By Chelsea Johnson, University of Liverpool Images emerging from Syria over the past week have shown jubilation on the streets, as millions celebrate the end of 24 years of repression under Bashar al-Assad. It is rare for rebels to manage to tip the scales in their favour and win a war outright after such a […]
The Year ahead in the Middle East: A weakened Iran has big Implications for China
By Daniel Lincoln, University of Alberta (The Conversation) – The wheels of history have been turning rapidly in the Middle East over the last year. For a significant period of time, Iran’s status as a rising power within the region has been regarded as a consistent reality in assessing Middle Eastern geopolitics. But events since […]
Repression of Climate and Environmental Protest is intensifying across the World
By Oscar Berglund, University of Bristol and Tie Franco Brotto, University of Bristol (The Conversation) – Climate and environmental protest is being criminalised and repressed around the world. The criminalisation of such protest has received a lot of attention in certain countries, including the UK and Australia. But there have not been any attempts to […]
Palestinian Christians call on Western Churches to ‘Humanize’ the Children of Gaza
By Jane Barter, University of Winnipeg (The Conversation) – The human rights group, Amnesty International, recently issued a report concluding that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute a genocide. The war in Gaza has led to widespread calls for a ceasefire. This situation, and its ripple effects globally, have also raised questions and reckonings among varied […]
Climate, Migration and Conflict mix to create ‘deadly’ intense Tropical Storms like Chido
By Liz Stephens, University of Reading; Dan Green, University of Bristol, and Luis Artur, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (The Conversation) – Cyclone Chido was an “intense tropical cyclone”, equivalent to a category 4 hurricane in the Atlantic. It made landfall in Mayotte, a small island lying to the north-west of Madagascar on December 14, generating wind […]
The Emerging Bitter Israeli-Turkish Rivalry in Syria
By Amin Saikal, Australian National University (The Conversation) – The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria has opened a new front for geopolitical competition in the Middle East. Now, however, instead of Iran and Russia playing the most influential roles in Syria, Israel and Turkey see an opportunity to advance their conflicting national and […]
Why Syria’s Reconstruction may Depend on the Fate of its Minorities
By Ramazan Kılınç, Kennesaw State University (The Conversation) – Tens of thousands of minorities fearing persecution have fled Syria since its takeover by the Sunni Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham on Dec. 8, 2024. While the group has promised to respect all ethnic and religious minorities under its rule, human rights advocates have urged caution. […]
What the Fall of Assad says about Putin’s Ambitions for Russia’s Great-Power Status
By Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham (The Conversation) – The lightning-fast collapse of the Assad regime in Syria has sent shock waves across the Middle East. The disposal of the dictator whose family had ruled the country with an iron fist for more than half a century has triggered a potentially seismic shift in the […]
Reel Resistance: Netflix’s Removal of Palestinian Films adds to the Erasure of Palestine
By Chandni Desai, University of Toronto (The Conversation) – Netflix faces calls for a boycott after it removed its “Palestinian Stories” collection this October. This includes approximately 24 films. Netflix cited the expiration of three-year licences as the reason for pulling the films from the collection. Nonetheless, some viewers were outraged and almost 12,000 people […]
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