Middle East

Book Review – David Commins, “Saudi Arabia: A Modern History” (Yale University Press: New Haven and London, 2025). Munich (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – The rise of Saudi power in the eighteenth century is not easy to explain. There are few sources, and most of them are highly partisan, remarks David Commins, a professor […]

Greece

Greek Protesters block military Cargo bound for Israel

Global Voices

The protest represents a multi-dimensional struggle: economic, geopolitical, and ethical. Written by Elvis Takahashi Mantello Protesters gather at Piraeus port to block a shipment believed to be destined for Israel for military purposes. Photo by Sotiria Georgiadou. Used with permission. Globalvoices.org ) – Despite the lingering summer heat in Athens, Greek protesters gathered at the […]

Israel/ Palestine

Israel must allow independent Investigations of Palestinian Journalist Killings – and let international Media into Gaza

The Conversation

By Peter Greste, Macquarie University (The Conversation) – The New York-based media freedom organisation, the Committee to Protect Journalists, is scrupulous with its words. So, when the organisation described the killing of six Palestinian journalists in an Israeli air strike as “murder”, the word was a carefully considered choice. The CPJ defines “murder” as the […]

Authoritarianism

Saudi Arabia: Executions Surge in bid to Crush Dissent (HRW)

Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch – (Beirut) – Saudi authorities have been carrying out an unprecedented surge in executions in 2025 without apparent due process, Human Rights Watch and the Middle East Democracy Center said today. The June 14 execution of Turki al-Jasser, a journalist known for exposing corruption within the Saudi royal family, raises concerns that the […]

Iran

Iran’s President Says Rebuilding Nuclear Sites Futile Without Talks With Washington

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

( RFE / RL ) – Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian has warned that his country faces the risk of further conflict with the United States unless diplomacy is pursued. Speaking at a meeting with media executives on August 10, Pezeshkian criticized opponents of talks with Washington over Tehran’s nuclear program, saying the United States would […]

Israel/ Palestine

Beyond Recognition: Is a Palestinian State even Possible Anymore?

The Conversation

By Martin Kear, University of Sydney (The Conversation) – Australia will recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly meeting in September, joining the United Kingdom, Canada and France in taking the historic step. Recognising a Palestinian state is at one level symbolic – it signals a growing global consensus behind the rights of […]

Featured

Cowardly Israeli Murder of 5 Journalists, including Anas al-Sharif, Smearing them as Hamas

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Israeli state by now has a long and sanguinary history of murdering writers and journalists in cold blood. In 1972, Israeli commandos murdered novelist, painter and short story writer Ghassan Kanafani in Beirut with a car bomb — the weapon of choice for terrorists ever since — killing his […]

Climate Crisis

As Summer Temperatures Soar, Iran’s Water Crisis Worsens

Global Voices

As dams dry and rivers vanish, Iran’s capital faces its fiercest thirst in modern memory. Written byReza Talebi ( Globalvoices.org ) – Soaring summer temperatures in Iran and widespread blackouts have pushed the government to shut down public offices in at least 12 provinces and warn of a possible nationwide week-long closure to conserve energy, […]

Israel/ Palestine

Why the Gaza War won’t End: Israel’s Strategic Goal has been Ethnic Cleansing

Foreign Policy in Focus

By Seth Cantey | ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – Israel’s global standing has deteriorated throughout the war in Gaza, but in recent weeks the decline has been precipitous. The prohibition on foreign journalists entering the strip hasn’t prevented images of starvation from flooding social media. Doctors’ reports of civilians being used as target […]