Syria’s fragile post-war order is unraveling fast. In this special MEF briefing, host Lauri Regan is joined by Sirwan Kajjo and Kamal Chomani for a hard-nosed discussion of the Syrian gov’s military push into Kurdish-led northeast Syria and the collapse of the SDF
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv0G...
January 23, 2026 | Special MEF Briefing: "Syria on the Brink?" with Kamal Chomani and Sirwan Kajjo
YouTube video by Middle East Forum
We're honoured & very glad to be featured by the prestigious Columbia Journalism Review in a fantastic story about why the Amargi exists, and why a free press still matters.
@columjournreview.bsky.social @theamargi.bsky.social
www.cjr.org/feature/amar...
‘The Amargi’ imagines a free Kurdish press.
The Amargi, a digital outlet based in Germany, takes the lead on Kurdish news.
📚 New publication by our research associate
@charlottemeier.bsky.social
the Elgar Encyclopedia of Political Communication:
Digital Activism explores how digital technologies shape social movement mobilisation.
🔗
www.elgaronline.com/display/book...Exclusive Interview of
@theamargi.bsky.social with KDPI leader Mustafa Hijri.
Mr. Hijri asserts that the Kurds in Iran are ready for any possible changes in the country, & following the 7 Oct events & the 12-day Israel-Iran war, Iran is too weak to recover.
www.theamargi.com/posts/pdki-l...
“A Historic Turning Point”: PDKI Leader Says Iran Is Too Weak to Recover
In an exclusive interview with The Amargi’s Editor-in-Chief, Kamal Chomani, Mustafa Hijri, Secretary General of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, asserts that the Kurds in Iran are ready for ...
As alliances shift to shape a new Middle East, the Kurds face a familiar danger: exclusion from the new order. In this piece for
@theamargi.bsky.social, I'll explain why that would be a historic mistake, & what the status of the Kurds is amid these transformations.
www.theamargi.com/posts/the-mi...
The Middle East Is Being Rewritten, But the Kurds Must Not Be Left Out
Kurds rally in Amed in June 2011 during Turkey’s general elections in support of the pro-Kurdish rights | Photo Credits: Kamal Chomani The Middle East is entering yet another historic turning point. S...
Tehran is running out of time. Officials say the capital may fail to meet vital needs within two years, as aquifers collapse and services strain. This is not just drought. It is governance. Full story by Ammar Goli and Kawe Fatehi.
www.theamargi.com/posts/irans-...
Iran’s Water Crisis Could Turn Tehran into a Ghost City
The Khaju Bridge (Pol-e Khāju) in Isfahan, Iran, when the Zayanderud riverbed is dry | Picture Credits: Islamic Republic News Agency This article is co-authored by Ammar Goli and Kawe Fatehi Years…
Iraq’s minority quotas are under fire. Parties mobilised outside votes, helping KDP take five quota seats and three of five Christian seats. Activists call for separate registers or abolition. Full story by Renwar Najm.
www.theamargi.com/posts/iraqs-...
Iraq’s Quota System Silences Minorities
In Iraq’s 2025 parliamentary election, the country’s large parties have dominated the quota seats reserved for religious and ethnic minorities in the Council of Representatives. Christian activists…
Erwin van Veen tells The Amargi’s Kamal Chomani that Western recognition of Palestine is symbolic unless it’s followed by real measures. Watch the full interview to understand what recognition must lead to next. Link in comments. 👇
Hamit Bozarslan tells The Amargi’s
@kamalchomani.bsky.social the Middle East must move beyond the politics of death and sectarianism to imagine another future.
Full interview in the comment.
The “Middle East” was never about geography. It was a colonial invention, from Churchill’s maps to Admiral Mahan’s naval strategy.
At The Amargi launch, MP Cengiz Çandar explained how this invention still shapes global politics. Full panel here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQnK...Since October 7, the status of local, regional, and global powers in the Middle East has changed dramatically. To help us understand these complexities & the new power dynamics, I was joined by Prof. Hamit Bozarslan in an interview for
@theamargi.bsky.social.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezZV...
