Author: Ahmed Souaiaia
AHMED E. SOUAIAIA (pron. sway-`iyya) is a faculty member at the University of Iowa, with joint appointment in International Studies, History, and College of Law.
More information here: https://ahmed.souaiaia.com/
Welcome to Ukrainistan
by Ahmed E. Souaiaia Hybrid wars, or asymmetrical wars, did not start with the war in Syria. After all, the fall of the Soviet Union, some of whose effects are unfolding before us today, was due, in part, to the war in Afghanistan. Two nuclear powers in an intense competition to control the world, cannot Read more
Continue Reading
Tunisia, Again, Exposes the Connection between Media and Politics
by Ahmed E. Souaiaia* Intrigued by a fake photograph used by the BBC in its coverage of the war in Syria ten years ago, our interest in qualifying and quantifying the media bias while covering events in Southwest Asia and North Africa took a life of its own. Over the span of ten years, we Read more
Continue Reading
What is happening in Tunisia?
by Ahmed E. Souaiaia* Most commentators would argue that Tunisia has been the only success story of the so-called Arab spring. The validity of such a statement would depend on the definition of success. The success that most people might have in mind could mean transition to representative governance without civil war and violence. To Read more
Continue Reading
Why Would Turkey Want to Secure Afghanistan’s International Airport?
by Ahmed E. Souaiaia* About six months after the inauguration of the Biden administration, nearly 90% of the US fighting troops are pulled out of Afghanistan. The vacuum was filled immediately by Taliban forces who claimed that they now control 85% of the country. After having spent nearly three trillion dollars on the invasion of Read more
Continue ReadingThe Fiction of Two-Statehood
by Ahmed E. Souaiaia* Abstract: Since the start of this century alone, and since the Israeli government withdrew from the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military has fought four wars involving Gaza, with the most recent one culminating in an apparent ceasefire on May 21, 2021. The Oslo Accord, the U.S.-backed peace deal brokered more than Read more
Continue ReadingIs Facebook the Face of Cyber Colonialism?
by Ahmed E. Souaiaia* Abstract: In nearly three decades, the Internet has evolved from being an innovation in communication technologies into an economic addon then into a tool of radical social and economic transformation. By the end of the second decade of the 21st century, the Internet, now dominated by social media platforms, wielded material Read more
Continue Reading
On Instrumentalizing Freedom of Speech and Macron’s Problem with Islam
by Ahmed E. Souaiaia* October 28, 2020 Amid this worsening crisis between France and leaders of some Muslim-majority countries, media outlets are manufacturing narratives favorable to the side they support. Facts and truth matter. They matter because a sound solution to a problem must be built on the truth for a solution to endure. Truth Read more
Continue ReadingThe GCC Sanctions against Qatar broke the GCC, Will the UAE Deal with Israel disintegrate the UAE?
by Ahmed E. Souaiaia* August 16, 2020 Abstract: With the war on Yemen going against Saudi stated goals, three years ago, (5 June 2017), Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt severed diplomatic relations with Qatar and imposed isolating sanctions. Three years later, none of their conditions, which included, primarily, shutting down Aljazeera, Read more
Continue ReadingHuman Rights and the Pandemic
by Ahmed E. Souaiaia :6 min read Abstract: Echoing the ideals of many Enlightenment thinkers and their struggle against the encroachment of the Crown and the Cross on individual rights, John Locke penned that the proper function of government is to ensure men’s rights to “life, liberty, and property.” In 1776, the drafters of the Read more
Continue Reading