Mai El-Sadany
@maitelsadany.bsky.social
Human Rights Lawyer | Executive Director at TIMEP @timep.bsky.social
TIMEP’s @saharmechmech.bsky.social discusses Tunisia’s power cuts and protests against Saied with the @financialtimes.com: “People are not seeing progress but rather we’re actually going backwards… They are disillusioned with the promises that were given five years ago.” www.ft.com/content/06e0...
Tunisia power cuts provoke protests against president
Rolling blackouts during severe heatwave spur night-time demonstrations against authoritarian Kais Saied
ft.com
Haley Stevens outspent @abdulelsayed.bsky.social by 9:1, with $62 million from outside groups (over half from AIPAC). For Abdul to win in the face of that is really something. It's also a reminder that money in politics does not have to be everything--and that alone is revolutionary.
I’m excited to be joining Center for International Policy’s roster of senior non-resident fellows! I'm excited to keep pursuing research and advocacy around the arms trade and international law while also renewing and expanding my work in other areas. Thanks @nancyokail.bsky.social for welcoming me!
Nancy Okail@nancyokail.bsky.social · yesterdayThrilled to welcome @jwrchappell.bsky.social as Senior Fellow at @cipolicy.bsky.social on nuclear policy, arms control & other crucial issues as we expand our capacity to build a foreign policy that prioritizes diplomacy over militarism Read his full profile: internationalpolicy.org/about/#john-...
Today marks 6 years since the Beirut Port Explosion, one of history's largest non-nuclear explosions. It killed +218 people, injured +7,000, and displaced+300,000 from their homes. Holding in my heart those whose lives were never the same and uplifting their calls for justice.🤍
The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy@timep.bsky.social · yesterdaySix years since the Beirut Port Explosion, we stand with the people of Lebanon and remember the lives lost, the thousands injured, and the families impacted. Today, we amplify the calls of those gathering on the ground to renew their calls for accountability and justice.
📢 Today at @timep.bsky.social, we're releasing a new policy paper that I'm proud to have co-authored with Doug Christensen. The December repeal of the Caesar Act was historic. But when it happened, very few people had reflected on the question of what comes next for U.S.-Syria policy. (1)
🇹🇳 Over the last few weeks, I've caught a lot folks who don't follow Tunisia on a regular basis wondering what protests in the country -- be it around the five year anniversary of Kais Saied's power grab or the widespread electricity and water cuts -- might mean.
In Tunisia, protests have broken out over the last few weeks around sweeping electricity and water cuts implemented in the middle of a heatwave. What do we know about the country's current economic challenges? My colleague @saharmechmech.bsky.social has penned an instructive new must-read ⤵️.
The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy@timep.bsky.social · 6d agoNEW: On paper, Tunisia’s economic growth indicators are on the rise, but on the ground, Tunisians are facing worsening socioeconomic conditions. So what's actually happening? @saharmechmech.bsky.social makes sense of Tunisia’s economic landscape and the way forward: timep.org/2026/07/30/p...
"Two Iranians...said the explosion was a drone attack designed to show that global shipping and energy supplies could be more deeply disrupted if Iran chose to escalate. The individuals did not say whether Iran or an Iran-allied militia in the region had launched the attack."
More than a dozen Lebanese lawyers have filed a complaint at the prosecutor’s office in Beirut against Lebanese banker Antoun Sehnaoui after he hosted a dinner in memory of Senator Lindsey Graham which Benjamin Netanyahu attended apnews.com/article/leba...
Lebanese lawyers file complaint against banker who met with Israel's Netanyahu
Lebanese lawyers have filed a complaint against local banker Antoun Sehnaoui for meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week in Washington.
apnews.com
This past Saturday marked 5 years since Saied's power grab. A new analysis published by @timep.bsky.social unpacks how Tunisia's institutions have evolved, how the space for civil society has narrowed, and what the power grab has meant for the day to day livelihoods of the Tunisian people.
The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy@timep.bsky.social · last wk.NEW: Five years after President Kais Saied's July 25 power grab, Tunisia faces overlapping crises: from worsening socioeconomic conditions to shrinking political space. A new analysis takes stock of Tunisia's trajectory and what might be next: timep.org/2026/07/29/f...
Almost half of Americans believe Netanyahu should be arrested on US soil. When asked if the US should enforce an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for Netanyahu, 49% of respondents to a new Economist/YouGov poll said yes, 27% said no, and 23% were unsure.
On Thursday at 10 am EST, join the @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social for "Reporters at risk: The state of press freedom in Iraq," featuring some great speakers including my friend and former colleague @mandour.bsky.social. More here: www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/report...
Reporters at risk: The state of press freedom in Iraq
Correspondents assess how journalists continue to operate in Iraq amid significant challenges, including intimidation and violence.
atlanticcouncil.org
Following the Supreme Court's ruling on Temporary Protected Status (TPS), legal advocates representing migrants from a handful of countries have either repackaged their earlier procedural arguments into new constitutional claims or signaled plans to do so www.cnn.com/2026/07/27/p...
