The Amargi
@theamargi.bsky.social
News, Analysis, Opinions on the Middle East
This thread examines the data behind Iran’s November 2019 crackdown. The opening map shows confirmed fatalities across eight provinces, highlighting how the violence spread nationwide rather than remaining isolated to a single region.
November 16, 2025 at 9:28 PM
This thread examines the data behind Iran’s November 2019 crackdown. The opening map shows confirmed fatalities across eight provinces, highlighting how the violence spread nationwide rather than remaining isolated to a single region.
Years after IS’s defeat, thousands remain in detention in northeast Syria without credible trial paths. European governments weighed options, then stepped back. AANES asked for support, but politics said no. By Joost Jongerden: www.theamargi.com/posts/justic...
November 16, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Years after IS’s defeat, thousands remain in detention in northeast Syria without credible trial paths. European governments weighed options, then stepped back. AANES asked for support, but politics said no. By Joost Jongerden: www.theamargi.com/posts/justic...
Mosul’s Al-Tahira and Mar Toma churches have reopened after ISIS and war, but many Christians remain in exile. Restoration brings memory. Safety and belonging decide return. Full story by Julia Zimmermann.
www.theamargi.com/posts/the-va...
www.theamargi.com/posts/the-va...
The Vanishing Christians of Mosul
Mar Toma, Mosul | Picture Credit: Julia Zimmermann As Mosul’s churches rise from the rubble, their bells toll for both memory and loss. On the inauguration of two churches, rebuilt after they were…
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November 16, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Mosul’s Al-Tahira and Mar Toma churches have reopened after ISIS and war, but many Christians remain in exile. Restoration brings memory. Safety and belonging decide return. Full story by Julia Zimmermann.
www.theamargi.com/posts/the-va...
www.theamargi.com/posts/the-va...
On paper the process has two legs, Turkey and Syria. On the ground it does not. PKK steps in Turkey contrast with an SDF that will not disarm, and facts in Syria make centralisation unlikely. The pragmatic path is a modus vivendi. Column by Mesut Yeğen: www.theamargi.com/posts/the-pr...
‘The Process’ and Rojava
Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces in Raqqa, Syria | Picture Credits: Qasioun News Agency / Wikimedia Commons The announcements made by Turkish state officials in the first few months of the…
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November 15, 2025 at 5:23 PM
On paper the process has two legs, Turkey and Syria. On the ground it does not. PKK steps in Turkey contrast with an SDF that will not disarm, and facts in Syria make centralisation unlikely. The pragmatic path is a modus vivendi. Column by Mesut Yeğen: www.theamargi.com/posts/the-pr...
They are turning silence into cases and cases into change, from 24/7 Asayish units to women’s courts and cooperatives. Laws now ban child marriage and polygamy, but impunity and online abuse persist. Full story by Chloé Troadec and Angéline Desdevises.
www.theamargi.com/posts/breaki...
www.theamargi.com/posts/breaki...
Breaking the silencing: Fighting Gender-Based Violences in Northeast Syria
In Qamishli, a woman walks down the street in front of a mural fresco reading “Jin, Jyan, Azadi,” a Kurdish slogan meaning “Woman, Life, Freedom,” on March 8, the International Day of Struggle for…
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November 15, 2025 at 4:11 PM
They are turning silence into cases and cases into change, from 24/7 Asayish units to women’s courts and cooperatives. Laws now ban child marriage and polygamy, but impunity and online abuse persist. Full story by Chloé Troadec and Angéline Desdevises.
www.theamargi.com/posts/breaki...
www.theamargi.com/posts/breaki...
“Damascus has verbally accepted decentralization.” says Salih Muslim to The Amargi’s Kamal Chomani, noting that YPJ units and local structures would stay in place. He calls it a major shift but warns nothing is signed yet. Full conversation in the comments.
November 14, 2025 at 6:20 PM
“Damascus has verbally accepted decentralization.” says Salih Muslim to The Amargi’s Kamal Chomani, noting that YPJ units and local structures would stay in place. He calls it a major shift but warns nothing is signed yet. Full conversation in the comments.
Water is leverage. A new Iraq–Turkey understanding links river flows to security and trade, while downstream farmers wait to see canals fill or dry. Full story on The Amargi. Column by Sardar Aziz: www.theamargi.com/posts/iraq-t...
