There is a growing body of evidence revealing that women and girls in communities in Iran and other parts of the Middle East are being subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM). Yet efforts to end the practice often result in...
Global warming is an established ongoing threat, and the Middle East is warming at twice the global average. This summer, Oman, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Iraq have experienced temperatures surging above 50˚C. It is quite plausible that temperatures could rise closer to 60˚C over the coming decades. This would be truly disastrous for the region, translating into more heatwaves along with extreme drought or extreme precipitation in some areas...
Ryan Grim and Ken Klippenstein at The Intercept cite the tense relationship between US President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the explanation of the high gas prices that have rattled consumers’ confidence and troubled the administration. Every politician and political analyst knows that the fate of US presidents at the polls depends on the health of the consumer index and, specifically, the price people pay...
As demonstrations against sexual harassment and gender-based violence take center stage worldwide, Kuwait is witnessing a moment of its own. While Kuwaiti women have been fighting for their rights for decades, the latest movement was sparked after three women were murdered in just two weeks. The first was shot dead by her nephew, the second was stabbed to death by her husband and the last woman was beheaded by her brother....
Are we freighting football with too much responsibility? After all, the game we recognize today started as a frivolous competition for English factory workers to let off steam at the end of a miserable, emotionally unrewarding and ungratifying work week in the 19th century. Yet this futile ball game in which 11 grown men try to direct an inflated ball in one direction while another 11 try to stop them,...
Gulf Arab states are in a pickle. They fear that the emerging parameters of a reconfigured US commitment to security in the Middle East threaten to upend a pillar of regional security and leave them with no good alternatives. The shaky pillar is the Gulf monarchies’ reliance on a powerful external ally that, in the words of Middle East scholar Roby C. Barrett, “shares the strategic, if not dynastic, interests of...
Organized crime is an ever-evolving, transnational threat that affects every country in the world and poses a global threat to peace and security. It transcends borders and undermines sustainable development, governance, economic stability and public health. Nations experiencing conflict and its immediate aftermath are the most vulnerable. On September 28, the Global Organized Crime Index was published, the first report of its kind designed to assess levels of organized crime and resilience...
Yemeni youth are among those whose lives have been entirely consumed by the six-year-long civil war. This comes as no surprise as youth and children represent more than 60% of the population. However, against all odds, young people in Yemen are rising out of the ashes of the conflict and engaging in activism to envision a better future for themselves and their country. Youth activism and empowerment have a rich history...
