News & Business Correspondent
@AlMonitor
. Focus on US & Middle East. Former freelancer in Iraq, Kurdistan Region, Syria, Jordan & Lebanon. English عربي Español.
Here’s my appearance on
@talktv
with
@drdavidbull
talking about the US/UK strikes against the Houthis, Iraqi militias, the conflict with Iran and a bit of US politics.
When I watched Team America: World Police parody Sean Penn for opposing the Iraq war, I certainly didn’t expect 20 years later he’d be on Fox News advocating for a foreign military intervention.
Sean Penn on Hannity last night, where the two jointly advocated for sending fighter jets into Ukraine. I think I have faint memories of this guy being considered the quintessential anti-war Hollywood liberal
Wow. The Saudi foreign ministry said that the Biden administration suggested they postpone the OPEC+ oil cuts by a month. This could have meant after the US midterm elections. The statement also follows Democrats in Congress trying to stop new military aid to Saudi.
Interesting. Critics of the UK stripping people of citizenship have argued it targets brown people cause the law is you can lose your citizenship if you're eligible to be a citizen elsewhere (ie Asia). This guy is Canadian.
Pleased to announce I’m joining
@AlMonitor
as a news writer based in DC. I’m thankful for all the amazing people I worked with as a freelancer in Iraq, Syria and Kurdistan.
Why do so many media outlets refer to the Kurdistan Region as Iraq's "Kurdish region." It has an official name in Iraq, which is the Kurdistan Region. It's best to use the official name for accuracy and considering the ethnic and religious diversity there.
@michelletandler
Journalist here. I can’t see the whole exchange, but that seems like a very confrontational and condescending way for a journalist to approach someone they want to interview.
Cyprus' president Anastasiades launched into a scathing attack on Turkish president Erdogan's policies in the eastern Mediterranean, Syria and Iraq today at the
#UNGA
via
@AlMonitor
Some Kurdish and Syriac women in northeast Syria support a recent decision to allow female participation in tribal meetings. My latest: via
@AlMonitor
#Syria
#TwitterKurds
A group of Democratic senators are in Lebanon and Israel this week. Lebanon is in the middle of a horrible economic crisis, with power outages lasting most of the day.
Wheels down in Beirut. Visiting Lebanon and Israel over the next few days w
@ChrisVanHollen
@SenBlumenthal
and
@ossoff
to work on a solution to the political and economic crisis in Lebanon and to build bridges with the new Israeli coalition government.
Israeli PM Netanyahu’s son calls for the Kurdish flag emoji to be added. I agree it’s very frustrating not to have this emoji. I’d like Assyrian/Chaldean flags to be added as well.
Some photos of the Belarus-Poland border right now. A source there from Iraq told me two children died today and that he hasn’t eaten for three days. Article out soon. Photos shared with permission.
Here’s the latest on Turkey-China nuclear talks:
•Turkey to finalize deal for China to build nuclear plant soon
•Russia, South Korea also interested in building a plant
•Turkey opposes “IMEC” corridor (US rival to China’s Belt & Road)
via
@AlMonitor
My
@AlMonitor
report on Western Saharan reactions to Trump’s decision to recognize Moroccan sovereignty claims in the disputed territory. Comments from
@WeldMayara
,
@SAHARAWIVOICE
.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE were two of only three states to recognize the Taliban government before 9/11. How are Gulf states responding to the Taliban’s recent victory in Afghanistan amid the US withdrawal? My latest for
@AlMonitor
.
The problem with calling the people who stormed the US embassy in Baghdad “protesters” is that they’re are totally different from the protesters in Baghdad & the south. The people at the embassy had Iran-backed militia flags & clothing. The protesters vocally oppose the militias.
Some in Turkey are concerned about Musk's relationship with Turkish president Erdogan, but pro-Erdogan media is celebrating Musk's Twitter takeover. And Saudi Twitter is abuzz with tweets on prince Waleed, who rejected Musk's offer. My latest:
@AlMonitor
A Syriac church in east Amman, Jordan. I spoke to some kids in the neighborhood who said they don’t speak Aramaic, but they seemed to know about the Assyrian-Chaldean-Syriac community in Erbil. I told them I used to live in Ankawa.
A group of female Muslim, Christian, and Yezidi activists in Iraq's Nineveh Plains launched a women's magazine for International Women's Day. They want to reach rural, uneducated women. Read my latest for
@AlMonitor
here:
#IWD2020
#العراق
LIVE with
@soltan
– a former political prisoner in Egypt and a human rights advocate. Egypt continues to squash freedoms and imprison critics. The U.S. needs to take a stand for human rights and withhold part of our security aid until things improve.
