Arab World

By Heather Laird, University College Cork (The Conversation) – Palestinian literature is unique. It stands apart for its ability to capture a nation’s identity in exile – shaped not by borders, but by memory, resistance and longing. The settings of modern Palestinian literature include Israel, the occupied territories, countries more broadly in the Middle East, […]

Donald Trump

Trump halts Bombing of Yemen, Reportedly under Saudi Pressure, and to Dismay of Israel

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Middle East Eye reports that Saudi Arabia pressured the Trump administration to cease bombing Yemen in advance of his planned trip to the Kingdom next week because such raids would be an embarrassment for him and his host. Trump said Tuesday that he was convinced that the Houthis were sincere […]

GCC

GCC Energy stands as the ‘Superman’ of Global Energy Markets

Middle East Monitor

by Dr Elif Selin Calik The energy sector of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries represents the ‘Superman’ of global energy markets according to both analysts and diplomats. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries now represent a unique combination of stability and transformation in a world where energy security continues to intersect with geopolitical tensions […]

Featured

Are Houthi Attacks on Israel Driven by Yemeni Domestic Politics?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Ansar Allah (Helpers of God) government of North Yemen, led by Abdel Malik al-Houthi, declared an aerial blockade of Israel on Sunday, as they successfully fired a missile at Ben Gurion International Airport. The missile evaded Israeli air defenses and landed on the outskirts of the airport, causing panic […]

Donald Trump

Trump, the Suez Canal, and the end of Eisenhower’s World Order

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – AFP reports that Trump has said, “American ships, both military and commercial, should be allowed to travel, free of charge, through the Panama and Suez canals!” He went on to allege that “both routes” would not exist in the first place without the United States. News organizations have probably lost […]

Human Rights Watch

Lebanon: Indiscriminate Israeli Attacks on Civilians must be Investigated as War Crimes (HRW)

Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch – (Beirut) – Two unlawful Israeli strikes on the northeastern Lebanese town of Younine between September and November 2024, which killed 33 civilians, 15 of them children, were apparent indiscriminate attacks on civilians, Human Rights Watch said today. At least one of the attacks used an air-dropped bomb equipped with a United States-produced […]

Featured

Trump Administration to draw Down Troop Presence in New, Fundamentalist Syria

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Tara Copp at AP reports that the Trump administration will withdraw some of the 2000 troops now based in southeastern Syria. Some 600 will come out, leaving about 1400. The US has 8 small bases there and will close 3 of them. According to the UAE press which draws on […]

Climate Crisis

Iraq’s Climate Crisis is a Human Rights Crisis

Human Rights Watch

Sarah Sanbar Iraq Researcher, Middle East and North Africa Division ( Human Rights Watch ) – By any metric, Iraq’s environment is under severe pressure. Lakes, rivers, and marshlands are shrinking, and in some cases entirely disappearing. Sandstorms are increasing in frequency and severity, resulting in hospitalizations and the grounding of flights. Decades of conflict-related […]

Displaced and Refugees

Syria after Assad: Why many Syrian Refugees aren’t returning Home

The Conversation

By Charlotte Al-Khalili, University of Sussex and Melissa Gatter, University of Sussex (The Conversation) – When news of Bashar al-Assad’s downfall broke on December 8 2024, 13 years after the beginning of the Syrian uprising, Syrians around the world rejoiced. We rejoiced along with them, having spent the last decade in conversation with Syrians displaced […]