By Myra Williamson, Auckland University of Technology | – Peace in the Middle East seems further away than ever. The assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, the threat of Iranian retaliation against Israel, and the ongoing catastrophe in Gaza have all put the region on a knife edge. At first glance, there might seem to […]
Refusing to call out Islamophobia has emboldened the Far Right – and Britain’s current Violence is the Result
By Chris Allen, University of Leicester | – (The Conversation) – As someone who has researched Islamophobia in Britain for a quarter of a century, it is clear to me that the current violence on the streets of Britain is an example of it. This was true from the first outbreak of violence, after a […]
Qatar, Upset with failed Israeli-Palestinian Talks and Haniyeh Assassination, may Turn to Mediating between Iran and West
By Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Rice University | – (The Conversation) – When the longtime political chief of Hamas was assassinated in late July 2024, it didn’t just leave the entire Middle East on edge. It also created a political headache in Qatar. That’s because the death of Ismail Haniyeh, the result of an apparent Israeli […]
Assassination is always unlawful – Regardless of who is Killed and on whose Orders
By Mary Ellen O’Connell, University of Notre Dame | – (The Conversation) – >Assassination is a particular form of murder. Regardless of who carries out the act, on whose orders or why, it is always unlawful. This is the reason Vadim Krasikov was languishing behind bars in Germany prior to being released on Aug. 1, […]
As Far Right Islamophobic Mobs riot in the UK, Online Merchants of Hate work their Audiences
By Richard Fern, Swansea University | – The frightening scenes of far-right extremists clashing with police and even rioting in British towns and cities in recent days have many wondering how to stop the spread of the propaganda that encourages racism, violence and misogyny. The tough truth is that in seeking to fact check misinformation […]
German Colonialism in Africa left Hundreds of Thousands Dead: Its Chilling Afterlife
By Henning Melber, University of Pretoria | – (The Conversation) – Germany was a significant – and often brutal – colonial power in Africa. But this colonial history is not told as often as that of other imperialist nations. A new book called The Long Shadow of German Colonialism: Amnesia, Denialism and Revisionism aims to […]
Assassination of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders is a Gamble for Benjamin Netanyahu that buys him Time but risks wider Wars
By Scott Lucas, University College Dublin | – (The Conversation) – The missile that struck a building in southern Beirut on Tuesday, killing Hezbollah’s senior military commander Fuad Shukr, had been widely anticipated. Three days earlier, a Hezbollah rocket – which had no doubt missed its military target in northern Israel – struck a football […]
Iran vows “Harsh” Response to Haniyeh’s Killing, But how Likely is all-out War with Israel?
Ali Mamouri, Deakin University | – (The Conversation) – Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has vowed to inflict “harsh punishment” on Israel in retaliation for the assassination of the top Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran. Haniyeh’s killing is a critical escalation in the already volatile and increasingly hostile region. But the severity […]
Israel’s Military starts drafting Ultra-Orthodox Jews, but will they Dodge the Draft on Religious Principle?
By Michael Brenner, American University | – (The Conversation) – In late July 2024, the Israeli military sent out the first 1,000 conscription notices to ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, following a unanimous Supreme Court ruling that the government must stop exempting them. But will these Haredim, as the ultra-Orthodox are called in Israel, actually join the […]