@MazMHussain
I hear a lot of conspiracy theories in the Middle East and I sometimes counter that I think the American leadership is not as smart as they think.
I spoke to an official responsible for ISIS families in the al-Hol camp and other Kurdish officials in Syria hours before Turkey's assault began on what will happen to the camp now. > Al-Hol detainees attack guards and start fires as Turkish assault begins
A panel of Syrians in Turkey on Turkey's 'Operation Peace Spring' against the YPG. You'll see how different this narrative is from the one from many Kurds. They accuse the YPG of displacing people, arresting civilians etc. via
@YouTube
#NEW
An official Saudi tourism page says that LGBTQ tourists are "welcome" to visit Saudi Arabia. What does this mean for the treatment of homosexuality and the social changes happening in the kingdom?
Article below ⬇️⬇️⬇️
I went to a school in Hasakah, Syria now being used to shelter displaced people who fled their villages when Turkey began its military operation in northeast Syria. They're sleeping in classrooms and the kids aren't studying. Hear from them in this video for
@HappsNews
:
#NEW
details on Jordan, Syria, Saudi, Egypt & Iraq foreign ministers meeting in Jordan today:
-they agreed to work together on a "safe & voluntary" return of Syria refugees
-they endorsed withdrawal of foreign troops
Article below ⬇️
via
@AlMonitor
Egypt plans to issue bonds denominated in China's currency the yuan. It's the latest indication the US dollar may be (slightly) losing its dominance in the region: via
@AlMonitor
Hitler did not have Jewish heritage. This has been debunked by historians. > Lavrov claims Zelensky has Jewish blood 'just like Hitler' - The Jerusalem Post
Now that Biden has been declared the winner, let’s take a look at what his Middle East policy may be based on what he said on the campaign trail: via
@AlMonitor
Israeli prime minister Bennett basically confirmed Israel was behind today's airstrike on the port in Latakia, Syria. The port is used to bring Iranian cargo into Syria. via
@AlMonitor
Apparently back in the day, Iraqi game developers modified Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and put famed singer Kadim al-Sahir’s image in place of the main character. Photo: Babylon FM
Spoke to some Syrian Kurdish kids at the northeast Syria-KRG border crossing today in my broken Erbil Kurdish. They laughed. I think one of the saddest things about war is children are denied a peaceful childhood through no fault of their own.
The dry cleaning service I use in Erbil is run by a Kurd from Afrin, Syria. Kurdish forces controlled it until Turkish-backed rebels took control in 2018. I asked him if he had any articles ideas for me on Syria and he said "I don't know. I'm from Afrin and it's gone."
Any journalists have thoughts on this? I have a few colleagues who are limited career-wise because they don't have a college degree. I do have one, but it's not in journalism. via
@WSJ
@karol
Jason Aldean: “Why,” “The Truth”
Luke Bryan: “Do I,” “Drink A Beer”
Chris Young: “Tomorrow”
Keith Urban: “You’ll Think Of Me”
Lee Brice: “I Drive Your Truck”
Sam Hunt: “Break Up in a Small Town”
Jake Owen: “Startin’ With Me”
All sad, all great.
My
@AlMonitor
colleague
@JM_Szuba
has been unable to regain access to his hacked Twitter account for several weeks, despite his request.
@Twitter
@verified
@TwitterSupport
please restore this account ASAP. We depend on Twitter to do our jobs. Please retweet!
Five jobs I've had:
1. Journalist
2. English teacher
3. Arabic-English translator and interpreter
4. Guitar teacher
5. Men's locker room attendant at a country club
Protest by people from Mosul / Nineveh at UN compound in Erbil against the presence of Iran-backed Hashd militias in their home areas.
#HappeningNow
#kurdistan
#iraq
Pleased to announce I am now News and Business Correspondent for
@AlMonitor
. Looking forward to continuing to cover important political, security, business, societal and other stories from across the Middle East.
As some other Middle Eastern countries’ airports have reopened, Iraq’s have remained closed. Many are trapped with no way to leave aside from very expensive exemption flights. And virus cases are rising. My latest: via
@AlMonitor
#Iraq
#TwitterKurds
Many countries around the world accept proof of recovery from COVID-19 in lieu of a vaccine. If New York City mayor de Blasio has a scientific reason for not agreeing with this, he should say why.
