OPINION | REPORTS OF MASS EXECUTIONS IN YEMEN BLAMED ON HOUTHIS

Fri 15 January 2021: More than 20 Yemeni farmers are reported to have been killed in what locals are calling a process of ‘colonisation’ by the Houthis. New evidence has emerged of Houthi militia atrocities in the village of al Haima, located in Yemen’s second largest province, Taiz, with local journalists and news agencies sharing photos […]

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OPINION | BIDEN BRINGING MCGURK BACK MEANS MORE TERROR TO FIGHT TERROR

Wed 13 January 2021: Does Brett McGurk’s appointment mean that the US policy of threatening friends and placating terrorists will return under a Biden administration? In the comeback tour that no one sane who values protecting civilian life in the Middle East wanted, senior US diplomat Brett McGurk has been strongly touted to head up […]

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OPINION | ASSAD IS LOOKING FOR LEGITIMACY THROUGH THE BALLOT BOX BUT A RUMP SYRIA AWAITS

Fri 08 January 2021: The Middle East is going through a dangerous transitional phase, in which more than one arena may explode at any moment, from Syria to Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Iraq and Yemen. They are all open spaces that Iran controls either directly or through its proxies, in their political, economic and demographic composition, […]

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MOSUL REVIEW: NETFLIX’S WAR FILM INVITES POLARISED RESPONSES

Sun 03 January 2021: Beneath the warm applause welcoming the release of Mosul, the first Iraqi-accented Netflix production, there is a simmering cynicism. Among some Iraqi spectators the film roused disappointment and apathy, a disagreement that is about more than just taste. The story, riveting as it is, rehashes an article published in 2017 by The New Yorker, […]

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OPINION | WHO’S AFRAID OF THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD, AND WHY?

Sat 26 December 2020: I’ve often wondered why the Muslim Brotherhood strikes fear into the hearts of Arab regimes. Prisons across Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are filled with thousands of political prisoners drawn from the leadership and membership of the movement, which is also banned as a “terrorist organisation” by this […]

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OPINION | WHY DOES THE WORLD KEEP QUIET ABOUT THE MURDER OF NUCLEAR SCIENTISTS?

Wed 23 December 2020: On 27 November, Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was assassinated; the killing has been assumed widely to have been the work of Israel. While some people expected an immediate response from Iran against Israel, others applauded the murder, believing that it will hinder Iran’s nuclear programme. What happened goes beyond Iran, though, and affects every country trying […]

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WORLD’S FIRST HIJABI SKATER: ‘I WANT TO SHOW THE WORLD THAT OUR WOMEN ARE POWERFUL’

Mon 21 December 2020: Over the past few years, the number of women from the Middle East participating in international sporting events has risen steadily. The glass ceiling appears to have been broken. One of these athletes is international figure skater Zahra Lari, who believes it is important to inspire Arab women to break any […]

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