I write about stuff that interests me … mostly Middle East affairs, history, politics. Regular contributor to @BusinessInsider @forbes @The_NewArab & more
Joined January 2009
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Paul Iddon retweeted
Reposting this for my friends in Taiz who filled the streets for Gaza while Houthi guns were already aimed at their homes. Free Yemeni people gave their solidarity freely, and the anti-imperialist crowd won’t spare them a hashtag.
Paul Iddon retweeted
Happy to share this piece that the one and only @vvanwilgenburg and I co-authored for @MENAMinorities.
No one bears the costs of political shifts and transformations across the MENA region more heavily than minorities and minoritized peoples.
Congratulations to MEMI on its launch! Delighted to contribute to its important work as a member of its Council of Experts.
My latest co-authored piece with @MohammedASalih: When America Leaves: Minority Survival in Iraq and Syria meminstitute.org/articles/wh… @MENAMinorities
Paul Iddon retweeted
Quoted in @The_NewArab, I shared my thoughts with @pauliddon on the conditions for Turkey to withdraw from Syria and Iraq, and how Ankara's position could evolve depending on the PKK's disarmament, the success of the ongoing Kurdish peace process, and regional developments.
How long will Turkey keep its troops in Syria and Iraq? newarab.com/analysis/how-lon…
Paul Iddon retweeted
Analysis: Turkey has entrenched its forces in Syria and Iraq, but shifting political realities could now test its resolve to stay
Read @pauliddon's article to find out more
newarab.com/analysis/how-lon…
Paul Iddon retweeted
Taiz-based activist Sama Al-Fadhli @Samaalfadhli posted a heartfelt video of her mother appealing to the mothers, sisters, and wives of Houthi fighters, urging them to stop sending their loved ones to fight in Taiz.
“Why are you sending your children to their deaths? Who are you fighting? You are fighting the finest young men of Yemen.”
“Please, do not send your sons to Taiz with bombs. You will kill and be killed. You will create hostilities that never existed.”
She challenged the Houthis’ justification for the offensive.
“Why are you coming to Taiz? What are you fighting for? You were told the lie that America and Israel are here. Neither America nor Israel is here.”
Her final appeal was about the human cost of war.
“Fear God. Do not treat human blood as cheap. Let those who are still alive support their families and help build this country. There is no need for more bloodshed.”
She ended with a firm message.
“Our sons will never tire of defending their land, even if you mobilize all the soldiers of heaven and earth against them. They are defending their own land.”
Paul Iddon retweeted
This is the level of much of the commentary around recent (modest) increases in Irish defence spending.
So it's maybe worth looking at what the Defence Forces is supposed to do and what it actually can do. Short thread
Paul Iddon retweeted
It is no wonder the Houthis have been systematically targeting journalists in Taiz city. Here, @taha_saleh_taiz documents the aftermath of a reported Houthi projectile strike on an ambulance traveling from Shaghaf to Taiz city. The attack killed a wounded teenage girl who was being transported for medical treatment and the ambulance driver, while injuring the doctor who was caring for her.
Paul Iddon retweeted
At the @iiea today, EU sanctions chief David O'Sullivan was asked about our investigation into Aughinish Alumina. He said Irish alumina “undoubtedly” ended up supplying, at least in part, the Russia's military. “I think there's no doubt the investigative journalists got it right”
Paul Iddon retweeted
What is happening in Taiz is a medieval siege. The shelling is terrorism and violence against civilians. The Iran-backed Houthis cutting off water, food, and the last road out is not just an "encirclement." It is deliberate starvation used as a weapon against civilians.
Yemen: I am alarmed over the encirclement of Taiz by the Houthis, which puts civilians at grave risk and cuts off essential supplies. Humanitarian aid must be allowed in, and civilians who want to leave must be allowed to do so freely and safely.
ohchr.org/en/press-releases/…
Paul Iddon retweeted
My press comments published by @pauliddon for @MiddleEastEye: Mohammed al-Basha of the Virginia-based Basha Report risk advisory said the Houthis had spent years refining their long-range strike capabilities.