How Continuous Wars Reinforce Authoritarianism in the Middle East? with Prof. Hamit Bozarslan
YouTube video by The Amargi
How is the situation of journalists in the Middle East? Across MENA, journalism is one of the most dangerous professions. This is why we founded The Amargi. As Editor-in-Chief,
@KamalChomani.bsky.social sets out our vision in his full speech:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBu-...“We launch The Amargi as a promise — to reflect the dignity of our peoples, honour past sacrifices, and create space for new generations to dream and act.”
Read Editor-in-Chief
@kamalchomani.bsky.social’s full vision here:
theamargi.com/posts/the-am...🗣 At our launch today, Kamal Chomani is reminding us why independent media matters. Here are five powerful lines from his speech. 🧵
#TheAmargiLaunches #TheAmargiAt our launch today, keynote speaker Bachtyar Ali is reflecting on exile, intellectual life, and freedom. Here are some of his most powerful words. 🧵
#TheAmargiLaunches #TheAmargiPanel 1 of our launch is rethinking the Middle East amid shifting power & crisis.
Speakers: Cengiz Çandar, Abbas Vali, Joost Jongerden, Rojin Mukryan & Shilan Fuad Hussein.
They’re opening vital debates on peace, democracy, gender & climate.
#TheAmargiLaunchesYesterday we launched The Amargi in Leipzig with powerful conversations on “Reimagining the Middle East Amid Geopolitical Recalibration.”
Our work begins here: to challenge silence, resist erasure, and amplify truth.
#TheAmargiLaunchesThe Middle East is in flux. New alliances, shifting power, and competing visions are reshaping the region.
Professor Hamit Bozarslan joins
@kamalchomani.bsky.social to unpack what’s at stake.
🗓️ The Amargi launches Sept 20. Stay tuned.
Three years ago, Jina (Mahsa) Amini, a young Kurdish woman, died in the custody of Iran’s “morality police.”
Her death became the spark of a movement: Jin, Jiyan, Azadî – Woman, Life, Freedom.
🧵 Her story ⬇️
📢 We’re officially launching!
Join us on September 20th in Leipzig for The Amargi’s launch event:
“Reimagining the Middle East Amid Geopolitical Recalibration”
📍 URBN JUNGLE Leipzig – A Future City Lab
🕐 13:00 – 18:00 (Dinner at 19:00)
➡️ Register now: contact@theamargi.com
We’re launching with one of the most influential Kurdish writers of our time!
Bachtyar Ali, author of the internationally acclaimed novel The Last Pomegranate Tree and winner of the Nelly-Sachs Prize, will deliver the keynote speech at The Amargi’s official launch in Leipzig on September 20th.
COMING SOON!
Dear friends, please follow and like
@theamargi.bsky.social, a new independent media project I have founded with a group of journalists, academics, and activists here in Leipzig, Germany.
More to come in the next few hours, days, weeks!
Stay tuned!
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My new Middle East Forum piece where I analyse how Kurds in Iran remain hesitant to trigger uprisings amid the Iran-Israel war, although they want to see a regime change.
When the future is unpredictable, pushing change becomes difficult, especially without unity.
www.meforum.org/mef-observer...
Iran’s Kurds at a Crossroads
When the Future Is Unpredictable, Pushing Change Becomes Difficult—Especially Without Unity
We're so proud of your excellent work Kamal - keep it up!
Many thanks to my friends at
@ir-unileipzig.bsky.social, especially Kirsty Campbell, for their constant support, & to Soran Omar & Goran Azad for sharing their archives and insights. Grateful as well to
@unileipzig.bsky.social for supporting open access and making this work freely available to all.
New publication alert!
I'm happy to share that my article, "Martyrdom as a Mask: Unveiling Symbolic Violence in Iraqi Kurdistan’s Civil War Aftermath," has been published in Terrorism and Political Violence.
It’s open access and available to read here:
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Martyrdom as a Mask: Unveiling Symbolic Violence in Iraqi Kurdistan’s Civil War Aftermath
This paper scrutinizes the political and cultural implications of martyrdom in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), particularly in the aftermath of the Kurdish civil war (Birakuji, 1994–1998) betwe...
