can be lifted if conditions change. 🧵
May 14, 2025 at 5:02 AM
A few further thoughts on Trump's Syria announcement. First, beyond the obvious benefit for Syrians, it might have a broader impact: it demonstrates, for the first time I can remember, that American sanctions aren't a one-way ratchet. They can be lifted if conditions change. 🧵
Reposted by Salam Alsaadi
Clashes in Tripoli after weeks of build-up between rival forces. The trigger was the killing of Abdelghani "Ghnewa" al-Kikli, the city's most powerful militia leader, in circumstances that are as yet unclear - apparently during a meeting.
May 12, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Clashes in Tripoli after weeks of build-up between rival forces. The trigger was the killing of Abdelghani "Ghnewa" al-Kikli, the city's most powerful militia leader, in circumstances that are as yet unclear - apparently during a meeting.
Reposted by Salam Alsaadi
In case you ever feel like your vote doesn't matter, know there is one person in suburban Montréal who did, literally, cast the deciding vote.
Quebec riding of Terrebonne flips to Liberals after recount shows candidate won by single vote | CBC News
After a judicial recount, sources tell CBC News the Quebec riding of Terrebonne has flipped to the Liberals, who have beaten the Bloc Québécois by one vote. The result means the Liberals have 170 seat...
www.cbc.ca
May 11, 2025 at 1:30 AM
In case you ever feel like your vote doesn't matter, know there is one person in suburban Montréal who did, literally, cast the deciding vote.
Personal news- I’ll be joining the University of Georgia’s Department of International Affairs as an Assistant Professor in 2026, after a postdoc at Harvard’s Weatherhead Center this year. I’m really excited for these next steps and deeply thankful to everyone who’s supported me along the way.
May 9, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Personal news- I’ll be joining the University of Georgia’s Department of International Affairs as an Assistant Professor in 2026, after a postdoc at Harvard’s Weatherhead Center this year. I’m really excited for these next steps and deeply thankful to everyone who’s supported me along the way.
New in @foreignaffairs.com: We explore why justice for Assad’s victims is essential for Syria’s stability, and why getting it right is no easy task.
Read Patrick Vinck, Salam Alsaadi, Geoff Dancy, Oskar Timo Thoms, and Phuong Pham on how Syria’s new leaders can address the widespread demand among Syrians for justice and accountability:
In Syria, Moving Forward Means Looking Back
How reparations for Assad’s victims can bring stability to a broken country.
www.foreignaffairs.com
March 5, 2025 at 1:09 AM
New in @foreignaffairs.com: We explore why justice for Assad’s victims is essential for Syria’s stability, and why getting it right is no easy task.
Reposted by Salam Alsaadi
Excited to share my new article in the American Journal of Political Science (@ajpseditor.bsky.social)! "Endogenous Opposition: Identity and Ideology in Kuwaiti Electoral Politics" explores how authoritarian elections generate opposition to incumbent autocrats. Link: www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ukrer...
February 21, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Excited to share my new article in the American Journal of Political Science (@ajpseditor.bsky.social)! "Endogenous Opposition: Identity and Ideology in Kuwaiti Electoral Politics" explores how authoritarian elections generate opposition to incumbent autocrats. Link: www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ukrer...
Reposted by Salam Alsaadi
Very excited that our article about the redistribution of political power within precolonial institutions under indirect colonial rule is available on First View @apsrjournal.bsky.social
@msaleh-econhistory.bsky.social
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
@msaleh-econhistory.bsky.social
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Precolonial Elites and Colonial Redistribution of Political Power | American Political Science Review | Cambridge Core
Precolonial Elites and Colonial Redistribution of Political Power
www.cambridge.org
January 27, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Very excited that our article about the redistribution of political power within precolonial institutions under indirect colonial rule is available on First View @apsrjournal.bsky.social
@msaleh-econhistory.bsky.social
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
@msaleh-econhistory.bsky.social
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Reposted by Salam Alsaadi
I joined brilliant colleagues on two podcasts about home & belonging in the Syrian context. The Fire These Times (w/ @leilashami.bsky.social & @ayoub.bsky.social) was recorded before Assad's fall. The @newlinesmag.bsky.social (w/ Ammar Azzouz & @lsmwilson.bsky.social) was recorded after. Links below
January 27, 2025 at 4:52 PM
I joined brilliant colleagues on two podcasts about home & belonging in the Syrian context. The Fire These Times (w/ @leilashami.bsky.social & @ayoub.bsky.social) was recorded before Assad's fall. The @newlinesmag.bsky.social (w/ Ammar Azzouz & @lsmwilson.bsky.social) was recorded after. Links below
Reposted by Salam Alsaadi
An important piece by Alia Malek
“It is easy to look at a dark past and warn of a dark future, but we should not mistake that for seeing the future. What did we learn from Syria? That we misread it, and condemn it to misery, when we do not listen to the people at the heart of it.”
