Original essays, research notes, and reports
What happens in SWANA will not Stay in SWANA by Ahmed Souaiaia Abstract: The ongoing crises in Syria and Turkey are deeply intertwined with broader regional dynamics, including the ongoing instability in the Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) region. This article analyzes these events through the lens of the Systems Thinking Framework (STF), which Read more
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The crisis in Syria has evolved into a multifaceted conflict with significant implications for the country’s territorial integrity. The ongoing violence, driven by internal power struggles and exacerbated by external interventions, raises concerns about the potential fragmentation of Syria along sectarian and ethnic fault lines. Unless regional players adopt a more strategic and long-term vision, Read more
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The Crisis in Syria and Al Jazeera’s Bias: A Case Study of Media Framing and Sectarian Narratives The Syrian conflict, spanning more than a decade, has been a focal point for global media coverage. Among the most prominent news networks reporting on Syria is Aljazeera (Aljazeera.net), a Qatari state-owned media outlet that has been repeatedly Read more
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by Ahmed Souaiaia Since the start of the protest movement popularly known as the Arab Spring in 2011, all countries in Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) have been impacted and the level of change in each of these countries depended on domestic, regional and global factors. However, there is one variable that established itself Read more
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by Hatem Najjar In 2022, Josep Borell, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, triggered a controversy by saying that Europe was a garden of prosperity and “most of the rest of the world” was a jungle. Some accused him of tone-deafness and racism. He defended his statement saying that his “reference Read more
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By Ahmed E. Souaiaia * Peoples of the Islamic world are quite familiar with the doctrine of “Shock and Awe” as understood and deployed by Colin Powell, a General in US Military the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during the execution of US wars in Southwest Asia and North Africa, especially in Iraq Read more
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For some time, people of the Global South have suspected their humanity does not register in the mind and hearts of the “civilized” Western world. However, recent events, including the West’s response to the pandemic, turned that suspicion into an established fact. Western leaders’ refusal to acknowledge civilian casualties resulting from wars they initiated, their Read more
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by Shaher Shaher * Arab countries need Chinese investments with high added value, not only to obtain natural resources of global value in terms of manufacturing and logistical services, but also to link the region to each other, to its surroundings in Africa and Europe, and in Asia, which is led by China today. The Read more
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by MK Bhadrakumar * A curious thing happened in Vienna on Sunday just as the 35th Ministerial Meeting of OPEC+ was about to start at its headquarters. Three princely western news organizations – Bloomberg, Reuters, and the Wall Street Journal – were barred from entering the OPEC premises. When asked about it, pat came the Read more
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by Mohamad Kawas * Summary: During the past weeks, the United States has pushed its envoys to Saudi Arabia in a way that is almost shameful in the eyes of any American observer. It seemed that the United States was seeking to appease the Kingdom. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham visited the Kingdom in April. The Read more
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