In Depth

Dubai – “Refugee and other vulnerable children have the human right to a good education”, said Rudayna Abdo the founder of Thaki a social impact non-profit association. Abdo and her dedicated team are calling on companies in the UAE to donate their used laptops for reuse “It makes a huge difference to …

Since before Trump was even elected, experts have openly worried that his skepticism of NATO could lead to its dissolution. Russia would take advantage of that weakness, and the security guarantees America has given its European allies for decades would fade away. But Trump in recent days has seemingly become a NATO …

By Emad El-Din Aysha, PhD   Was watching an annoying science fiction movie the other day called variously The Holy Relic and The Hunt for the Hidden Relic (2002), and was struck by a number of things, good and bad. First, the bad. The movie is German, adapted from a novel …

The ‘Breathe’ event in Riyadh last week has attracted my attention. This event sought to break the barrier of fear, raise the quality of behaviour, and discover the various capabilities of knowledge and innovation. It also sought to raise the quality of life through exercise, meditation and breathing. By Lina …

Riyadh – The initiative launched in 2017 by the Environmental Green Horizons Society to transform one mosque in Riyadh into a sustainable building surrounded by greenery has become a success story. In a relatively short period five mosques were transformed, a new public park was established outside the city and …

Think Tanks Activity Summary The Heritage Foundation looks at Trump’s State of the Union Speech and his defense and foreign policy comments.  The Middle East was prominently featured in Trump’s State of the Union speech. The president noted that his administration had made a priority of “combating radical Islamic terrorism” and …

An Imposed, Unrealistic Solution Will Not Hold By Martin Indyk*   You’ve got to hand it to the Middle East peace team of U.S. President Donald Trump. It has proposed a comprehensive and creative resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And even though Trump is quick to decry the failed efforts …

By Arthur Blok   Bitcoin was launched in 2009 as a new kind of money: skeptical about traditional financial institutions and instead of a central bank using a complicated programming technology. Since that moment numerous cryptocurrencies were introduced. Are cryptocurrencies a useful tool to become more sustainable? Years later the …

The world is being roiled by the Corona Virus, which appears to have come out of China.  Not only is it worrying health experts, it is affecting financial markets as China has aggressively quarantined infected areas and closed large factories, which threatens to impact their economy.  And, since China’s economy …

BY Stephen Zunes,   Donald Trump’s long-awaited “deal of the century” between Israel and Palestine essentially gives Israel’s far right coalition government everything it wanted. This Middle East “peace” deal allows Israel to annex vast stretches of the Palestinian West Bank (which has been under Israeli military occupation since 1967) …

Instead of acknowledging the political and national aspirations of the Palestinians, negotiators are focusing on material and economic concerns.   By Robert Malley President and CEO of the International Crisis Group & Aaron David Miller Distinguished Fellow at the Wilson Center |   Recent months have seen a series of …

The president has been mixing money and politics since his early days in New York. By Andrea Bernstein*- Appeared first on The Atlantic |   On a debate stage during the 2016 Republican primary, Donald Trump explained why he’d given money to Democratic politicians: “I give to many people,” he …

The Heritage Foundation says US-Oman relations must improve in 2020 with the new Sultan Haitham.  They note, “The United States and Oman share many geopolitical challenges and have had good relations dating back two centuries. Under the leadership of Sultan Haitham, U.S.–Omani relations will be entering a new chapter. The …

By Nasser Nasser   We are witnessing the “annexation of the West Bank and the Jordan Valley” fever and the left in Israel is running to catch up to Israel. This is the meaning of what one of Israel’s senior investigative journalist, Raviv Drucker, revealed in Haaretz yesterday, January 13th, …

Dubai – Heliatek is the winner of the Online Global Innovation Award 2020. The announcement was made at the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) Thursday by H.E. Fahed Al Hammadi, the acting Assistant Undersecretary for Green Development and Climate Change at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment. By Arthur …

Iranian foreign policy guru Seyed Hossein Mousavian discusses nuclear weaponization and the need for a multilateral security network in the Middle East By Sean David Hobbs   Leading Iranian diplomat and analyst Seyed Hossein Mousavian, 62, has served in a variety of diplomatic capacities, many of which were connected to …

By James Zogby |   Despite its claims of making America more respected and feared in the world, the Trump Administration’s behaviours have only contributed to accelerating the decline in America’s leadership. President Donald Trump’s demonstrated disdain for international agreements and law, his erratic behaviour and his reckless tweets, have …

Abu Dhabi – The newly formed Dutch Sustainability Group (DSG) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly help the UAE achieve its Sustainable Development Goals. The Memorandum was signed at the backdrop of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) Tuesday in the presence of his Excellency Thani Ahmed Alzeyoudi, the …

By Damir Nazarov* |   As the rumours of Khaled Meshaal’s desire to return to senior positions in Hamas increase, a new attempt at provocation to “drive a wedge” between the links within the Axis of Resistance should be described. The former head of the Hamas Politburo has long lived …

By Ibrahim AL Alou | Trying to write about sustainability in Syria is a very strange subject. The country is still in a civil war that started in 2011 and still roaring in parts of the country. We went through tough times and I personally was in the midst of …

Dubai – In the UAE’s capital the much anticipated annual Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) will kick-off next week. The main theme for this year’s edition is ‘accelerating the pace of sustainable development’. Other focus areas include Youth, Artificial Intelligence and Society. By Arthur Blok | ADSW is hosted by Abu …

By Graham E. Fuller (grahamefuller.com) 4 January 2020   The United States, through its assassination of top-ranking Iranian General Qasim Soleimani, has once again opened Pandora’s box in its conduct of foreign policy. How long does Washington think it can enjoy unique monopoly over exercise of these forms of international …

