Syria, Iran, and Israel: tensions and potential consequences
Independent journalist Atkilt Geleta comments on the UNGA speeches made by Ahmadinejad and Netanyahu and offers some analytical insight on the worsening Syrian crisis and the complex geopolitical structure of alliances and interests that surround it.
The State of Iraqi Democracy
Ebenezer Agbeko argues that violent sectarian divisions, internal political deadlock, regional insecurity, and the legacy of foreign occupation all work against the emergence of a robust democratic culture in Iraq.
Unheard Voices from Syria and the Middle East
University for Peace PhD Candidate Harout Akdedian presents grassroots perspectives on the Syrian crisis and an analysis of today’s socio-political reality in the Middle East.
Arabic Awakening: Human Dignity and Democracy in Question
A new order is taking shape from North Africa to the Middle East; but as the dust settles down, will the quest for human dignity and democracy continue? Patrick Mugo Mugo analyzes what kind of governance system will win the hearts and minds of millions of the Arabic people: a Western based concept, or Turkish, Korean, Bangladesh or Indonesian models?
Disunity in Palestine: Its History and Implications for the Peace Process
Mahmoud Abdou explores the history and implications of political disunity among Palestinian leadership, arguing that a united Palestine is an essential step toward peace for everyone in the region.
X-Rated Reading: Literary Censorship in Iran
Literary censorship directly affects many aspects of media, in many countries of the world. This essay explores the ways in which the Islamic Republic of Iran has silenced national and international artists, thus banning their literary creativity. Chapters of contempt and scripts of scandal are classified as those that deviate from Iran’s much respected social, political and religious traditions. Hindering the free flow of imagination, of readers and writers alike, literature is kept hidden from the masses, in the name of maintaining Iran’s conformist state.
Iran Nuke Redux
Iran Nuke Redux Author: Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on: 04/05/2006 Category: Letters Dear Monitor, Shoji Sawada a physicist and a survivor of Hiroshima atomic bombing recently made a ‘Call for the swift abolition of nuclear weapons’. In his open letter to the people and governments of the world, he writes of the […]
Afghanistan after the US withdrawl
This paper analyses the role of Afghanistan’s regional neighbours in securing it’s recovery and stability, as well as the wider implications of America’s strategic policies in the region. Will things fall apart or hold together in Afghanistan after December 2014?
Kirkuk Conflict: The Underlying Energy Dimension
This paper offers a different perspective on the conflict within Kirkuk Governorate vis-à-vis the commonly held view of it being principally an ethno-national conflict based on territorial claims of Kurdish nationalism. The foundation of this analysis is the recognition that the local politics of the energy rich Kirkuk region are increasingly connected with the national and regional energy geopolitics, which are responsible for many of the defining characteristics of the conflict today. After reviewing the positions and interests of various stakeholders, this paper lays out certain recommendations that can be considered by relevant parties in resolving the conflict.
Mantras and Maxims about Mabhouh: Analyzing An Information Overload
What is the real story behind Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh’s Dubai death? After understanding the Palestinian Question, Hamas and Mossad, this essay will tackle an information overload and analyze how Israel’s The Jerusalem Post, Dubai’s Khaleej Times and Britain’s The London Independent covered this James Bond style, January assassination. Who said what, how and why; terrorists and spies, accusations and blame, military shopping-sprees, involvement of outsiders and identity fraud.