By Clodagh Philippa Guerin, University of Limerick (The Conversation) – In times of war and crisis, poetry can become more than just art: it can become testimony. For the people of Palestine living under siege, poetry is not a mere reflection of their suffering, but rather an act of resistance which campaigns for survival and […]
At Trump’s Prompting, Israel’s Netanyahu seeks a Pardon, But Israeli Law may not Work that Way
By John Strawson, University of East London (The Conversation) – The interesting thing about Benjamin Netanyahu’s call on Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, to pardon him for charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, is that he has not been found guilty on any of them. The trial is made up of three separate but […]
Labeling dissent as Terrorism: Trump’s NSPM-7 raises Constitutional Alarms
By Melinda Haas, University of Pittsburgh (The Conversation) – A largely overlooked directive issued by the Trump administration marks a major shift in U.S. counterterrorism policy, one that threatens bedrock free speech rights enshrined in the Bill of Rights. National Security Presidential Memorandum/NSPM-7, issued on Sept. 25, 2025, is a presidential directive that for the […]
Israel’s War: Gaza’s Once-Growing Economy is Nearing Total Collapse
By Dalia Alazzeh, University of the West of Scotland and Shahzad Uddin, University of Essex (The Conversation) – Gaza is going through one of the most severe economic collapses the world has seen in modern times. According to a UN report published in late November, the average income per person there is now just US$161 […]
Iraq’s 2025 Elections reveal a Democracy without Belief
By Bamo Nouri, City St George’s, University of London The Conversation – Iraqis went to the polls on November 11 to vote in parliamentary elections. Preliminary results put the coalition of Iraq’s prime minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, in the lead. But no bloc has won anything close to a governing majority in the 329-seat parliament. […]
Iran’s Capital, Tehran, Faces Zero Day without Water: Climate Change and Bad Policy
By Ali Mirchi, Oklahoma State University; Amir AghaKouchak, University of California, Irvine; Kaveh Madani, United Nations University, and Mojtaba Sadegh, Boise State University; United Nations University (The Conversation) – Fall marks the start of Iran’s rainy season, but large parts of the country have barely seen a drop as the nation faces one of its […]
How Turkiye Plans to use the Spotlight of hosting the next UN Climate Summit
By Ezgi Unsal, SOAS, University of London (The Conversation) – In a break from tradition, the next major UN climate summit will be hosted by Turkey but chaired by a different country, Australia. This is the first split arrangement in three decades of these summits, known as “Cops”. The unusual deal, devised to avoid diplomatic […]
How Global Power Shifts are Playing out in the Red Sea Region of the Mideast
By Federico Donelli, University of Trieste (The Conversation) – The competition for global influence and control is shifting. One of the places where this dynamic is playing out is the Red Sea region, which encompasses Egypt, Eritrea, Djibouti, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Here, international rivalries, regional ambitions and local politics collide. Federico Donelli, who […]
Why Palestinian Statehood is a Prerequisite for Arab-Israeli Peace and Expansion of Abraham Accords
By Simon Mabon, Lancaster University (The Conversation) – Mohammed bin Salman wants to bring Saudi Arabia into the Abraham accords, the network of agreements to normalise relations between Israel with other countries in the Middle East and, increasingly, beyond. Donald Trump would have enjoyed hearing this when the Saudi crown prince visited the White House […]








