One More Time: Syrian Election Produces Predictable Result!

Damascus: Syria's second multi-party presidential election in seven years sees Bashar Al-Assad romp home with 95.19% of the official vote tally – and the Western political response to his rule now firmly divided #Syria

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) June 3, 2021

The 2021 Syrian presidential election was ultra-symbolic, with Bashar Al-Assad casting his vote in Douma, a satellite town of Damascus which was once synonymous with crumbling state authority #Syria

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) June 3, 2021

Analysis: notably, the Western political response to Syria's election process was split, with several EU member states permitting voting to be conducted at their Syrian diplomatic missions; the UK and US prohibited expatriate voting #democracy #Syria

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) June 3, 2021

To watch: Bashar Al-Assad is constitutionally barred from contesting Syria's next presidential election, scheduled for 2028; his London-born wife Asma could make an interesting and iconic future candidate #Syria https://t.co/nXOpyszBfN

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) June 3, 2021

Asian Century Latest: World’s Most Populous Continent Dominates New Passport Index!

Henley Passport Index 2019: #Asia is home to the world's three most valuable passports – Japan, Singapore and South Korea – as well as the three least-coveted: Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) October 7, 2019

According to the Henley Passport Index 2019, Japanese and Singaporean passport-holders enjoy visa-free access to a stunning 190 other countries, with South Korea (188) scarcely behind #Asia #Japan #Singapore

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) October 7, 2019

Analysis: intriguingly, citizens of passport index cellar-dweller #Afghanistan still have visa-free access to twenty-five other countries; however, only one of them – Bangladesh – is located in South #Asia

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) October 7, 2019

To watch: passport indices are remarkably dynamic over time, and the Henley Passport Index rankings – which have changed markedly in recent years – will surely be shaken up again https://t.co/IEOn5lyh4D #Asia #AsianCentury

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) October 7, 2019

Parallel Universe: Kurdish Statelet Shutters Syriac Schools!

Kurdish-dominated authorities have shuttered 14 #schools
in the cities of Qamishli, Hasakeh and Al-Malikiyeh that favoured teaching the Syrian government's national curriculum #Syria

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) September 12, 2018

During the war in #Syria, some of the border regions with #Turkey have effectively carved out a parallel state with its own Kurdish-medium educational curriculum, a programme which is not being accepted by the newly-closed #schools

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) September 12, 2018

Analysis: the Kurdish-majority areas in #Syria face an uphill battle in persuading the #Syriac minority to forsake the state's national curriculum and qualifications, which are – crucially for #students – internationally recognised

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) September 12, 2018

To watch: as the war in #Syria segues into what look like its final chapters, the guaranteeing of ethnic, religious and linguistic rights will be vital to the country's #future #edu #schools https://t.co/D8XVDiiohK

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) September 12, 2018

Murder By Numbers Latest: #Syria ‘Aerially Bombed to Prevent Violence’!

The 14/04/2018 US-UK-France bombing of #Damascus and #Homs raises more questions than answers, and suggests core lessons from Operation Iraqi Freedom have not been fully internalised #SyrianStrikes #Syria

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) April 14, 2018

Critically, the bombing of #Syria has been met with apparently unprecedented cynicism by key Western electorates, with both #Trump's base and broader sections of the general public not buying into the purported aims of the exercise

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) April 14, 2018

Analysis (1): using taxpayer dollars to inflict carnage on multi-confessional societies in the Middle East and elsewhere is becoming less and less defensible in a climate of domestic economic austerity #TrumpSyria

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) April 14, 2018

Analysis (2): the 14/04/2018 bombing of #Syria was amazingly ill-timed given its occurrence on one of the most important nights in the #Islamic calendar, that of #Muhammad's ascension to the heavens in 621 CE; a lack of attention to detail makes #wars even harder to sell #edu

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) April 14, 2018

Analysis (3): vital factors in the #Syria crisis that few seem to have noted are (i) the emergence of the #Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as a serious #security entity; and (ii) the effectiveness of OIC states Syria and Iran + OIC observer state Russia in deterring all-out war

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) April 14, 2018

To watch: the disconnect between large sections of the so-called mainstream #media and the population at large has arguably never been greater, with even #propaganda-style #news failing to move audiences to compliance; #markets may shift in response #Syria https://t.co/nnRLfc9Bch

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) April 14, 2018

All Aboard: Rail ‘Accelerates #Syrian Recovery’!

#Chinese and #Gulf companies are closely monitoring the situation in #Syria, which can be physically rebuilt for approximately US$0.2bn #edu

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) October 29, 2017

With the war in #Syria rapidly concluding now that #Russia + Turkey are on the same side, the gaping #infrastructure gap needs plugging #edu

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) October 29, 2017

An obvious candidate for funds is the Levant's rail network; a consortium of Italian firms is looking at reopening the Beirut-Damascus route

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) October 29, 2017

A freight line from Lebanese ports to Homs could go a long way in assisting the wood- and cement-starved cities of #Syria to attain normalcy

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) October 29, 2017

Barring a dire security situation, #Syria is likely to be reconstructed extremely quickly and could host large numbers of #tourists by 2030

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) October 29, 2017

To watch: the big postwar challenges for Syria will be those of extreme inequality + processing psychological trauma https://t.co/Kps7fsX7ac

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) October 29, 2017

FIFA World Cup Bombshell: Syria Just Three Points Away from Russia!