menasky
“It is easy to look at a dark past and warn of a dark future, but we should not mistake that for seeing the future. What did we learn from Syria? That we misread it, and condemn it to misery, when we do not listen to the people at the heart of it.”
menasky
Opinion | What Did the World Learn From Syria? (Gift Article)
It is easy to look at a dark past and warn of a dark future.
www.nytimes.com
January 27, 2025 at 4:36 AM
An important piece by Alia Malek
“It is easy to look at a dark past and warn of a dark future, but we should not mistake that for seeing the future. What did we learn from Syria? That we misread it, and condemn it to misery, when we do not listen to the people at the heart of it.”
menasky
“It is easy to look at a dark past and warn of a dark future, but we should not mistake that for seeing the future. What did we learn from Syria? That we misread it, and condemn it to misery, when we do not listen to the people at the heart of it.”
menasky
Reposted by Salam Alsaadi
I'm not teaching my grad course 'Civil Resistance: How It Works' this semester. But here is an abridged version of the course schedule, readings, and films I used the last time I taught it (in 2022). Just in case it's useful. drive.google.com/file/d/14RRJ...
Readings - Civil Resistance How It Works Fall 2022.pdf
drive.google.com
January 26, 2025 at 1:26 AM
I'm not teaching my grad course 'Civil Resistance: How It Works' this semester. But here is an abridged version of the course schedule, readings, and films I used the last time I taught it (in 2022). Just in case it's useful. drive.google.com/file/d/14RRJ...
Reposted by Salam Alsaadi
Meanwhile in Egypt, Egyptian authorities arrested 20 Syrians on December 8 and 10 Syrians on December 9 following their attempts to gather for public celebrations following the fall of the Assad regime. In the time since then, 6 of them have been physically released. eipr.org/press/2024/1...
المبادرة المصرية تدين القبض على سوريين احتفلوا بسقوط الأسد .. وتعرب عن مخاوف من ترحيل بعضهم | المبادرة المصرية للحقوق الشخصية
eipr.org
December 23, 2024 at 2:00 AM
Meanwhile in Egypt, Egyptian authorities arrested 20 Syrians on December 8 and 10 Syrians on December 9 following their attempts to gather for public celebrations following the fall of the Assad regime. In the time since then, 6 of them have been physically released. eipr.org/press/2024/1...
Reposted by Salam Alsaadi
Millions today across Syria are celebrating the downfall of a system that has ruled the people with an Iron fist for decades.
Hama - Assy square now demonstrating an end to that bloody era.
Hama - Assy square now demonstrating an end to that bloody era.
December 13, 2024 at 3:00 PM
Millions today across Syria are celebrating the downfall of a system that has ruled the people with an Iron fist for decades.
Hama - Assy square now demonstrating an end to that bloody era.
Hama - Assy square now demonstrating an end to that bloody era.
Reposted by Salam Alsaadi
Party in Damascus carrying on into the night
December 13, 2024 at 9:28 PM
Party in Damascus carrying on into the night
Reposted by Salam Alsaadi
I wrote a short essay for @JoDemocracy on the remarkable fall of Bashar Al Assad
www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclu...
www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclu...
Hope and Fear in Syria | Journal of Democracy
The brutal regime of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad fell in a week. Syrians have been preparing for this moment for years.
www.journalofdemocracy.org
December 10, 2024 at 7:51 PM
I wrote a short essay for @JoDemocracy on the remarkable fall of Bashar Al Assad
www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclu...
www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclu...
Reposted by Salam Alsaadi
Funny that rulers-for-life buy fleets of super-expensive cars but stash them in giant garages where they collect dust b/c they can't take them out for joyrides. Not standard luxury cars accessible to bourgeois consumers but "halo" rides like Maybachs, Bentleys, etc.
www.cnn.com/2024/12/10/w...
www.cnn.com/2024/12/10/w...
CNN goes inside Bashar al-Assad’s garage full of luxury cars | CNN
www.cnn.com
December 10, 2024 at 5:04 PM
Funny that rulers-for-life buy fleets of super-expensive cars but stash them in giant garages where they collect dust b/c they can't take them out for joyrides. Not standard luxury cars accessible to bourgeois consumers but "halo" rides like Maybachs, Bentleys, etc.
www.cnn.com/2024/12/10/w...
www.cnn.com/2024/12/10/w...