November 14, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Water is leverage. A new Iraq–Turkey understanding links river flows to security and trade, while downstream farmers wait to see canals fill or dry. Full story on The Amargi. Column by Sardar Aziz: www.theamargi.com/posts/iraq-t...
Gold is paying for Sudan’s war, as foreign supply lines and a revived gold trade sustain both RSF and army while civilians flee El Fasher and beyond. Full story on The Amargi: www.theamargi.com/posts/gold-a...
November 14, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Gold is paying for Sudan’s war, as foreign supply lines and a revived gold trade sustain both RSF and army while civilians flee El Fasher and beyond. Full story on The Amargi: www.theamargi.com/posts/gold-a...
“Integration without rights is assimilation,” Salih Muslim tells Kamal Chomani, outlining conditions that protect identity, local forces, and real decentralisation as Washington backs Damascus. Full Interview:
www.theamargi.com/posts/the-am...
www.theamargi.com/posts/the-am...
The Amargi Exclusive: Syrian-Kurdish Leader to Damascus and Washington,“Integration, Not Assimilation”
Kurdish leader Salih Muslim at Rosa Luxemburg Foundation in Berlin | Photo Credits: Rosa Luxemburg Foundation / Wikimedia Commons Until the fall of Bashar al-Assad last December, Syrian interim…
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November 14, 2025 at 12:05 PM
“Integration without rights is assimilation,” Salih Muslim tells Kamal Chomani, outlining conditions that protect identity, local forces, and real decentralisation as Washington backs Damascus. Full Interview:
www.theamargi.com/posts/the-am...
www.theamargi.com/posts/the-am...
Salih Muslim warns that integrating the SDF into the Syrian army without real guarantees could leave Kurds as vulnerable as other communities targeted in recent years. In conversation with The Amargi’s Kamal Chomani. The full conversation in the comments. 👇
November 13, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Salih Muslim warns that integrating the SDF into the Syrian army without real guarantees could leave Kurds as vulnerable as other communities targeted in recent years. In conversation with The Amargi’s Kamal Chomani. The full conversation in the comments. 👇
From sand to seats, Kobani’s young players now have a stadium, and with it a safer, steadier future for local sport. Full story by Cihad Hammy.
www.theamargi.com/posts/from-s...
www.theamargi.com/posts/from-s...
From Sand to Stadium: How Kobani’s Youth Found a Place to Play
Photo Credits: Youth and Sport Board in the Euphrates Region Before 2012, the Assad regime had systematically marginalized Kobani for close to five decades, as it had most other Kurdish cities in…
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November 13, 2025 at 6:30 PM
From sand to seats, Kobani’s young players now have a stadium, and with it a safer, steadier future for local sport. Full story by Cihad Hammy.
www.theamargi.com/posts/from-s...
www.theamargi.com/posts/from-s...
The Islamic Regime is struggling to enforce the hijab law. Some women are enjoying the freedom of walking in Tehran without the veil. Others, working class and ethnic minorities, still face crackdowns. By Kawe Fatehi.
www.theamargi.com/posts/the-hi...
www.theamargi.com/posts/the-hi...
The Hijab: Iran’s Struggle for Control and Compliance
Picture Credits: Fatemeh Rezvani Three years after the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising and following the 12-day Israel–Iran war, women’s long battle against Iran’s compulsory hijab law has reached a…
www.theamargi.com
November 13, 2025 at 5:30 PM
The Islamic Regime is struggling to enforce the hijab law. Some women are enjoying the freedom of walking in Tehran without the veil. Others, working class and ethnic minorities, still face crackdowns. By Kawe Fatehi.
www.theamargi.com/posts/the-hi...
www.theamargi.com/posts/the-hi...
From sand to seats, Kobani’s young players now have a stadium, and with it a safer, steadier future for local sport. Full story by Cihad Hammy.
From Sand to Stadium: How Kobani’s Youth Found a Place to Play
Photo Credits: Youth and Sport Board in the Euphrates Region Before 2012, the Assad regime had systematically marginalized Kobani for close to five decades, as it had most other Kurdish cities in…
www.theamargi.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:06 PM
From sand to seats, Kobani’s young players now have a stadium, and with it a safer, steadier future for local sport. Full story by Cihad Hammy.
