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Ibrahim al-Assil إبراهيم الأصيل
@IbrahimAlAssil
Political scientist | Senior Research Fellow @Harvard @MiddleEast_HKS leading the Syria Transition Lab | Nonresident Sr Fellow @AtlanticCouncil| Abstract Artist
belfercenter.org/people/ibrahim…
Joined May 2010
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    Ibrahim al-Assil إبراهيم الأصيل
    @IbrahimAlAssil
    Sep 10, 2020
    We all know how to work with those who are similar to us, but it rarely leads to breakthroughs. To make a difference, however, we need to learn how to work with those who're different, to form alliances & build coalitions. Radicalism, dogmatism, & polarization will doom all of us
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    Ibrahim al-Assil إبراهيم الأصيل
    @IbrahimAlAssil
    Jul 21, 2023
    Standing with the Swedish democracy and freedom of speech. What someone says or does in Sweden is not the responsibility of the gov, the government's job is to ensure they -and you- have a safe space to say whatever you want. You can't have democracy if you can't see or hear
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    Ibrahim al-Assil إبراهيم الأصيل
    @IbrahimAlAssil
    Feb 28, 2022
    🧵 1/13 American progressives are facing an intellectual dilemma. For years, they focused on criticizing US foreign policy. In part because of the anti-capitalism perspective, but also because they, undeliberately, bought into both imperialism & American-supremacy. I'll explain:
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    Ibrahim al-Assil إبراهيم الأصيل
    @IbrahimAlAssil
    Dec 12, 2022
    1/THREAD 🇮🇷 In my previous life, I was a civil society activist & strategist. I invested a long time in the literature of protest movements. I have some thoughts to share with my Iranian friends. Syrians can't tell you how to win, but we can share lessons we learned the hard way:
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    Ibrahim al-Assil إبراهيم الأصيل
    @IbrahimAlAssil
    Dec 15, 2016
    "To the girl who shared the siege with me: I love you" e Aleppo, Dec 15, 2016
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    Ibrahim al-Assil إبراهيم الأصيل
    @IbrahimAlAssil
    Jan 4, 2025
    Iranian embassy in Damascus this morning.
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    Ibrahim al-Assil إبراهيم الأصيل
    @IbrahimAlAssil
    Feb 28, 2022
    Replying to @IbrahimAlAssil
    7/13 They ended up being where they exactly didn't want to be: American-centered. Many progressives ignored horrible and unprecedented human suffering caused by Russia (Syria) and Iran (Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon) because there was nothing there to criticize the US for.
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    Ibrahim al-Assil إبراهيم الأصيل
    @IbrahimAlAssil
    Feb 28, 2022
    Replying to @IbrahimAlAssil
    12/13 Progressive millennials and gen Z are facing a big intellectual challenge. They should find a way to reconcile their world views to be aligned with their inclusive values of democracy, freedom, and self-determination, and not only when it overlaps with criticizing the US.
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    Ibrahim al-Assil إبراهيم الأصيل
    @IbrahimAlAssil
    Feb 28, 2022
    Replying to @IbrahimAlAssil
    11/13 Looking at Ukraine as a country where Putin has the right to dictate its future is the most imperial notion in the 21st century. Ukrainians made THEIR democratic decision to ally with the west because THEY found that in their economic and national security interests.
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    Ibrahim al-Assil إبراهيم الأصيل
    @IbrahimAlAssil
    Jul 21, 2023
    Replying to @IbrahimAlAssil
    Meanwhile, the gov of China is systematically oppressing millions of Muslims, holding them in detention and indoctrinating camps, and even rewriting the Quran. How many protests have we seen in Muslim countries against the CCP? How many Chinese flags have we seen being burned in
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    Ibrahim al-Assil إبراهيم الأصيل
    @IbrahimAlAssil
    Feb 28, 2022
    Replying to @IbrahimAlAssil
    10/13 Some say it's the West's fault because Ukraine is within Russia's sphere of influence. Okay, let's talk about that: sphere of influence is the claim by a state to exclusive or predominant control over a foreign area or territory. In other words: imperialism.
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    Ibrahim al-Assil إبراهيم الأصيل
    @IbrahimAlAssil
    Dec 12, 2022
    Replying to @IbrahimAlAssil
    2/THREAD 🇮🇷 Keep in mind you are in a marathon, not a sprint. This means: A) your path is much longer and more complex than expected. B) Your path has much more potential than you think. Long-term planning is essential and has different requirements than just protesting.
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    Ibrahim al-Assil إبراهيم الأصيل
    @IbrahimAlAssil
    Feb 28, 2022
    Replying to @IbrahimAlAssil
    8/13 Progressives advocated for isolationism. A view they share with Trump & Rand Paul (clearly for different reasons). Another mistake entrenched in their views was depriving non-Americans of their agency in global events & interpreting them as always being American influenced:
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    Ibrahim al-Assil إبراهيم الأصيل
    @IbrahimAlAssil
    Dec 12, 2022
    Replying to @IbrahimAlAssil
    3/THREAD 🇮🇷 Build your own civil society think-tanks. Create strategy groups where the task is just to thank and plan. You are not the strongest player– your only chance to survive is by being the smartest. Strategizing is way more important than protesting.