Arab World

14 Years after the Arab Spring Youth Revolution in Egypt, the Problems that provoked it are Even Worse

Rusha Latif, author of Tahrir’s Youth: “The problems and grievances that drove the 2011 Egyptian revolution remain and are much worse today” Munich, Germany (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) — Born in the United States to Egyptian parents, Rusha Latif is an independent researcher based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is also the […]

Syria

Syria after Assad: A fresh Chance for inclusive Governance and Power-Sharing, or more of the Same?

The Conversation

By Allison McCulloch, Brandon University and Dr. Sören Keil, University of Passau (The Conversation) – The end of a half-century of Assad family rule in Syria marked a turning point in the country’s deadly 13-year civil war after rebel forces led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) conquered Damascus. A peace resolution for Syria was long […]

Salafis

Syria’s New Government is already Oppressing Women, Posing a dire Threat to their Future

The Conversation

By Vrinda Narain, McGill University and Fatemeh Sadeghi, UCL (The Conversation) – As the international community celebrates the fall of another dictatorship following the collapse of Syria’s Assad regime, the future of women’s rights remains precarious. Global leaders are commending Syria’s liberation and discussing the return of 5.5 million refugees, but women’s rights advocates are […]

Israel

Protesting the Impact of the Israeli Military Campaign on Education in Lebanon

Committee on Academic Freedom

Middle East Studies Association Board Joint Statement with the Committee on Academic Freedom Concerning the Impact of the Israeli Military Campaign on Education in Lebanon The Board of Directors of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) and its Committee on Academic Freedom register our profound concern regarding the interruption of education and the damage to […]

Lebanon

Lebanon’s new President faces uphill Struggle to steer Country away from Brink of Collapse

The Conversation

By John Nagle, Queen’s University Belfast and Drew Mikhael, Queen’s University Belfast Lebanon’s parliament elected a new president on January 9 after a two-year political deadlock and 13 failed attempts. Joseph Aoun met the threshold for victory in the second round of voting after his rival, a Hezbollah-backed candidate called Suleiman Frangieh, withdrew from the […]

Displaced and Refugees

What challenges do Syrian Refugees face as they return Home?

Global Voices

Written byRami Alhames Syrian and Iraqi refugees arrive at Skala Sykamias Lesvos, Greece. Image by Georgios Giannopoulos via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. ( Globalvoices.org ) – Since the eruption of the Syrian civil war in 2011, millions of Syrians have fled their country, seeking refuge in neighboring countries and beyond. Thirteen years on, a significant number […]

Featured

The Center of the World: A Global History of the Persian Gulf

Marc Martorell Junyent

Review of Allen James Fromherz, The Center of the World: A Global History of the Persian Gulf from the Stone Age to the Present (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2024). Munich, Germany (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) –– Historically known as the Persian Gulf, the body of water stretching from Iraq on the northwest to […]

Syria

Syria: Challenges facing Ahmad al-Shara as he Strives for Legitimacy both Inside and Outside the Country

The Conversation

(The Conversation) – Rahaf Aldoughli, Lancaster University The fall of the Assad regime after more than 50 years and the rise of the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has brought Syria to a critical turning point. Decades of Ba’athist rule entrenched deep ideological and emotional divides within Syrian society. Aside from the massive job […]

Israel/ Palestine

Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan: What is a War Crime?

The Conversation

By Hurst Hannum, Tufts University (The Conversation) – What are war crimes and when did they start? – Artie, 12, Queens, New York I imagine you’re asking about “war crimes” because you’ve heard that term mentioned lately in news about the conflicts underway in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan. The idea may sound confusing, because war […]