Displaced Lebanese wary as ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah begins Tensions linger as evacuees await clarity on the ceasefire’s terms before risking a return to war-torn villages.

Many in Lebanon told me they don’t trust this ceasefire. Some went to check their homes but didn’t stay.

Many expect a resumption of fighting at some point.

www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/...

The death toll in Lebanon is now 2,020 with 6,436 injured

Rescuers gather at the site of an Israeli air strike in Beirut. [Hussein Malla/AP Photo]

Smoke rises following Israeli air strikes in Beirut. [Anwar Amro/AFP]

Firefighters at the site of an Israeli air strike that hit an apartment building in Beirut. [Hussein Malla/AP Photo]

The Israeli military described the bombardment as the largest coordinated strike of the current war. [Hussein Malla/AP Photo]

Israel strikes central Beirut without warning https://aje.news/ygb521

For context, when Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich says, "The Litani must be our new border with the state of Lebanon," he is a sitting member of the Israeli Cabinet talking about the illegal takeover of sovereign Lebanese land.

That is 30 km north of the current border.

"There is no better way to honor this anniversary than to deliver on the vision of protesters fifteen years ago."

Today, we at @timep.bsky.social join Syrians globally to remember the 15 year anniversary of the Syrian uprising and to uphold its memory by realigning with its compass.

Follow these accounts to understand more about whats hppening in Lebanon.
go.bsky.app/Bwe7hSf

Trump Has No Plan for the Iranian People The mere act of bombing Iran will not by itself create a stable regime.

The American bombardment of Iran has been launched without explanation, without Congress, without public support. Above all it has been launched without a coherent strategy for the Iranian people, and without a plan to let them build a legitimate Iranian state.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

Flying pickets on the LUFA picket lines in Sudbury.

Solidarity with @lufappul.bsky.social as they wrap up a third week on the picket lines in the Sudbury cold!

Solidarité avec l’APPUL alors qui terminent une troisième semaine de piquetage dans le froid de Sudbury!

picture of Alex Pretti

Alex Pretti was an ICU nurse serving veterans. He died trying to protect protestors being assaulted. A group of anonymous & masked men fired chemicals into his face, beat him, disarmed him, and shot him in broad daylight in front of witnesses. Then his government smeared him & defended his murder.

Join us on Saturday, February 14, for PeaceRep Iraq's final conference, 'Reframing Iraq: Power, Politics, and Paths to Inclusion'.

@lsemiddleeast.bsky.social @peacerep.bsky.social

www.lse.ac.uk//middle-east...

Texas A&M Bans Plato - Daily Nous Drop the race and gender material from your course and the Plato readings, or teach a different course. You have a day to decide. That's a paraphrase of what Martin Peterson, professor of philosophy a...

"I’m going to pause here just to review: an institution that purports to be a university has told a philosophy professor he is forbidden from teaching Plato."

surreal times

dailynous.com/2026/01/06/t...

rc14.ipsa.org - Bolzano/Bozen 2026 Image credit: Eurac Research | Marion Lafogler

We're organising an @ipsa.org Research Committees Colloquium in Bolzano/Bozen in June 2026, to be hosted by @euracminorities.bsky.social and @autonomyexperience.bsky.social. We welcome papers on all aspects of politics of and in ethnically plural societies. sites.google.com/view/ipsarc1...

Some thoughts on what Trump has done in Venezuela and what it might mean for US national security. Caveat: not a Latin America scholar so this is focused on US policy. Clearly huge consequences for Venezuela that others can address.

First, despite the buildup, I didn't think Trump would do it.

1/

Even if Trump’s attack on Venezuela and kidnapping of Maduro somehow led to a positive impact on Venezuela’s future, it would not make these actions by the United States legal, moral or wise.

Normalising and legitimising this behaviour endangers all countries - democracies and dictatorships alike.

France delays New Caledonia referendum BOWING to reality, the French government has abandoned plans to hold a referendum on March 15 to consider a new political statute.

Bowing to reality, the French government has abandoned plans to hold a referendum on 15 March for a new political statute for New Caledonia. My report for Islands Business looks at shifting French policy, which has divided legislatures in Paris and Noumea.
islandsbusiness.com/news-break/f...

