Ola Rifai | عُلا الرفاعي

Deputy Director @syriastudies @univofstandrews. views are my own

[Ola Rifai | عُلا الرفاعي @olarifai]

The lesson of 1976 is not that intervention works. It is that interventions intended to solve short-term problems often create long-term disasters. Lebanon paid the price for decades. Syria eventually paid one as well

[Ola Rifai | عُلا الرفاعي @olarifai]

My thoughts on Trump’s recommendation for #syria to intervene in #lebanon for @SyriaCentre 🔗 ⬇️

https://t.co/MKUPLHivzA

[Ola Rifai | عُلا الرفاعي @olarifai]

US may see matters differently. As the Lebanese state lacks both the political consensus and the military capabilities required to disarm Hezbollah on its own, for Trump, Syria may appear to offer a convenient solution. In reality, it would create a far larger problem

[Centre For Syrian Studies @SyriaCentre]

New issue of Syria Studies is out ⬇️ Vol. 17 No. 1 (2026): From Regime and Islamists to Refugees and Tourists
Free access 🔗 https://t.co/4n6c3kkH2a

[Yezid Sayigh يزيد صايغ @SayighYezid]

Open access to "The Palestinians: From Peasants to Revolutionaries," by my amazing mother, Rosemary Sayigh, who turned an impressive 99 this month. Published in 1979, it went thru several reprints & translations and remains a landmark book:

https://t.co/TgcYEI9M2J

[Ola Rifai | عُلا الرفاعي @olarifai]

@mark_berlin2 Congratulations for the article and for Manchester United- what a game!

[Ola Rifai | عُلا الرفاعي @olarifai]

Syria: Between the First Republic and the Third, what is Lost?

My piece on the 80th anniversary of #Syria’s independence for @SyriaCentre
⬇️

https://t.co/9vpUpQ3bMn

[Ola Rifai | عُلا الرفاعي @olarifai]

My latest take for @CambridgeMENAF on What the #war in Iran and in #Lebanon mean for #Syria

https://t.co/MWzJsO1Xyo

[Ola Rifai | عُلا الرفاعي @olarifai]

📌 The decisive question is whether more moderate officials within the movement and the broader Shiite community will think rationally and rescue the community from this suicidal attempt. Or whether they will hammer the remaining nails in their coffin.

[Ola Rifai | عُلا الرفاعي @olarifai]

My take on what a potential #US_Iran War would mean for #Syria @SyriaCentre⬇️📌 https://t.co/GaofoJoJax

[Ola Rifai | عُلا الرفاعي @olarifai]

📌 Hezbollah now faces extremely limited choices. and by launching those six rockets, it may have hammered the first nail into its own coffin.

[Ola Rifai | عُلا الرفاعي @olarifai]

📌 Lebanese history demonstrates that militias rise and fall according to shifting political circumstances. The so-called al mared al shyy’ Shiite giant emerged from oppression, marginalisation, and also as a result of occupation. But over time, it became a source of instability

[Ola Rifai | عُلا الرفاعي @olarifai]

My take on the recent developments in #lebanon #Hezbollah #iran @SyriaCentre https://t.co/5jdvRkWovd

[Ola Rifai | عُلا الرفاعي @olarifai]

📌 Such a transition could contribute to rebuilding social cohesion and reducing sectarian polarisation within Lebanon and beyond. Alternatively, the conflict could spiral in the opposite direction, triggering broader sectarian fragmentation across the region.

[Ola Rifai | عُلا الرفاعي @olarifai]

📌A potential shift toward Amal, appears plausible. Despite a long history of rivalry between Hezbollah and Amal, the latter may position itself as a state-oriented ☂️ capable of facilitating de-escalation, gradual disarmament, and reintegration into institutional framework