"For years, the Houthis have used their attacks on Israel to refine their long-range strike capabilities," he told MEE. "What appeared to be failed attacks were also opportunities to learn and adapt." The group may have applied lessons from its regional attacks, as well as from Iran’s confrontations with the US and Israel, to improve its ability to challenge sophisticated air-defence networks. "Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in Patriot, Thaad, and other systems, but its vast territory makes comprehensive protection difficult," al-Basha said. "The Houthis do not need to overwhelm the entire network. One successful strike can cause significant damage and disruption." middleeasteye.net/news/why-h…
Paul Iddon retweeted
After coalition withdrawal, Iraq’s F-16s could play a greater role in suppressing ISIS remnants
✍️: @pauliddon
rudaw.net/english/categories…
Paul Iddon retweeted
I was quoted (extensively) in this story by @pauliddon for @The_NewArab on the prospects of an ISIS resurgence following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.
Mohammed A. Salih, a non-resident senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, noted that conditions in Iraq and Syria are markedly different from those in 2012-14.
“Iraqi Sunnis participate in the political process despite ongoing grievances, while security forces are more capable, particularly with the presence of the ideologically driven Popular Mobilisation Forces,” Salih told The New Arab.
“Syria also has a generally functioning government rather than a full-scale civil war.”
Despite the significantly different circumstances between today and 2014, Salih still sees a significant risk of an IS resurgence. Stopping it will very much depend on continued support from the US-led coalition and security cooperation between Iraqi and Kurdish forces.
After losing all of the territory it captured in Iraq in 2017, IS remnants were still able to operate within security gaps in the disputed territories between federal Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan, such as Kirkuk
newarab.com/analysis/could-u…
Paul Iddon retweeted
Analysis: The US military exit has renewed fears in Iraq that the Islamic State could exploit the power vacuum and regional crises to reorganise and regroup
Read @pauliddon's article to find out how
newarab.com/analysis/could-u…
Paul Iddon retweeted
I spoke to @pauliddon for @The_NewArab about the risks of an ISIS resurgence following the US withdrawal from Iraq, the evolving security landscape in Syria, & the dangerous sectarian fault lines emerging across the region.
newarab.com/analysis/could-u…
Paul Iddon retweeted
I was quoted in this article by @pauliddon for the New Arab newarab.com/analysis/could-u…
Paul Iddon retweeted
How am I only just *now* finding out that Martin Gore said this about Syria?? Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly love Depeche Mode anymore than I already have for all these years???
I never liked Spirit as much as the other albums, but this actually made my little heart happy (so easily pleased, ik, ik)
Paul Iddon retweeted
NEW: Saudi Arabia is inching toward a landmark deal for 48 US made F 35 stealth fighters following tentative approval in Sept.
If it holds, Riyadh will become the second operator of the aircraft in the region after Israel.
✍️@pauliddon for @amwajmedia 👇
Paul Iddon retweeted
American forces have withdrawn from the Kurdistan Region, but Iran continues to attack it.
The latest attack comes hours after Iran’s consul general in Erbil refused to rule out further strikes on the Region during an interview with Rudaw.
Paul Iddon retweeted
The Houthis will escalate against the Kingdom following the ground war, and deploying forces to defend Saudi territory is not the same as fighting inside Yemen.
However, the Mecca Pact represents a new reality that the Houthis and Tehran did not foresee. The ground has shifted beneath them over the past 24 hours, and whether they can keep pressing on Taiz and the coast while attacking Saudi and defending what they hold is now an open question.
حلف مكة الدفاعي يعلن الانتقال الفوري لتنفيذ التزامات الدفاع المشترك واتخاذ الإجراءات لتوفير القوات والقدرات العسكرية وسرعة نشرها في السعودية
حلف مكة الدفاعي:
🔴 الانتقال الفوري للتنفيذ العملي لالتزامات الدفاع المشترك
🔴 اتخاذ الإجراءات لتوفير القوات والقدرات العسكرية وسرعة نشرها في السعودية
🔴 أمن كل دولة هو جزء لا يتجزأ من الأمن الجماعي للدول الـ3
🔴 ترجمة اتفاقية مكة إلى إجراءات عملية يجسد مصداقية الالتزام بالدفاع المشترك
🔴 ترجمة اتفاقية مكة لإجراءات عملية يؤكد عزم الدول على الدفاع عن أمنها
