Ideas Beyond Borders

We equip individuals and communities in the Middle East with the information, skills, and resources to improve their societies on their own terms

[Faisal Saeed Al Mutar @faisalalmutar]

Since the beginning of the U.S.-Israel-Iran war, I have tried to approach the conflict differently from many of the voices dominating social media, television panels, and political debates. Rather than begin with the outcome I wanted, I tried to stay loyal to the facts, even when they were unpopular or inconvenient.

My colleague’s and my work through @IdeasB2 Ideas Beyond Borders is grounded in the belief that societies in the region can become freer, more open, and more prosperous. Those values matter deeply to me and are the reason I have dedicated my entire professional life to this work. But believing in freedom and the painstaking work it takes to bring it to fruition does not exempt us from confronting reality. On the contrary, anyone serious about changing the world has an obligation to understand it as it is.

https://t.co/v43V2yp4Ny

[Middle East Uncovered @MEastUncovered]

One thousand, seven hundred and thirty-five days have passed since #Afghan girls were banned from classrooms, a deliberate act by the #Taliban that continues to unravel their futures. @NilofarAyoubi reports.

To read the full story visit: https://t.co/V8GPn1B7Fl

[Ideas Beyond Borders @IdeasB2]

Ideas Beyond Borders is proud to sponsor, An Evening with Steven Pinker live in the U.S. and Canada this September.

Dr. @sapinker, @Harvard psychologist and IBB board member, will appear in NYC, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Montreal, and Toronto. The NYC event opens with remarks from IBB President @faisalalmutar.

Get your tickets now on @thinkableevents or using the following link: https://t.co/iJEZlIIOWb

[Reid Newton @jreidnewton]

I will be going live with @jacmcole, managing editor of Iran War Dispatches at 2pm EST to discuss what we're hearing from our sources on the ground in Iran and the ongoing negotiations! Tune in: https://t.co/Sby21FSIHP

[Ammar Abdulhamid (theactualammar.bsky.social) @TheActualAmmar]

My latest: "We are seeing what a multipolar world looks like where power is no longer in the hands of a single hegemon but distributed among a constellation of actors. This is where the idea stops being a theory and becomes the driving force behind international politics." @M_E_uncovered

Welcome to Barzakhstan — The Nightmare Passage to a Multipolar World https://t.co/EtETLyBKmV

[Ideas Beyond Borders @IdeasB2]

TODAY at 12 pm ET 👇

[50ShadesOfBeige @Iram_Ramzan]

Tune in today at 12pm ET/5pm BST with me and @faisalalmutar for a chat on Iran

[Ideas Beyond Borders @IdeasB2]

Join IBB president @faisalalmutarand and @M_E_uncovered contributor @Iram_Ramzan TOMORROW @ 12 pm ET as they discuss the #blockade, the #ceasefire, and the latest #peace talks. 👇

[Middle East Uncovered @MEastUncovered]

Middle East Uncovered will be live on #Substack this Wednesday with Part III of "What's Next for #Iran?"

@faisalalmutarand and @Iram_Ramzan will discuss the #blockade, the #ceasefire, and the latest #peace talks.

Faisal is the founder of @IdeasB2, a nonprofit that supports civil society, free markets, and reform in the Middle East. Iram is a journalist and MEU contributor who covers #Islam, #politics, and civil liberties.

Join us on Wednesday, April 15th at 12:00 PM EST.

Add the event to your calendar and feel free to send in your questions: https://t.co/ka2JG6d5gE

[Ideas Beyond Borders @IdeasB2]

Shelly Kittleson is free. She never should have been taken.

We’re relieved she’s safe and on her way to recovery.

Welcome home, @shellykittleson.

[Alex Plitsas 🇺🇸 @alexplitsas]

Happy to report that @shellykittleson is on her way to recovery and the epitome of resilience

You’ll hear from her soon

Thank you to everyone who helped to set her free

[Ideas Beyond Borders @IdeasB2]

IBB president @faisalalmutar on the Iran conflict and Bitcoin in the Middle East w/@frankcorva

Listen here!

Apple Podcasts: https://t.co/L0ndePPWam

Spotify: https://t.co/KKtf25WCuO

Fountain: https://t.co/l3NSWUeiLO

[Frank Corva @frankcorva]

I met @faisalalmutar, President of Ideas Beyond Borders (@IdeasB2), in Bitcoin / @HRF circles and have always appreciated his decency, optimism, and commitment to human rights.

Faisal, an Iraqi-American who fled Iraq in the wake of the fall of Saddam Hussein, tends to see the best in people, despite the challenges he's had to confront in his life. (Or maybe because he's had to confront and overcome those challenges.)

So, I reached out to him to speak about Iran because I was hoping that he was seeing something, some sort of a silver lining, that I, and just about everyone else I've spoken with on the matter, can't see.

While he didn't necessarily offer said silver lining in our conversation, he did share a very nuanced view on the matter, which, as someone who's just trying to understand better what's happening, I very much appreciated.

In our conversation we discussed:

• The best and worst case scenarios for the Iran conflict
• An ethnic and religious overview of Iranians (not all Iranians are Persians)
• Why and how Iran isn't Venezuela
• Whether or not the majority of Iranians want regime change
• Important details about the Straight of Hormuz and who might control it moving forward
• Bitcoin adoption in the Middle East

plus more.

While some of the information in the conversation is out of date at this point since we recorded late last week, what Faisal offered in this conversation is still quite valuable for looking to learn more about how things work in Iran and the Middle Eastern region more broadly.

[Ideas Beyond Borders @IdeasB2]

People are expected to navigate economic crises without access to the ideas that explain them.

We translate and publish these works in Arabic.

"An Introduction to Schools of Economic Thought" by @eamonnbutler—now available for free:

👉 https://t.co/bG2mKfDveu

[Alex Plitsas 🇺🇸 @alexplitsas]

🚨 UPDATE: Please use the following webpage for @shellykittleson 👉🏼 https://t.co/edJh0ZOpqP to:

- Submit tips to @FBI

- Media inquires (family isn’t doing interviews but friends/colleagues are)

- Advocate for Shelly’s release

- Updates of the Case

- Background information

[Ideas Beyond Borders @IdeasB2]

6/ We call for her immediate and unconditional release.

Read: https://t.co/OyV2J3NeFL

[Ideas Beyond Borders @IdeasB2]

1/ @shellykittleson , an American journalist who has reported from Iraq, Syria, and beyond, has been kidnapped in Baghdad. 🧵👇

[Ideas Beyond Borders @IdeasB2]

5/ We've published what we know so far.

[Ideas Beyond Borders @IdeasB2]

Tune in NOW! @faisalalmutar and @HowidyHamza 👇

[Middle East Uncovered @MEastUncovered]

Happening Now!

Middle East Uncovered is live on Substack right now with @Faisalalmutar to answer your questions about the war in Iran, the state of the Middle East, and the impact on civil society during times of unrest.

Join the conversation right now at: https://t.co/jmFmIms7Qh

[Tomer Attias تامر عطيه @Tomeratt]

The role of diaspora communities in conflict zones is often misunderstood, romanticized as a force for liberation, or dismissed as detached from reality.

In my new article, I take a closer look at the Iranian and Lebanese diasporas and what they actually represent: not a unified voice, but a divided political landscape that mirrors the tensions back home.

Full piece: https://t.co/R75mh0IHF4

@jreidnewton @M_E_uncovered @IdeasB2

[Ideas Beyond Borders @IdeasB2]

“I lied to get a job.”

That’s where the philosophy started.