#BREAKING
Morocco defeated Colombia to advance to the Round of 16 at the FIFA Women's World Cup. This is Morocco's first World Cup, and also the first for any team from an Arabic-speaking country.
#NEWS
Here’s what we know about Peshraw Dizayee, the Kurdish-Iraqi businessman killed in the Iranian attack in Erbil last night. Some key points:
•prominent developer
•Iraq says no evidence of Mossad site
•protests in Erbil
via
@AlMonitor
Some news: I’m moving back to northern Iraq to report as a freelancer in a few days. I learned a ton working in local news in Cape Cod and New York City these past two years. On a bit of a Twitter break while I prepare and get ready for my band’s last show with me 🤟🏼.
@angrybklynmom
I do Middle East news for an independent outlet, so not really mainstream. But I’ve thought about this a lot. There’s definitely a market for (relatively) unbiased and balanced reporting. Not that Joe doesn’t have biases, but he reaches an audience that rejects national media.
Starting to notice a bit of concern among friends, restaurant workers, store owners etc. in Erbil about a possible U.S.-Iran military conflict. It's unclear what would happen in the Kurdistan Region in such a scenario. I imagine the KRG would want to stay neutral.
My article on Facebook’s report that concluded Kurdish intelligence in Iraq connected to the PUK used fake Facebook accounts to criticize the rival KDP party: via
@AlMonitor
#TwitterKurds
#Iraq
Video of Iran targeting KDP-I (Iranian Kurdish opposition militants) positions outside the small town of Alana in Kurdistan Region, Iraq near the Iraq-Iran border today. Local source says KDP-I is only about 1 km from the village and roams around the area regularly.
Hi everyone, the University of Pennsylvania is doing a paid study of Kurdish speakers in the US. You must be in the US and a native Kurdish speaker. Please see the links below:
#NEWS
Here's the latest on Iran-Belarus relations:
•signed defense MoU in Tehran
•Iranian delegation went to Belarus in May to explore drone production
•Belarus has "special place" in Iranian foreign policy — defense minister
@AlMonitor
Nothing much on Middle East policy in Biden’s speech tonight (expectedly). He criticized Trump twice for “cozying up to dictators” without referencing who.
.
@elonmusk
Hi Elon, my name is Adam Lucente & I'm a reporter for
@AlMonitor
. I'm writing an article about your recent convo with Turkish president Erdogan & want to ask you a few questions. If interested, can you let me know how to get in touch with you? Thanks & have a good one!
Kids in northeast Syria are currently studying online. Education via the internet may continue beyond the coronavirus, but there are challenges. My latest for
@AlMonitor
with thanks to
@RojavaIC
and the teachers I spoke to:
Many members of Congress are co-sponsoring a resolution to recognize the Assyrian genocide, which took place at the same time as the Armenian genocide in present-day Turkey.
Thank you to
@RepPressley
for co-sponsoring House Resolution 550 which recognizes the Assyrian Genocide. Ask your representative to take a stand and co-sponsor this important legislation with just a few clicks:
The Kurdistan independence referendum in Iraq took place four years ago today. This is from a pro-independence rally outside of Mosul a few days before the vote.
📸 Adam Lucente
I recently got back from northeast Syria. Thoughts: In Tel Tamr the situation is worsening. A doctor said they don’t have enough supplies to treat the war victims. Syrian army and SDF operate very close to one another. Here’s a video I did from there >
As Turkey threatens to invade Kurdish parts of Syria, Kurdish and Christian villages in Iraqi Kurdistan have already been living with Turkish bombs targeting the PKK. My latest for
@MiddleEastEye
with pics from
@unconncted
>
Here's the latest on Iran's oil sector:
•oil production at 3.15 million bpd in August
•production was 3.8 million when US withdrew from nuclear deal in 2018
•rising exports to China, also Syria despite sanctions
@AlMonitor
Latest in repatriations of children born to ISIS fighters from Syria > France repatriates children from Islamic State camp in northeast Syria via
@AlMonitor
Why are people from Iraq, the Kurdistan Region, Syria and elsewhere stuck at the Belarus-Poland border? I spoke to a man who is at the border and a woman who crossed and wrote this for
@AlMonitor
.
A reminder to people talking about Syria that the northeast is largely Kurdish but many Christians, Arabs, Turkman, Yazidis etc also live there and will be similarly affected by any Turkish attack.
Throwback Thursday: here’s me speaking to a Turkish journalist at the start of the Mosul battle in October 2016. We were on a Peshmerga frontline.
#tbt
📸
@sfrantzman