Many thanks to my friends at
@ir-unileipzig.bsky.social, especially Kirsty Campbell, for their constant support, & to Soran Omar & Goran Azad for sharing their archives and insights. Grateful as well to
@unileipzig.bsky.social for supporting open access and making this work freely available to all.
Last week in Athens, the Centre for Mediterranean, Middle East & Islamic Studies hosted a conference titled "The Kurdish Issue and Developments in the Middle East," where I delivered a speech during the 3rd panel.
My speech begins at minute 21 and continues until 35.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJ-A...
Third Session: CEMMIS Conference on The Kurdish Issue and the Developments in the Middle East
YouTube video by Centre for Mediterranean, Middle East and Islamic Studies
My interview with
@4zzzradio.bsky.social on the recent developments in Turkey and Syria in relation to the new peace initiative, the Kurdish politics and Kurdish question.
4zzz.org.au/program/para...
Paradigm Shift - May 30, 2025
Today we speak to Kurdish journalist and analyst Kamal Chomani. There have been some significant developments in the situation of Kurdish liberation politics in both Turkey and Syria - including the P...
The new Syrian regime under Ahmed al-Sharaa insists arms belong to the state. Absolutely, but only if the state is legitimate & approved by the peoples. But al-Sharaa rebuilt Assad's regime. For Syrians, there's no real difference b/n Sunni Islamist or Alawite Baathist dictators.
The new Syrian gov represents only Islamists. The euphoria among Syrians wasn’t about Ahmed al-Sharaa himself, but rather a reflection of their deep desperation to escape the Assad dictatorship. There must be a new social contract that addresses the concerns of all, not only of the HTS!
In my latest for the Middle East Forum, I write that Kurdish unity is an illusion, & the unity the Kurdish parties seek is futile, but why?
The bigger question is Unity on what?
www.meforum.org/mef-observer...
The Illusion of Kurdish Unity
Many Kurds Recognize That Kurdish Leaders and Their Parties Bear Much Responsibility for Their Lack of Unity
By Turkish standards, Israel has legitimate security concerns to attack & occupy Syrian land.
In fact, no regional countries have occupied and massacred the Syrian people other than the Turkish army. What Israel is doing is just following the Turkish footprints.
Hakan Fidan is right: Israel should end its incursions & attacks into/on the Syrian territories and should withdraw from Syria; however, such statements should not come from a country that has occupied & massacred Syrians since 2018, & 100s of 1000s of people remain displaced.
While the Israeli & the Turkish leaders, especially Netenyahu & Erdogan, trade accusations of ethnic cleansing regarding Palestinians & Kurds respectively, it would be best for them to look in the mirror & confront the realities of their own countries before advising each other.
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In my latest piece for The Middle East Forum, I highlight four significant fatwas: two issued by Iraqi Shi'a Marja' leaders in support of the Kurds & one by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979 & another from 2018 by the newly appointed Syrian Grand Mufti against the Kurds.
www.meforum.org/mef-observer...
Ahmed al-Sharaa’s Pick for Syria’s Mufti Shows He Is No Moderate
The Transitional Government Reinforces Sectarian Polarization and Disregards Syria’s Ethnic and Religious Minorities
These fatwas stand as historic documents reflecting the Middle East’s complex relationship with the Kurds.
Al-Rifa’i’s appointment is particularly concerning for minorities, given his 2018 anti-Kurdish fatwa was followed by ethnic cleansing and cultural erasure by Turkish forces.
Our colleague
@kamalchomani.bsky.social gave an excellent interview on Öcalan's call for peace and a democratic society in Turkey, analyzing how realistic this call is and what implications it may have. Check out the full interview in
@derfreitag.bsky.social:
www.freitag.de/autoren/sham...
Öcalan-Aufruf: Chance für Linksruck in der Türkei
Abdullah Öcalans Aufruf zur Entwaffnung der kurdischen PKK-Kämpfer könnte weitreichende Folgen haben. Doch wie realistisch ist ein Frieden? Die Türkei hat keine andere Wahl, als Zugeständnisse zu mach...