Once on a US bounty list, now in the Oval Office. In The Amargi interview, Salih Muslim speaks with Kamal Chomani about the 10 March plan, saying SDF integration must protect real decentralisation and women’s units or it becomes assimilation. Full video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHEB...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHEB...
November 12, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Once on a US bounty list, now in the Oval Office. In The Amargi interview, Salih Muslim speaks with Kamal Chomani about the 10 March plan, saying SDF integration must protect real decentralisation and women’s units or it becomes assimilation. Full video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHEB...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHEB...
A custody case in Idlib turned into a 10 hour battle between Syria’s interim forces and French-speaking fighters linked to Omar “Omsen” Diaby, exposing a deeper fight over law and legitimacy after Assad’s fall. Full story by Armin Messager.
www.theamargi.com/posts/a-cust...
www.theamargi.com/posts/a-cust...
November 12, 2025 at 7:04 PM
A custody case in Idlib turned into a 10 hour battle between Syria’s interim forces and French-speaking fighters linked to Omar “Omsen” Diaby, exposing a deeper fight over law and legitimacy after Assad’s fall. Full story by Armin Messager.
www.theamargi.com/posts/a-cust...
www.theamargi.com/posts/a-cust...
Over 2.6 million Syrians live in Turkey. Monitoring shows rising hate speech and mob attacks. Hatice Çoban Keneş explains how this climate links to broader dynamics around the Kurdish peace process. Full story by İrfan Aktan.
www.theamargi.com/posts/if-pea...
www.theamargi.com/posts/if-pea...
November 12, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Over 2.6 million Syrians live in Turkey. Monitoring shows rising hate speech and mob attacks. Hatice Çoban Keneş explains how this climate links to broader dynamics around the Kurdish peace process. Full story by İrfan Aktan.
www.theamargi.com/posts/if-pea...
www.theamargi.com/posts/if-pea...
Afrin’s olive farmers hoped the Syrian government’s return would protect them, but as Turkish-backed militias continue their violence and looting, pessimism has taken over the olive groves. Full story by Pauline Vacher.
www.theamargi.com/posts/in-syr...
www.theamargi.com/posts/in-syr...
In Syria’s Olive Heartland, Farmers Fear the Harvest
Picture Credits: Charles Cuau Late October in Afrin, the Sharran olive press is a hive of activity. Under the watch of the press director, Hassan Jamal Kharbash, tractors file into the courtyard and…
www.theamargi.com
November 12, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Afrin’s olive farmers hoped the Syrian government’s return would protect them, but as Turkish-backed militias continue their violence and looting, pessimism has taken over the olive groves. Full story by Pauline Vacher.
www.theamargi.com/posts/in-syr...
www.theamargi.com/posts/in-syr...
Early Indicators of Iraq’s 2025 Election Results: 🧵 Thread 👇
Turnout in Iraq’s November 11 vote was about 55 percent, up sharply from around 41 percent in 2021. The rebound suggests renewed voter engagement after years of political fatigue.
Turnout in Iraq’s November 11 vote was about 55 percent, up sharply from around 41 percent in 2021. The rebound suggests renewed voter engagement after years of political fatigue.
November 12, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Early Indicators of Iraq’s 2025 Election Results: 🧵 Thread 👇
Turnout in Iraq’s November 11 vote was about 55 percent, up sharply from around 41 percent in 2021. The rebound suggests renewed voter engagement after years of political fatigue.
Turnout in Iraq’s November 11 vote was about 55 percent, up sharply from around 41 percent in 2021. The rebound suggests renewed voter engagement after years of political fatigue.
In Suwayda, flags have tracked survival. Protesters once raised the independence flag, then Druze colours, and at moments the Israeli flag. Many still say the future they want is a democratic Syria. Full story by Cédric Domenjoud.
www.theamargi.com/posts/syria-...
www.theamargi.com/posts/syria-...
Syria: Which Flag Flies in the Heart of Suwayda’s People?
Christian and Druze celebrations in As-Suwayda | Picture Credits: Wikimedia Commons Between February 28 and July 22, 2025, the author of these lines was in Suwayda, a province in southern Syria,…
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November 11, 2025 at 7:00 PM
In Suwayda, flags have tracked survival. Protesters once raised the independence flag, then Druze colours, and at moments the Israeli flag. Many still say the future they want is a democratic Syria. Full story by Cédric Domenjoud.
www.theamargi.com/posts/syria-...
www.theamargi.com/posts/syria-...
