Donald and Bibi – the Blues Brothers
The following is a satirical would-be conversation between Prime Minister Netanyahu (Bibi) and President Trump (Donald) during Netanyahu’s upcoming visit to the White House on... Read More
Syria conflicts highlight violations of humanitarian international law
The Association of World Citizens again calls for respect of humanitarian international law and for a world-wide effort for the re-affirmation of humanitarian international law.
Activist Reham Al-Bader’s death in Yemen shows the dangers women face providing lifelines in conflict
Women in Yemen are challenging the death and destruction around them, often paying a heavy price. Yet, their voices and skills are still sidelined.
The US’ enablement jeopardizes Israel’s future
Further enablement of Israel by the US will be the kiss of death to an Israeli-Palestinian peace and will make Israel a pariah state surrounded... Read More
When geopolitical conditions and moral values converge
There is no real adversary today that can potentially destroy Israel. Israel’s greatest enemy comes from within – its misguided leaders, whose blind messianic mission... Read More
Changing male attitudes in the Middle East and the world – what does it take?
Social expectations about masculinity both shape and are shaped by conflict. A programme being run in Lebanon creates safe spaces where young men can think... Read More
Why can’t the United Nations bring peace to Yemen?
By 2011 the international community had concluded that the Saleh regime needed to be replaced by one which would both implement the neo-liberal economic agenda... Read More
The fight for human rights continues across the Middle East
As governments have become more powerful, helped by Western companies and governments, civil society is finding it harder to keep up. New ideas are needed... Read More
Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the prospect of a two-state solution
Trump’s declaration does not in any way foreclose the Palestinians’ aspiration to establish their own capital in East Jerusalem, while maintaining the unity of Jerusalem... Read More
Divisions, Yemen faces a possible turning point
The assassination on December 4, 2017 of former Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh has potentially opened a new chapter in the ongoing struggle for power... Read More
Kurdish cooperation and renewal – is there a way forward?
The Paris meeting ended with a call for a “national dialogue to begin at the earliest time” which is certainly necessary. However, a dialogue within... Read More
The myth of the “clean war”
Trump’s worldview promises low-cost military success. The blasting apart of civilian lives in Iraq says otherwise.
Testosterone poisoning
What kind of damage will the combination of young men and absolute power do this time around?
Self-determination is an inalienable right
Self-determination is not a gift to be awarded by the graces of any governing authority; it is an inherent right that every ethnic, religious, and... Read More
Will the Palestinians ever play their cards right?
Notwithstanding the deplorable Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the blockade over Gaza, blaming Israel solely for the Palestinians’ misfortunes while refusing to look... Read More
Lebanon’s enduring contradictions
A century later, and after several civil wars and invasions, not much has changed in how different Lebanese communities invent and reinvent their national identities.
What was the Islamic State? Will it be back?
If and when a renewed Islamic State appears, the international community might do well to manage its emergence more carefully than for the first Islamic... Read More
Congress – don’t tamper with the Iran deal, build on it
Congress may be able to modify the deal, but losing the support of our allies – who are determined to keep the deal in place... Read More
Don’t believe anything you read about Kirkuk
The unopposed invasion of Kirkuk by troops ostensibly loyal to Baghdad of uncertain provenance and without anything other than token Peshmerga resistance to occupation of... Read More
The Iraqi Kurdistan vote – a look back on the long struggle for Kurdish independence
Turkey, Iran and Syria all fear that moves for an independent Kurdish state in Iraq will lead to demands within their state for greater Kurdish... Read More
The survival game – post-referendum politics in Iraqi Kurdistan
The regional hostile post-referendum moves may seem to leave the Kurds with little reason for optimism, but in Kurdistan, resistance never comes as a surprise.
Annulling the Iran deal – a dangerous strategic mistake
Rendering the Iran deal null and void will cap Trump’s misguided and treacherous approach to the Iran deal, and irreparably undermine America’s global, moral, and... Read More
The Iraqi Kurds’ independence is decades overdue
The US and EU must be in the forefront in supporting Iraqi Kurds to achieve independence, and bring an end to the historic travesty that... Read More
Refugees and the media in Lebanon
A poisonous attitude has emerged among the media reporting on the refugee crisis in Lebanon. Bias and racism are being used to blame domestic problems... Read More
Ending Iraq’s humanitarian crisis
It is time to end the Iraqi tragedy. Much of the healing and prospects for a better and more promising future is in the hands... Read More
