News on politics, security and defence in the Middle East and North Africa
Britain’s parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee is at daggers drawn with Britain’s Foreign Office. That is to say, the Members of Parliament who form the influential Select Committee that monitors foreign…
Nation states cause some of our biggest problems, from civil war to climate inaction. Science suggests there are better ways to run a planet. Try, for a moment, to envisage…
Here’s a pictorial reminder that Saudi Arabia has definitely evolved a lot over the past century or so. Saudi Arabia’s buzzwords of 2016 are “change” and “modernization.” So it might…
Faced with a drop in popularity, intermittent protests against rising prices, and calls for a mass anti-government demonstration, Egyptian general-turned-president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, is seeking to appease the country’s youth,…
Maureen Nehedar’s transition from Hebrew to Farsi allows her to express additional sensibilities and hues of her amazing vocal talent. Can a breathtaking experience last for six and a half…
Discussing the current impasse in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, a recent leader in the Jerusalem Post put Israel’s dilemma in a nutshell. “The real problem is that Israel lacks a clear…
It is estimated that a number between 27,000 and 31,000 foreign fighters have been flocking to Iraq and Syria since the breakout of the war in 2011. An updated assessment…
“It is difficult to deny that Russia is partnering with the Syrian regime to carry out war crimes.” This is the charge laid by the British ambassador to the UN,…
Shah Cheragh is a funerary monument and mosque in Shiraz, Iran. It translates to “King of the Light” and it’s easy to understand why. The jaw-dropping interior of this structure…
One of the most common questions asked by learners of Arabic is ‘should I learn Modern Standard Arabic or a dialect first’? Dialect of course refers to any of the many…