Inside the fights to maintain TPS status for thousands after the Supreme Court sided with Trump | CNN Politics
There are fresh efforts to halt the government’s plans to revoke protections for thousands fleeing war and natural disasters
cnn.com
In a less than 4 month period last summer, 167 people were arrested in Egypt in connection with 134 cases on charges of "violating family values" under the country's Cybercrime Law. The vast majority were using the internet for self-expression or for income-generating work.
If you are attacked by an armed person in your home, you have a right to disarm that person and protect your family. The fact that there is even a conversation now trying to shift blame from armed Israeli settlers doing the attacking to the Palestinians being attacked is insane.
These are coordinated attacks between the Israeli army and settlers with one objective: to make Palestinian life in the West Bank unbearable. 📸 📍Jaba' and Qalandia tonight
Rima I Anabtawi@rimaanabtawi.bsky.social · 2w agoThe situation in the West Bank is rapidly escalating. The Israeli army has imposed a lockdown across the West Bank, closing nearly all entrances and exits. Israeli settlers are escalating their attacks on more than 15 Palestinian villages, setting homes and fields on fire.
It's believed Assad left £40 million of his money in an HSBC London branch before he left to become President in 1994 and that millions accrued in interest in the years since. Can it be recovered and used to compensate his victims? From @ruthmichaelson.com: observer.co.uk/news/interna...
‘The money must be there’: The hunt for Bashar-al Assad’s...
The Syrian dictator is said to have left £40m in a London bank when he went home in 1994. Campaigners want to see it returned to victims of the regime, but face a battle with HSBC
observer.co.uk
ICYMI: We just hosted an extremely rich discussion that delved into all things Tunisia (politics, economy, foreign policy, the rule of law), featuring Sahar Mechmech, Aymen Zaghdoudi, Tarek Megrisi, Mondher Tounsi. Catch highlights below & watch the recording here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HWo...
The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy@timep.bsky.social · 2w ago🚨 Starting now! Mondher Tounsi, @saharmechmech.bsky.social, @zaghdoudist.bsky.social, and @tmegrisi.bsky.social are joining TIMEP to discuss Tunisia's trajectory five years since Saied's power grab and what the future holds for the country. Tune in and join us: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HWo...
The only way to have sustainable change in Tunisia is to have change from the people, not the army or foreign states. It's essential to use our freedom of expression, even if restricted or limited, and to convince people that the way to change is through democracy, says @zaghdoudist.bsky.social.
"The opposition simply cannot promise a return to the pre-2021 order; many Tunisians rejected that system and are even more disconnected from it. There needs to be a presentation of concrete economic solutions, governance reforms, and accountability," explains Mondher Tounsi.
Tunisia used to be a major diplomatic player, and there are still opportunities for it to use its independent position as a stabilizing force in the region. It can play that role if it chooses. But first, it has to survive, explains @tmegrisi.bsky.social.
"Rebuilding trust in public institutions requires public investment in public services and infrastructure. You can't ask people to pay taxes when they don't see a return on investment. You can’t ask citizens to be part of a community when they're offered nothing," argues @saharmechmech.bsky.social.
Europe shows discrepancies in the ideological position of Saied, as he wants to push himself as a sovereigntist, third-worldist, and revolutionary leader, but at the same time, he is desperate for money to keep the lights on; he needs the budget that Europe provides, notes @tmegrisi.bsky.social.
On social spending, we see pre-2021 trends: spending not keeping up with inflation. The result is the deterioration of living standards. The purchasing power of households has taken a beating; there's a shortage of food and medicine and that has become the norm, says @saharmechmech.bsky.social.
"Judges, like human rights defenders or lawyers, have also been under attack, as have been lawyers and journalists. So even for them, there are no guarantees or safeguards for an independent judiciary," explains @zaghdoudist.bsky.social regarding the state of the rule of law in Tunisia.
When we talk about democratic backsliding in Tunisia, we're highlighting a "new consolidated authoritarian order shaped by the concentration of executive power, the weakening of checks and balances, and the gradual elimination of the political class," says Mondher Tounsi.
🚨 Starting now! Mondher Tounsi, @saharmechmech.bsky.social, @zaghdoudist.bsky.social, and @tmegrisi.bsky.social are joining TIMEP to discuss Tunisia's trajectory five years since Saied's power grab and what the future holds for the country. Tune in and join us: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HWo...
🚨 LAST CALL: Not too late to register to join @timep.bsky.social for our event on Tunisia today at 10 am EST. Don't miss @tmegrisi.bsky.social, Sahar Mechmeh, Aymen Zaghdoudi, Mondher Tounsi for a 360 analysis on where the country stands 5 years since the 2021 power grab: timep.org/2026/07/09/t...
The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy@timep.bsky.social · 2w ago🔔 It's not too late to join us! This Thursday at 10 AM ET, we'll be hosting Mondher Tounsi, Sahar Mechmech, Aymen Zaghdoudi, and @tmegrisi.bsky.social to discuss Tunisia's political, economic, and foreign affairs landscape five years since Saied's power grab. Register now: timep.org/2026/07/09/t...