#Syria could work one of the greatest-ever #football #miracles and qualify directly for the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals, hosted by #Russia

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) September 1, 2017

With just one round of games left, #Syria just need to win their final game – in already-qualified #Iran – and hope #ROK lose in #Uzbekistan

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) September 1, 2017

Should #Syria advance to the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals, it will constitute an enormous #softpower victory for close allies #Russia and Iran

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) September 1, 2017

2018 FIFA World Cup: #Syria's qualification would dwarf even that of #Bosnia, which made it to the 2014 finals after 18 yrs of peace #edchat

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) September 1, 2017

To watch: #Syria's Omar Khribin – a second striker who plays his club #football in Saudi Arabia – is a future star https://t.co/CI5FvkdTns

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) September 1, 2017

La La Land: Trump’s ‘Anti-Terror’ Executive Order ‘Risks Global Order Meltdown’!

The #USA bans 0.134bn people from entering it as an exec. order claiming to 'protect' the nation from 'foreign terrorist entry' takes effect

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) January 28, 2017

The executive order bars entry to the United States for citizens of six war-torn failed or failing states + Iran; questions have been raised

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) January 28, 2017

One of the many strange things about the #TrumpBan: the listed nations have precisely zero history of any terror fatalities on US soil #edu

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) January 28, 2017

Amazingly, there do not seem to have been many advances in mainstream US knowledge about international relations since 11/09/2001 #TrumpBan

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) January 28, 2017

Analysts: key US allies – most notably Saudi Arabia, which has become synonymous with terrorism in the eyes of some – remain unmentioned

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) January 28, 2017

To watch: US #softpower could take a serious hit from the executive order; internally, insularity could be stoked https://t.co/PiIagsC0fB

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) January 28, 2017

Happy Christmas, War Is Over: #SyriaCeasefire ‘Could End Years Of Dystopian Chaos’!

Day one of a ceasefire in war-torn #Syria ends without incident as one of the more insane contemporary military conflicts grinds to a halt

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) December 30, 2016

The #SyriaCeasefire has been brokered by Russia (SCO) + Turkey (NATO), and for a number of reasons could actually lead to a lasting #peace

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) December 30, 2016

Critically, both interlocutors are seen as credible by their respective clients; moreover, Russia + Turkey have much at stake in #Syria #edu

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) December 30, 2016

#Syria hosts Russia's sole Mediterranean military base, while Turkey has finally decided that nixing a Kurdish statelet is its top priority

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) December 30, 2016

Analysts: the #SyriaCeasefire represents a serious blow to US reach in the region; arguably, it has now lost 3 (proxy) wars on the bounce

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) December 30, 2016

Ending the carnage in #Syria is vital for the entire #MENA region; 01/17 #peace talks are scheduled for #Kazakhstan https://t.co/W1a4hy2K7B

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) December 30, 2016

Murder By Numbers, 2016: 6,000 Page Report Finds Tony Blair ‘Racing Up High-Score Table’!

Seven years and 2.6m words later, the #IraqInquiry – chaired by Sir John Chilcot – is published, but key questions about the war remain #edu

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) July 9, 2016

Crucially, the #IraqInquiry does not directly comment on the legality of the 2003 invasion, although it makes procedural criticisms #edchat

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) July 9, 2016

The generally surprisingly blunt nature of the #ChilcotReport comes at a point when the war's contribution to the MENA meltdown is evident

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) July 9, 2016

In 2006, the Lancet UK medical journal estimated 654,965 'excess deaths' as a result of the #IraqWar; this figure is now over ten years old

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) July 9, 2016

With anarchy in the streets and a death toll likely in the millions, #TonyBlair's legacy is assured #Iraq #Chilcot https://t.co/iecj3otkot

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) July 9, 2016

Au Revoir, Démocratie? French Government ‘Seeks Indefinite State of Emergency’!

FT: the Prime Minister of #France is looking to extend the state of emergency indefinitely as part of a 'total, global and ruthless #war'

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) January 23, 2016

The deeply controversial 13/11/2016- #France state of emergency #laws include giving the police #power to conduct searches without warrants

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) January 23, 2016

The UN has warned #France that the emergency powers constitute 'excessive and disproportionate restrictions' + should not be extended 02/16-

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) January 23, 2016

A police state is a questionable answer to attacks that were apparently at least partially aimed at #democracy #edu https://t.co/cW1YMRNdl5

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) January 23, 2016