My interview with
@derfreitag.bsky.social on Öcalan's call for peace and a democratic society in Turkey, conducted by
@shamjaff.bsky.social
Read it here:
www.freitag.de/autoren/sham...
Öcalan-Aufruf: Chance für Linksruck in der Türkei
Abdullah Öcalans Aufruf zur Entwaffnung der kurdischen PKK-Kämpfer könnte weitreichende Folgen haben. Doch wie realistisch ist ein Frieden? Die Türkei hat keine andere Wahl, als Zugeständnisse zu mach...
The trauma of the 2013-2015 peace process should not weaken our resolve for peace in Turkey. While trusting the Turkish state may be naive, losing faith in peace itself and the sacrifices it requires would be a true tragedy.
Öcalan is set to call for silencing arms, extending a hand for peace & democracy. The PKK welcomes his call, as will Kurds worldwide. This is a renewal of his decades-long fight for freedom & peace. Then, the Turkish state must act responsibly & embrace this golden opportunity.
This's a golden opportunity for all to unite & support Öcalan’s call for peace; the only path to ending bloodshed, strengthening democracy, & reviving economy. For a century, the state has fueled hatred & violence. Time to break this cycle & build a future on peace & democracy.
Peace in Turkey will positively and profoundly affect not only those countries Kurds inhabit but the entire Middle East. If Öcalan’s call is embraced responsibly, we'll also be assured of a brighter future for Syria.
Democratization of Turkey is key for democracy in MENA.
My latest for the Middle East Forum: New Iraqi Kurdish Cabinet Prioritizes Fiefdoms Over Unity
The KDP and PUK may have mutual interests, but they have no common values. Any arrangements between them will be fleeting, cosmetic, or weak.
www.meforum.org/mef-observer...
New Iraqi Kurdish Cabinet Prioritizes Fiefdoms Over Unity
Neither the KDP nor the PUK Wants to Compromise, but They No Longer Can Delay Cabinet Formation
The IR team would like to invite you to an online panel discussion on ‘Indigenous peoples and local communities and their importance for protecting biodiversity - Perspectives from COP 16’.
So relentless has been Israel’s assault, and so complete the destruction in northern Gaza that a former Israeli defence minister described the military’s actions there as ‘ethnic cleansing’.
Here's how the Israeli military erased a town of 200,000 people in Gaza.
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In this
@newlinesmag.bsky.social piece, I explore why Iraq’s path, despite its post-2003 challenges, offers valuable lessons for Syria to pursue.
How can Syria emulate Iraq’s successes while avoiding its pitfalls?
newlinesmag.com/spotlight/ir...
Iraq Offers Lessons and Warnings for a New Syria
As Damascus attempts to forge a stable democracy from the wreckage of war, the neighboring country’s experience offers a way forward
this is an excellent deep dive into the promises and risks as Syria attempts to create responsible self-government
from
@kamalchomani.bsky.socialNEW: Syria’s new phase demands bold steps and inclusive leadership. Lessons from post-Saddam Iraq — federalism, consensus and pragmatic reform — could illuminate the path, writes Kamal Chomani.
newlinesmag.com/spotlight/ir...
Iraq Offers Lessons and Warnings for a New Syria
As Damascus attempts to forge a stable democracy from the wreckage of war, the neighboring country’s experience offers a way forward
Iraq Offers Lessons and Warnings for a New Syria
As Damascus attempts to forge a stable democracy from the wreckage of war, the neighboring country’s experience offers a way forward
"The two countries, which share a lengthy border, experienced numerous military coups in the 20th century before both coalescing around Baath Party dictatorships."
@kamalchomani.bsky.social @newlinesmag.bsky.social
newlinesmag.com/spotlight/ir...
Iraq Offers Lessons and Warnings for a New Syria
As Damascus attempts to forge a stable democracy from the wreckage of war, the neighboring country’s experience offers a way forward
Check out my latest for the Middle East Forum on why and how Delisting the PKK, or at Least Lifting the Bounty on Its Three Leaders, Would Have Several Immediate Benefits for the Kurds and the U.S. in the region.
www.meforum.org/mef-observer...
