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
Speculatively: I don’t think we should assume Saudi Arabia and its Yemeni clients want thousands of random Syrian troops. They could, however, have use for battle-tested drone teams, which use Syrian personnel but answer to SADAT/Turkey—as seen in Syria, Libya, and Azerbaijan.
Syrian denials notwithstanding, an @AFP source in the Yemeni presidential council says Syria may send 3 000 troops to assist against the Houthis. france24.com/en/live-news/20…
Paul Iddon retweeted
Kurdistan floods: A man stranded in floodwaters in Erbil on Saturday night was rescued by heroic bystanders, who leapt into the water and escorted the struggling individual to safety despite the treacherous conditions
Paul Iddon retweeted
Kurdistan floodings: Erbil Governor Omid Khoshnaw: 25-year-old man who was driving a shovel loader and had volunteered to help rescue citizens in the Seberdan neighbourhood was swept away by floodwaters and died.
He added that a five-year-old child who was in a car with his father survived, but the child's whereabouts remain unknown. - Rudaw
Paul Iddon retweeted
If you told someone in 2016 that a decade later Damascus would be deploying military advisers to Riyadh to train Saudi forces against an Iranian-backed militia, they would have called it bad fan fiction.
The only outcome I want out of this is Abdelmalek al-Houthi fleeing to Moscow.
reuters.com/world/middle-eas…
Paul Iddon retweeted
Watching @KenBurns @kenburnspbs’ The Vietnam War documentary on @PBS. One quote from former North Vietnamese soldier and writer Bao Ninh stands out. “In war, no one wins or loses. There is only destruction. Only those who have never fought like to argue about who won and who lost.” pbs.org/kenburns/the-vietnam…
Paul Iddon retweeted
What Happens to the KRG After the PUK’s Withdrawal? xitter.gq/i/broadcasts/2WXEErknz…
Paul Iddon retweeted
The PUK leader Bafel Talabani also announced that if a government is formed, they will form their own government:
"If you appoint a president of the Kurdistan Region, we will appoint a president of the Kurdistan Region.
If you appoint a minister, we will appoint a minister.
If you appoint a prime minister, we will appoint a prime minister."
Paul Iddon retweeted
In an unusually stark internal assessment, the Defence Forces warns that the government's lack of a national security strategy is placing the States sovereignity and territorial integrity at stake.
The strategy was due to be completed 5 years ago. Gov says it's nearly done...
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…