By Sarah Safa   A new phase of reconciliation could finally begin to define the US relations with China after nearly two years of commercial and economic tensions. Those tensions have been shaking the balance and stability of the international system, what brought on the surface divergences for the first time …

Dr. Haytham Mouzahem, head of Beirut Centre for Middle East Studies talks to International Affairs Review on the assasination of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani by US strikes in Baghdad airport earlier today and the implications for the region.   Do you see this assasination as an escalation between the US and …

By RAMZY BAROUD   Palestine’s Christian population is dwindling at an alarming rate. The world’s most ancient Christian community is moving elsewhere. And the reason for this is Israel. Christian leaders from Palestine and South Africa sounded the alarm at a conference in Johannesburg on October 15. Their gathering was …

By: Emily Devereaux | This Christmas season, let’s reflect on Jesus’ life and the historical areas of that far away land. While there is a debate about who is Jesus, still, there is some evidence o His Palestinian heritage. He especially represents Palestinian heritage in many of his teachings and …

by: Dr. Haytham Mouzahem | Today, Lebanon is witnessing an escalating Socio-economic crisis and financial collapse, in light of ongoing protests for two months and of the government’s resignation while disputes continue about the Prime Minister and the government form, as most of the protesters demand a government of technocrats. …

The Center for a New American Security looks at what scenarios may occur in the Strait of Hormuz because of US-Iranian tensions.  They see three possibilities: 1. Increasing US-Iran tensions that ultimately lead to a new “Tanker War” scenario similar to the conflict of the 1980s, in which Iran attacks …

The Saudi Journalists Association (SJA), and the organization of the Saudi Media Forum look back on a successful first edition of the international media forum that was held in Riyadh early December. By Arthur Blok | The red carpet was rolled out at the prestigious Hilton Residence earlier this month …

Saudi Arabia will host the first ever international media forum next week in Riyadh. The Saudi Journalists Association (SJA), and the official organization the Saudi Media Forum expect to attract over 1000 media professionals from around the globe to attend. By Arthur Blok | The 2-days event in the Saudi …

The Levant News Exclusive – By Emad El-Din Aysha | Mark Sedgwick is Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies at Aarhus University, and Chair of the Nordic Society for Middle Eastern Studies. He studied history at Oxford University, did his PhD at the University of Bergen, and taught for many …

The CSIS looks at unrest in Iraq and Lebanon and bleed over into Iran.   As protests surge in Iraq and Lebanon, the Iranian regime also has to deal with its own protest movement. Since late 2017, there have been hundreds of protests in Iran per month about such issues as …

The Levant News Exclusive | When it comes to Hamas, the issue revolves around its historical roots and its past and present affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood worldwide. Its recent stance on the Turkish invasion of parts of Syria reopens to researchers and writers the doors to study the Hamas …

Erdogan’s Turkey could best be described as America’s worst friend or best enemy.  Even though they are allies by treaty, the US and Turkey have tended to go separate ways over the last few years.  While the US has sanctioned Iran, Turkey has abetted the sanctions.  Although a NATO partner, …

by Jonathan Cook – First appeared on Middle East Eye | 11 November 2019 13:09 UTC | Last update: 2 days ago Israeli software used on Palestinians is producing new cyber weapons that are rapidly being incorporated into global digital platforms Digital age weapons developed by Israel to oppress Palestinians are rapidly being …

  A few hundred protesters gathered in front of Kuwait’s parliament last week to demand institutional reforms and action against state corruption. By Arthur Blok* | Antiestablishment demonstrations are relatively rare in the state of Kuwait. Last week’s protesters demanded an end to the perceived unwillingness of the state to …

The league tables created by conservative thinktanks show that neoliberalism is about ringfencing economic power   by Quinn Slobodian* – First appeared in The Guardian |   Two of the “freest economies” in the world are on fire. According to indexes of “economic freedom” published annually separately by two conservative …

The CSIS isn’t optimistic about the end of Islamic radicalism with the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi—and his replacement by Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurash.  They note, “What factors have contributed to the resurgence of jihadist violence? And what are the implications following the death of al-Baghdadi? In answering these questions, …

By Adham Saouli, Senior Lecturer, School of International Relations, University of St Andrews   The national uprising that has engulfed Lebanon since mid-October is historic and revolutionary. Protests have continued across Lebanon, even after Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned on October 29 saying he wanted to give the country a “positive shock”. The …

By Dr. Haytham Mouzahem   On October 17, 2019, protests erupted in most Lebanese cities, particularly in the center of Beirut, rejecting a $ 6-a-month WhatsApp tariff plus new taxes on gasoline and a 15% VAT increase. Soon, most of the Lebanese people from different classes, regions and sects reacted …

By: Ibrahim Al-Alou     Father Henri De Laulanie 1920-1995 Pioneer of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI).   Rice production is a heavy consumer of water and fertilizers plus its footprint on greenhouse gas emissions that accounts for 1.5% of all emissions worldwide. To produce rice is a huge …

1 – What do you associate with the presence of the States in Iraq? And why is Washington not taking serious steps to destroy the remnants of takfiri in northwestern Iraq? According to the confessions issued by the most important personalities in the United States, including President Trump that America …

Dr. Haytham Mouzahem, head of Beirut Centre for Middle East Studies talks to International Affairs Review on the current situation in Syria and the Turkish military operations and the implications for the region.   Please walk us through what is happening right now in north east Syria. Turkey has been invading areas …

By Firas Samuri   On October 7, 2019, the U.S. President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of American troops from northeast Syria, where the contingent alongside Kurdish militias controlled the vast territories. Trump clarified that the decision is connected with the intention of Turkey to attack the Kurdish units, posing …