‘No water, no life’: Iraq’s Tigris River in danger of disappearing Unless urgent action is taken life will be fundamentally altered for the ancient communities who live on its banks

‘No water, no life’: Iraq’s Tigris River in danger of disappearing

may I recommend writing a book review? it's fast, it's useful, it's a good thing to do. if it's an academic review, just look up the book review editor for a journal where you'd like to publish and pitch a review of a book that came out in the last few years or is forthcoming

Gender, Peace, and Power-Sharing Gender, Peace, and Power-Sharing examines the rise of two powerful norms in international conflict resolution and post-conflict governance: power-sharing as ...

Our book now has a cover and a preorder link! In it, @drsiobhanbyrne.bsky.social and I trace the rise of the WPS agenda & power-sharing as conflict resolution norms, chart their intersections, and reckon with the possible decline of both norms utpdistribution.com/978104980435...

This looks great, looking forward to reading it!

The Defection-Punishment Cycle: The Curious Case of Milorad Dodik and the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina - Forum of Federations Successful power-sharing depends on political actors’ willingness to play by the rules of the game. Yet, many political elites find...

And the Dayton at 30 series continued with a look at 'strategic defection' from power-sharing and the Dodik administration @inclusivepeaceora.bsky.social www.forumfed.org/document/the...

📌𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘁! 📌
🇱🇧 🇮🇶 Under what conditions are 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿-𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 established, and when are they effective?

🔓 Read the #openaccess article by @allimcculloch.bsky.social Soeren Keil, Eduardo Wassim Aboultaif and Sahar Ammar here 👉 doi.org/10.1080/1359...

#power #agreement #Lebanon #Iraq

POMEPS Studies 57: Syria After Assad - Project on Middle East Political Science Many developments during the past year have given rise to a host of crucial questions about the future of Syria and the Syrian people. To explore them, the Project on Middle East Political Science (PO...

Thrilled to publish this exceptional collection on Syria a year after Assad

pomeps.org/pomeps-studi...

Next up in the Dayton at 30 series, an analysis of the 2020 Mostar Agreement and perceptions of inclusion and exclusion
@inclusivepeaceora.bsky.social www.forumfed.org/document/pow...

Is There a Representation Gap? Citizen Preferences for Political Representation in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Forum of Federations Through a public opinion survey, we find that citizens in Bosnia and Herzegovina have strong preferences for candidates that are...

Another Dayton at 30 brief, this time analyzing what citizens want from their representatives @inclusivepeaceora.bsky.social
www.forumfed.org/document/is-...

Illustration of a red rose on a black and red gradient background. Text that reads "December 6 National Date of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women" above the CAUT logo.

Today, we honour the lives of those murdered at Polytechnique Montreal in 1989 and all people impacted by gender-based violence. CAUT remembers them and reaffirms its commitment to fight gender-based violence, hatred and misogyny.

Read our full statement: www.caut.ca/news/caut-ma...

@inclusivepeaceora.bsky.social colleagues were among those who gave evidence to the NI Affairs Committee on the gov’s approach to Legacy reform.

committees.parliament.uk/publications...

@feargalc.bsky.social
@neophytosloizides.bsky.social
@aimeejaysmith.bsky.social
@warwickpais.bsky.social

The next brief in our Dayton at 30 series is now out: Bonn Voyage: Is it Time to Close the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia & Herzegovina? @inclusivepeaceora.bsky.social
www.forumfed.org/collection/f...

‘Quiet, piggy’ and other slurs: Powerful men fuel online abuse against women in politics and media Gender-based violence in politics has democratic costs, diminishing diverse voices and expertise in public office.

In honour of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, I'm sharing my new op-ed for The Conversation on the harms of online misogyny targeting women in public life, especially when amplified by political leaders.
#polisky #gendersky
theconversation.com/quiet-piggy-...

We've just launched a new policy brief series, evaluating the Dayton Agreement at 30. A partnership between @inclusivepeaceora.bsky.social and the Forum of Federations, our first brief examines public opinions on constitutional reform options in BiH. Read it here: www.forumfed.org/collection/f...