Across Syria, farmers trade baladi seeds and reopen dialogue. From a village near Saraqib, Buzuruna Juzuruna’s work links return, autonomy, and heritage through agriculture. Full story by Paloma de Dinechin
www.theamargi.com/posts/eco-fa...
www.theamargi.com/posts/eco-fa...
Eco-farming initiatives thriving in Syria: “Seeds of Reunion”
Azzat el Mohamed, 39, stands in his field behind his family home and looks at his okra crop. October 25, 2025 | Picture Credit: Pauline Gauer Founded in Lebanon, Buzuruna Juzuruna is more than a seed…
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November 11, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Across Syria, farmers trade baladi seeds and reopen dialogue. From a village near Saraqib, Buzuruna Juzuruna’s work links return, autonomy, and heritage through agriculture. Full story by Paloma de Dinechin
www.theamargi.com/posts/eco-fa...
www.theamargi.com/posts/eco-fa...
KDP and PUK still dominate Kurdish seats in Iraq’s parliament, while voter turnout in the Kurdistan Region has dropped from 95% in 2005 to 35.7% in 2021. In his report for The Amargi, Renwar Najm explains what drives this decline and what it means for Kurdish politics.
November 10, 2025 at 5:02 PM
KDP and PUK still dominate Kurdish seats in Iraq’s parliament, while voter turnout in the Kurdistan Region has dropped from 95% in 2005 to 35.7% in 2021. In his report for The Amargi, Renwar Najm explains what drives this decline and what it means for Kurdish politics.
Cyprus is more than a holiday destination. In 1974, Turkish troops invaded the island after a coup backed by Athens. Nearly 50 years later, the north remains recognized only by Turkey. Elif Sarican speaks with Oz Karahan on occupation & reunification: www.youtube.com/watch?v=294A...
November 10, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Cyprus is more than a holiday destination. In 1974, Turkish troops invaded the island after a coup backed by Athens. Nearly 50 years later, the north remains recognized only by Turkey. Elif Sarican speaks with Oz Karahan on occupation & reunification: www.youtube.com/watch?v=294A...
Settlers may now outnumber native Turkish Cypriots. In The Amargi Mosaic, Elif Sarican speaks with activist Oz Karahan about northern Cyprus’s elections, Turkey’s settler project, and why he says the island is “occupied, not divided.”
Full interview: www.youtube.com/watch?v=294A...
Full interview: www.youtube.com/watch?v=294A...
November 9, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Settlers may now outnumber native Turkish Cypriots. In The Amargi Mosaic, Elif Sarican speaks with activist Oz Karahan about northern Cyprus’s elections, Turkey’s settler project, and why he says the island is “occupied, not divided.”
Full interview: www.youtube.com/watch?v=294A...
Full interview: www.youtube.com/watch?v=294A...
Iraq votes again, but in the Kurdistan Region, many see only the same old faces as apathy grows and power stays with the few. Written by Renwar Najm. Full story:
www.theamargi.com/posts/as-ira...
www.theamargi.com/posts/as-ira...
As Iraq votes, Kurdish voters confront the same old political faces
Picture Credit: KDP social media page In the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), apathy toward the national elections on November 11 is a common political stance. Since the 1990s, elections have…
www.theamargi.com
November 9, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Iraq votes again, but in the Kurdistan Region, many see only the same old faces as apathy grows and power stays with the few. Written by Renwar Najm. Full story:
www.theamargi.com/posts/as-ira...
www.theamargi.com/posts/as-ira...
Why did Cyprus split into two?
Oz Karahan joins The Amargi Mosaic with Elif Sarican to explain how colonial policies and education shaped the island’s lasting divisions.
Full interview: www.youtube.com/watch?v=294A...
Oz Karahan joins The Amargi Mosaic with Elif Sarican to explain how colonial policies and education shaped the island’s lasting divisions.
Full interview: www.youtube.com/watch?v=294A...
November 9, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Why did Cyprus split into two?
Oz Karahan joins The Amargi Mosaic with Elif Sarican to explain how colonial policies and education shaped the island’s lasting divisions.
Full interview: www.youtube.com/watch?v=294A...
Oz Karahan joins The Amargi Mosaic with Elif Sarican to explain how colonial policies and education shaped the island’s lasting divisions.
Full interview: www.youtube.com/watch?v=294A...