Reposted by Salam Alsaadi
The heroic White Helmets (Syria's civil defense) who've been at the frontlines to save Syrians under the rubble are at Saydnaya to help free detainees in hidden cells. States should ensure they have the resources, technical support & assistance from intl rescue teams to work quickly and efficiently.
December 9, 2024 at 4:19 AM
The heroic White Helmets (Syria's civil defense) who've been at the frontlines to save Syrians under the rubble are at Saydnaya to help free detainees in hidden cells. States should ensure they have the resources, technical support & assistance from intl rescue teams to work quickly and efficiently.
Reposted by Salam Alsaadi
I’m not really worthy to write anything about beautiful Syria today but they asked me to and so I tried through tears to write some words that are inadequate but here they are anyway: Dawn in Damascus
@newlinesmag.bsky.social
newlinesmag.com/spotlight/da...
@newlinesmag.bsky.social
newlinesmag.com/spotlight/da...
Dawn in Damascus
In the end, Bashar al-Assad had nothing to say to the country he bludgeoned and bled, but what matters now is that his ‘forever’ rule is over
newlinesmag.com
December 9, 2024 at 2:18 AM
I’m not really worthy to write anything about beautiful Syria today but they asked me to and so I tried through tears to write some words that are inadequate but here they are anyway: Dawn in Damascus
@newlinesmag.bsky.social
newlinesmag.com/spotlight/da...
@newlinesmag.bsky.social
newlinesmag.com/spotlight/da...
The speed at which loyalist Asadists, including journalists, politicians, and social media accounts, flipped sides is staggering. They abandoned 13 years of blind support as cowardly as Assad himself fled. This happens in all collapsing dictatorships, but the speed of it here is just unbelievable.
December 9, 2024 at 2:23 AM
The speed at which loyalist Asadists, including journalists, politicians, and social media accounts, flipped sides is staggering. They abandoned 13 years of blind support as cowardly as Assad himself fled. This happens in all collapsing dictatorships, but the speed of it here is just unbelievable.
Reposted by Salam Alsaadi
I'm of a certain age that the Arab spring defined my entire life. It was THE "formative moment," the lens through which I continue to see every political issue.
عيش حرية عدالة اجتماعية
I still remember every chant, and the early days of Twitter watching updates filter in. When ben ali fled.
عيش حرية عدالة اجتماعية
I still remember every chant, and the early days of Twitter watching updates filter in. When ben ali fled.
December 8, 2024 at 9:39 PM
I'm of a certain age that the Arab spring defined my entire life. It was THE "formative moment," the lens through which I continue to see every political issue.
عيش حرية عدالة اجتماعية
I still remember every chant, and the early days of Twitter watching updates filter in. When ben ali fled.
عيش حرية عدالة اجتماعية
I still remember every chant, and the early days of Twitter watching updates filter in. When ben ali fled.
Reposted by Salam Alsaadi
Basic background resources for those who not familiar with Saydnaya (also Sednaya/Seydnaya/Sadnaya) & other notorious Syrian prisons such as Tadmor (destroyed 2015), Mazzeh (Air Force Intelligence/Mazzeh Mil Airport), & Qism Falastin (Palestine Branch/Branch 235).
The sheer magnitude of this. 1/6
The sheer magnitude of this. 1/6
The absolute horrors of the Assad regime exemplified by Saydnaya prison. Many prisoners are not freed yet bcs the rebels cannot get to them as they are 3 floors underground. #Syria
December 8, 2024 at 4:21 PM
Basic background resources for those who not familiar with Saydnaya (also Sednaya/Seydnaya/Sadnaya) & other notorious Syrian prisons such as Tadmor (destroyed 2015), Mazzeh (Air Force Intelligence/Mazzeh Mil Airport), & Qism Falastin (Palestine Branch/Branch 235).
The sheer magnitude of this. 1/6
The sheer magnitude of this. 1/6
Reposted by Salam Alsaadi
This photo is of me and my friends from Adra Prison in rural Damascus, the Damascus Central Prison, taken in 2011. We were political prisoners for participating in the Syrian revolution. Now, with the news of this dreadful prison’s liberation, my heart is filled with joy and optimism for the future.
December 7, 2024 at 11:17 PM
This photo is of me and my friends from Adra Prison in rural Damascus, the Damascus Central Prison, taken in 2011. We were political prisoners for participating in the Syrian revolution. Now, with the news of this dreadful prison’s liberation, my heart is filled with joy and optimism for the future.