One hundred years after the Levant embarked on a journey to build modern political societies, our experiment has failed and we are now back to square one. Lebanon collapsed in the 1970s, Iraq disintegrated in the 1990s and 2000s, and Syria is in the process of tearing itself apart. Unlike Egypt, Tunisia, and several More »
Almost ten years after the fall of Saddam Hussein and one year after the withdrawal of American forces, Iraq is still struggling to build political stability and bolster its national security. Differences over federalism, the management of oil and gas resources, and control of the armed forces are strong, and tensions along Kurdish-Arab and More »
Asia specialists will not openly admit it, but they hate the Middle East. To them, the Middle East is the great distraction that keeps people from focusing on what’s really important – their own area in the Western Pacific. The media are primarily to blame, according to this narrative. The media love sudden drama, even More »
The conventional wisdom is that American presidents who win a second term are less bound by domestic electoral considerations that may impose constraints on their foreign policy. But in his second term, President Barack Obama is unlikely to take any bold initiatives in the Middle East. Indeed, he is far more likely not only More »
The week began with the collapse of the cease-fire in Syria and many more reported deaths. The U.S. calls for stronger leadership in the Syrian opposition. With the docking of Iranian military ships in Sudan, analysts scrutinize their relationship. Despite new laws banning demonstrations, protestors take to the streets of Bahrain. A series of More »
As someone who writes and lectures about women and gender in Islam, I am often asked if women had any role in the making of the Islamic tradition. Happily, the answer is always yes. There were in fact many prominent women in the early history of Islam. At the top of the list would have More »
October 11, 2012, marks the United Nation’s first-ever observance of the International Day of the Girl Child. According to the U.N., selected as this year’s theme was “Ending Child Marriage.” Organizers say it was chosen because the practice is seen as a phenomenon that violates millions of girls’ rights, disrupts their education, jeopardizes their More »
On October 1st, 2012, women organizers launched a Facebook page, “The Uprising of Women in the Arab World,” to highlight the discrimination against them which they don’t feel comfortable – or safe – enough to protest in the streets. In just ten days, the page has generated nearly 35,000 “likes” and conversation among more More »
This week in the Middle East, fighting continued in Syria, Jews throughout the world celebrated Yom Kippur, protests against the anti-Muslim film produced in the U.S. continued, Basra governor Mohammed Musabih Al-Waili was killed in Iraq, and 15 militant Islamists were sentenced to death or life imprisonment in More »
“History,” President Barack Obama remarked, “will judge the original decision to go into Iraq.” But the lessons of the Iraq War already weigh on the president. Even in defending the use of force in Afghanistan and Libya, President Obama cited U.S. difficulties in Iraq to caution against costly, military engagements in the future. The invasion More »
This week, Muslims all over the world celebrated the end of Ramadan with Eid Al-Fitr, a three-day holiday. In Lebanon, clashes between Sunnis and Alawites in the northern city of Tripoli caused concern that the Syrian crisis is spilling across the border. Meanwhile in Beirut, protesters gathered to demand the expulsion of Syrian Ambassador Ali More »
This week in Bahrain, human rights activist Nabeel Rajab was sentenced to three years in prison in what observers call a ‘shocking’ decision. In Iran, earthquakes killed hundreds and injured over 4,500. Relief workers tried desperately to free trapped citizens from the rubble and Tehran, after initially rejecting help, called for international aid. In Syria, fierce More »
This week in Syria, government forces pushed back Free Syrian Army rebels in Aleppo, a bomb exploded in the state news agency, and President Bashar al-Assad’s newly appointed prime minister, Riad Hijab, defected, raising the question, is the Syrian regime coming apart? In Lebanon, security forces detained for questioning former information minister Michel Samaha, an ally of Syrian More »
Preoccupied with the need to send its most loyal battalions to retake urban neighborhoods in six major cities, the Syrian government has become vulnerable to the political ambitions of a sizeable population of ethnic Kurds who live in portions of three northeastern governates. As Syria’s armored divisions and MIG fighters engage Free Syrian Army units More »
In this newsmaker interview, Marc Lynch, author of The Arab Uprising, The Unfinished Revolutions of the New Middle East, discusses his recently published book and the future of the new Middle East with host Carol Castiel and VOA Middle East senior reporter Cecily Hilleary. Listen and find out why Lynch identifies Turkey, Qatar, Egypt More »
- The deadliest day in more than two years hits multiple cities… - Syria says it will not use chemical weapons against its own people… - And the U.S. state of Arkansas copes with More »
- The suffering of the Iraq war is being depicted in an opera that can be seen on the Internet and may one day be in American opera houses. - A clarification after the International Red Cross adjusts its designation of the bloody conflict in Syria. - The United Nations says tens of thousands of children More »
- Human Rights Watch issues a report accusing the Syrian government of torturing and abusing detainees at 27 facilities across the nation. - UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay says the continued arming of both sides in Syria is fueling violence and must be halted at all costs. - Bombings in several Iraqi cities kill at More »
The finery of tapestry and carpets, the grandeur of soaring arches in mosques and palaces, and the beauty of calligraphy are just some of the art forms highlighted in a new film by Unity Productions Foundation, Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World. The 90-minute documentary explores Islam’s contribution to world art and culture More »
The Syrian National Council (SNC) announced earlier this month the selection of Abdulbaset Sieda, a little-known moderate Kurd from Uppsala, Sweden, to – for the next three months – lead the opposition group of mostly Syrian exiles in its effort to dislodge the government of President Bashar al-Assad. The Islamist-dominated council, the largest coalition of More »