Washington Should Rethink Its PKK Terror Designation
Delisting the PKK, or at Least Lifting Bounties on Its Three Leaders, Would Have Several Immediate Benefits
🌟Glad to share my peer-reviewed paper, "Corruption and Kurdish Nationalism: A Case Study of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq," published in the Polish Journal of Political Science.
Grateful to everyone who supported me on this journey!
@ir-unileipzig.bsky.social
centrum.tdb.uw.edu.pl/corruption-a...Corruption and Kurdish Nationalism: A Case Study of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq
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Season's greetings from the whole IR Team at Leipzig University!
"We will live. We will kiss the sun and we will fill the world with vitality and hope. We will win." Narges Mohammadi, Nobel Peace Prize Winner 2023
Check out my latest piece for the Middle East Forum on the Kurdish and regional blocs competing in the new
#Syria. I will elaborate on the dynamics & the complex alliances shaping Syria and the region and their impact on stability and geopolitics.
www.meforum.org/mef-observer...
The Kurdish and Regional Blocs Competing in the New Syria
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and Turkey Will Allow Kurds to Be Partners Only If They Abandon a Secular and Democratic Worldview
📃 Manifestations of Justice in Global South(s): From Human Rights to Human Security (Steve Wahku Khaemba)
📃 (In)visible Chains: Mapping and Analyzing Informal Networks in the Peshmerga Forces in Kurdistan (
@kamalchomani.bsky.social,
@tamimkara.bsky.social &
@sushobhanparida.bsky.social)
📃 Evolution of Counterinsurgency Strategies in Turkey and Colombia after the end of their respective peace processes from 2016 to the present (Evelyn Gonzalez Guevara)
📃 Political Legitimating Processes in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq from 1991 to 2023 (
@kamalchomani.bsky.social)
With the celebration & divination of HTS leader Jolani by Arabi media, one can see a psychological paradox from the very ppl who understand one of the roots of the issues of the Middle East comes from “charismatic, strong leaders” who reduced the state in themselves, yet they crave for such leaders.
The Arabi media is very much fixated on the character of Jolani. It can be a reflection of desire for order, security & decisiveness, but this is extreme, this involves a subconscious relinquishing of the agency, it’s rather an escape from the responsibility to promote democracy.
This will soon backfire with seeing another “strong charismatic” leader like all other MENA region strong charismatic great leaders who have only made great tragedies for the people & great wealth for their own families & clients.
My latest for the Middle East Forum, titled;
Another Revolution Gets Hijacked in the Middle East
I argue that To believe Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Muhammad al-Jawlani will become a democratic statesman is self-deception.
www.meforum.org/mef-observer...
#SDF #Rojava #Syria #HTS #Turkey
Another Revolution Gets Hijacked in the Middle East
In Uprisings Across the Middle East and North Africa, Elites and External Powers Have Appropriated the Peoples’ Democratic Aspirations
I add: "If the Trump administration wants to have a say over the future of Syria, conditioning U.S. aid will not suffice; protecting the Kurdish-controlled areas and its democratic paradigm will challenge other countries’ efforts to impose an extremist Islamist order on Syria."
“In Syria, the survival and success of experiments like the Kurdish-led SDF are critical for preventing another stolen revolution. Their success is the reason why the Syrian National Army and Turkey jointly attack it to eradicate the prospects of democracy in Syria’s future.”
Our colleague Kamal Chomani (
@kamalchomani.bsky.social) recently published a book review titled "Between Diplomacy and Non-Diplomacy: Foreign Relations of Kurdistan-Iraq and Palestine" in the Kurdish Studies Journal. You can check out his review here:
brill.com/view/journal....
https://brill.com/view/journals/ksj/2/2/article-p224_8.xml
On Dec. 4th, we had the privilege of welcoming Prof. Janina Dill (
@janinadill.bsky.social) from the University of Oxford (
@ox.ac.uk) for a guest lecture titled "International Law in Gaza: Belligerent Intent and Provisional Measures“, organized by Prof. Solveig Richter (
@solveigrichter.bsky.social).
