Mary Fitzgerald @maryfitzger.bsky.social

Thrilled to get a hard copy of our just published Libya book. Grateful to editors @CollombierV & @W_Lacher for bringing together a team of Libyan & foreign researchers to shed light on under-researched aspects of the past 12 years based on extensive field work inside the country

I have largely migrated to where skies are bleu. You can find me here: @maryfitzger.bsky.social

As Russia shifts its gaze from Assad to Haftar, the Mediterranean once again becomes a theater of fragile power plays and unlearned lessons. My latest @ACMideast @AtlanticCouncil examines the echoes of Syria’s collapse in Libya’s uncertain future: atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasour…

Many of the Stormont files declassified today are exceptionally bland. Gone are the candid views, blunt assessments and granular detail of decades past. This is likely due to two factors: The growing use of email and the looming Freedom of Information Act. belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/…

Christmas Eve in Dublin, 1968. This story of a Libyan missing home by the late Redwan Abushwesha has become part of my annual festive reading.

"Syrians have not forgotten that the toppling of Iraq’s and Libya’s strongmen triggered a decade of civil war between their would-be successors." Let's hope they can do better. economist.com/middle-east-an…

Extraordinary moment in time Syria's recent history unraveling, prison after prison After 53 years of disappearances & countless violations, securing state archives should be a top priority. They will form basis for future accountability & provide closure for victims' families.

The shockwaves from Assad’s fall will be felt in eastern Libya in many ways, as Emad pointed out days ago.

In 2004, young Syrian president Bashar al-Assad mobilized Syrians and Muslims to flock to Iraq to disrupt the US occupation and protect his rule. One young student who went there returned to topple him exactly 20 years later.

Timely meeting of the Two-State Coalition for Israel & Palestine in Nicosia. Standing up for peace & justice takes courage, deserves respect & support. Their voices must be heard. We are at a critical juncture, as the reactions to the @IntlCrimCourt's decision illustrate. 1/5

I take note of the decision of the @IntlCrimCourt to issue arrest warrants for Israel PM Netanyahu, former Minister Gallant, and Hamas leader Deif. These decisions are binding on all States party to the Rome Statute, which includes all EU Member States.

I’m not leaving this space though I have reduced my engagement here. As Willie Nelson sang: Blue skies smilin’ at me. Though not quite a case of Nothin’ but blue skies do I see as Willie put it. (Longwinded way of saying you can find me here: @maryfitzger@bsky.social)

🚨 #BREAKING - @IntlCrimCourt has issued arrest warrants for #Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu, former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant, and #Hamas leader Al-Masri.

Fairuz turns 90, a voice of timeless grace and nostalgia that brought Lebanon’s hills, valleys and dreams to life. From folk tunes to poetic anthems, her songs remain a testament to an unbroken spirit. Mohamed Abi Samra explores this further in #AlMajalla. en.majalla.com/node/323138

"Il n'y a plus de mots. J'ai épuisé tous les mots pour expliquer ce qui est en train de se passer au Moyen-Orient" Josep Borrell, chef de la diplomatie européenne

🚨 NEXT WEEK: In conversation with Hisham Matar Join us in person at @ChathamHouse or online for a discussion with Pulitzer and Orwell Prize-winning author @hishamjmatar, moderated by @el_khawaga. 📅 26 November ⏰ 3:30 pm GMT Register now ⤵️ chathamhouse.org/events/all/res…

1000 days of the largest war in Europe since 1945. How this war ends will shape the future not just of Ukraine, not just of Europe, but of the entire international order (think Taiwan, Korea, nuclear proliferation) for decades to come. #1000DaysOfWar

Also at the Venice biennale

Libya and Italy, past and present. Colonialism and Omar al-Mukhtar. Gaddafi and Berlusconi. Oil and migration. Installation by Alessandra Ferrini during the last days of @la_Biennale in Venice.

UNSMIL commends the successful conduct of polling for the first group of 58 Municipal Councils on 16 November, organized by HNEC. The Mission congratulates the Libyan people for their impressive 74% voter turnout and HNEC for ensuring a technically sound and inclusive electoral process. The mission also commends the dedications of security agencies involved in ensuring a safe environment for the elections to take place. UNSMIL remains committed to supporting Libya’s electoral process and ensuring an outcome that reflects the will of the Libyan people. This municipal election is an important step towards strengthening democracy and ensuring accountable and responsive governance and legitimacy of Libyan institutions.

After a year of unheeded pleas about the situation in Gaza, we cannot continue with business as usual. I have proposed to EU Member States to ban import of products from illegal settlements and to suspend the political dialog with Israel. Read my blog: eeas.europa.eu/eeas/war-gaza-…