Tourism in Afghanistan was not conceivable nor commercialized during the 20-year US military occupation, nor at its end in 2021, when American forces dramatically pulled out from Kabul. The international community expected the Taliban to swiftly regain control and implement … Continue reading
Tag: Middle East
Yemen’s Hidden Proxy Cauldron
Amidst the various staggering developments that have dominated the news cycle in just the first month of the new year, a quiet storm has been brewing right under the noses of the world’s great powers. Although the conflict in which … Continue reading
Israel’s PR Crisis: The Influencer Network Behind Israel’s Re-Branding
In 2024, Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, one of Israel’s top military lawyers, released footage of an alleged gang rape from the Sde Teiman detention center in August. The footage shows five soldiers using their shields to block their actions from … Continue reading
Western Recognition of Palestine: Statehood in the Midst of Rubble
In recent weeks, there has been a wave of Western leaders taking the step to formally recognize the state of Palestine. This comes in an effort to deal with the deadly situation in Gaza and the ongoing crisis and political … Continue reading
Justice in the Rubble: Can Post-Assad Syria Break the Cycle?
When Bashar al-Assad’s regime crumbled in December 2024, the world blinked—then hesitated. The Syrian war, long viewed as a tragic stalemate, had ended not with negotiated peace but with a military collapse. As dust settled over Damascus, one question thundered … Continue reading
Hierarchies of Victimhood: The Freedom Flotilla and Mechanisms of Accountability
As the blockade and ground invasion into Gaza continues, civilian engagment and activism is activating to deliver aid, push for international intervention, and increase visibility. This article reflects on the effectiveness and impact of the Madleen, a civilian manned by … Continue reading
Echoes of Conflict: How Sonic Warfare Reverberates Through Lebanon
Sound as a weapon. It might seem improbable at first, yet in Lebanon, countless residents have lived with the unsettling roar of overhead fighter jets, the persistent hums of drones, and the jarring crash of sonic booms for decades. Families … Continue reading
Divide and Rule: Strategies of Separation and Sectarianism in Syria
On December 8, 2024, Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year-long regime collapsed, signalling a dramatic shift in Syria’s political landscape. The 53-year-rule of the Assad family in Syria had been characterized by persistent internal distress, most notably the nearly 15 years of … Continue reading
Bureaucracy Which Conceals and Controls: The Syrian Civil Registry Under the Assad Regime
On January 17th, 2013, a Damascus University third-year engineering student, Rehab al-Allawi, was arrested by Assad regime forces at her family home in Damascus, Syria. Her degree had been interrupted by the Civil War in 2011, leading her to join … Continue reading
From the River to the Sea: Will Palestine be Free? The History of Palestine and the Western World’s Double Standards
Western media coverage of Palestine lacks the sympathy and accuracy afforded to human loss in the Western World, starkly contrasting the Russia-Ukraine war. This selective sympathy exposes a disturbing pattern of racial and political bias within the Western media, where … Continue reading