Israel can't destroy Hezbollah, so it's focusing on weakening it militarily and politically. Netanyahu, some say, aims to reshape Lebanon's politics—but not everyone thinks he can do that. With comments by Eran Etzion ערן עציון and Joost Hiltermann. rferl.org/a/israel-hezbo…

‘Israel’s leaders claim this war is existential, a matter of Jewish survival, and there is a grain of truth in this, because the state is incapable of imagining Israeli Jewish existence except on the basis of domination over another people.’ Adam Shatz: lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v46/…

Thank you for your comments to Crisis Group, Dr Abdulaziz!

I'm moving to Bluesky, folks: @joosthiltermann.bsky.social. See you there! Crisis Group

NEW 🚨 The stunning fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in #Syria will scramble the balance of power in the Middle East, write Natasha Hall and Joost Hiltermann in Foreign Affairs. Read their latest analysis here: foreignaffairs.com/russia/day-aft…

“For more than half a century, the Assad dynasty appeared to have an impregnable hold over Syria,” write Natasha Hall and Joost Hiltermann. “Yet in the end, the regime was a house of cards.” foreignaffairs.com/syria/day-afte…

The effects of the Bashar al-Assad regime’s demise will extend far beyond Syria’s borders, write Natasha Hall and Joost Hiltermann. “The end of Assad seems certain to transform the Middle East’s balance of power.” foreignaffairs.com/syria/day-afte…

“Assad’s demise will cause shock waves far beyond Syria,” write Natasha Hall and Joost Hiltermann. How can Western countries and Gulf Arab states promote stability and unity in Syria—and help prevent further conflict in the Middle East? foreignaffairs.com/syria/day-afte…

“The fall of Assad shows how interconnected, and in unpredictable ways, the Middle East’s various conflicts are, and what can happen when they are neglected or normalized,” write Natasha Hall and Joost Hiltermann. foreignaffairs.com/syria/day-afte…

I only just got to this cogent article by Joost Hiltermann, which remains pertinent in revealing both the miscalculations of Iran and Hezbullah and the extraordinarily damaging role of what passes as US diplomacy. The Path to Regional War nybooks.com/online/2024/10… via The New York Review of Books

“For more than half a century, the Assad dynasty appeared to have an impregnable hold over Syria,” write Natasha Hall and Joost Hiltermann. “Yet in the end, the regime was a house of cards.” foreignaffairs.com/syria/day-afte…

“The fall of Assad shows how interconnected, and in unpredictable ways, the Middle East’s various conflicts are, and what can happen when they are neglected or normalized,” write Natasha Hall and Joost Hiltermann. foreignaffairs.com/syria/day-afte…

Important piece on how Trump's lifting of Syria sanctions, once implemented, is great but not good enough.