Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Hana Hussain
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Towards a Westphalia for the Middle East
At first glance, “Towards a Westphalia for the Middle East” seems to the reader to mirror countless other books on the region’s history. By comparing current conflicts to wars of a bygone era, it risks falling into the traps of eurocentrism and orientalism, damning the region as trapped in...
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Layla Shweikani and the Syrian women the world ignores
A Syrian family gathered in a mosque in the Illinois suburb of Willowbrook two weeks ago today. Supported by their friends and community members they mourned the loss of their daughter, Layla Shweikani, two years after her death. Days before, the Syrian government had confirmed that Layla, a Syrian-American...
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Right of return? The fate of Syrians returning to regime-held territory
The wave of Syrian regime “victories” this year has prompted a narrative change among many politicians and media outlets over the past few months. The government of President Bashar Al-Assad is largely considered to have won the seven-year civil war, with many believing his victory to be the lesser...
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Enclosure: Palestinian Landscapes in a Historical Mirror
Gary Fields’ Enclosure: Palestinian Landscapes in a Historical Mirror is a unique exploration of the development of the Israeli culture of land grabs and the historical legal framework and precedents that have allowed Zionist policies to continue unimpeded. Inspired by the author’s own trip to the occupied West Bank...
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Remembering Algeria’s Black October
30 years ago: 5 October 1988 is considered Algeria's Arab Spring...
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Hamas Contained: The Rise and Pacification of Palestinian Resistance
As the Gaza Strip hurtles towards becoming one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with the image of ruling party Hamas wholly demonised in the West, Tareq Baconi’s book, Hamas Contained: The Rise and Pacification of Palestinian Resistance, is a timely read that takes a refreshingly objective look at...
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The Paris Protocol and the impoverishment of the Palestinian people
In 1994, still rejoicing in the apparent success of the Oslo Accords of the previous year, Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) embarked upon another set of deals in an effort to aid the contentious peace process. In May, both sides signed the Gaza-Jericho Agreement, remembered largely for...
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Iraq is paying the price for US sanctions on Iran
The Iraqi government does not support the US sanctions on Iran, but will abide by them, Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi announced last month. He was finally speaking out about Iraq’s position following the controversial US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. “We consider them a strategic...
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Europe’s migrant crisis is the coloniser’s karma
Europe’s migrant crisis could be the make-or-break issue for the EU, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned last month, ahead of an emergency summit called by European leaders in Brussels. Subsequent talks stretched on for an unprecedented ten hours overnight as officials struggled to come to a deal on one...
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Turkey's election promises fail to tackle the economy
As Turkey approaches the presidential and parliamentary elections this weekend, its economic challenges have dominated the headlines. Soaring inflation rates and a plunging lira have marked the country’s turbulent economy over the past month, after credit rating agency Moody’s slashed Turkey’s prospects again in May, predicting lower growth amid...
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Swedish Freedom Flotilla: ‘The people of Gaza need us to act’
On Tuesday 15 May, three Swedish boats met in the Danish Straits near Copenhagen to start a voyage that would take them across channels and seas all the way to the Mediterranean and the coast of Palestine. This was a flotilla with a mission to defy Israel’s illegal siege...
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The world's megalomaniacs and the Middle East
History has shown that it is the personality of a global leader, sometimes more so than their politics, that is crucial in determining their impact while in office. The Middle East today is a testament to such a theory, having either produced or attracted some of the world’s most...
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'Fake news': the mainstreaming of Syria conspiracy theories
The sight of yet another chemical attack on civilians in Douma on Saturday 7 April caused the kind of international outrage that the world now expects and has come to know so well. Scenes of children frothing at the mouth and videos of people shaking uncontrollably were denounced by...
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‘My name is not Ahmad at the checkpoint. I am number 36.’
For 19-year-old Palestinian Ahmad Azza Hebron is home. Despite living under heavy military control in the Israeli occupied half of the city simply known as H2, he is determined that no Palestinian should ever think of the neighbourhood as anything other than their hometown. “We do not want anyone...
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The Qatar guide to surviving an economic boycott
Qatar has weathered the worst of the Gulf’s economic boycott, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced earlier this month, the latest in a series of reports that has seemingly shattered the dreams of its neighbours. Nine months after Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE cut all diplomatic and...
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100 days since Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem, the facts
On the 6 December, US President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, causing widespread controversy and anger across the world. Whilst the announcement was nearly unanimously rejected by the international community, it has had severe implications for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the US’ relationship with the...
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NaTakallam: Empowering Syrian refugees through conversation
The greatest challenge faced by Syrian refugees upon arrival in a safe country is finding work. With high unemployment levels across the Middle East and stiff competition in Europe, the “refugee” label continues to pose difficulties for Syrians fleeing war and conflict, despite the fact that many are highly...
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Power play over people for the Middle East at the World Economic Forum
Some 3,000 world leaders gathered in Davos for the World Economic Forum (WEF) last month, and there was a record number of Middle Eastern delegates among them. With eight heads of state from the Arab world, as well as many other senior ministers, a lot of people looked forward...
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What is behind the US’ support of the YPG?
During a visit to Stanford University last week, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson laid out five objectives of the US military involvement in the Syrian conflict. Ranging from expelling Daesh and controlling Iran’s influence to facilitating the return of refugees, his comments on the issue seemed to be...
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Peace activist Salam Kedan: ‘I had no idea I was Palestinian’
Salam Kedan is no ordinary 23 year old. Despite her young age, she has already acted as a Model United Nations representative for the past seven years, stood as a delegate for OPEC at the Hague International for the Model UN and founded her own non-profit organisation. But Kedan...
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What awaits Syrian refugees in 2018?
Traditionally, the onset of the New Year is a time of hope as people around the world make resolutions and targets. For those fleeing war-torn Syria, however, there is no such luxury. Whilst the ongoing refugee crisis has not featured in the headlines in 2017 as predominantly as it...
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#SolidarityWithKarim: The Syrian baby without an eye
An image of a Syrian baby injured by government forces in the province of Eastern Ghouta has prompted social media activists to voice their condemnation via the hashtag #SolidarityWithKarim. The three-month-old, known only by his first name Karim, lost his left eye and suffered wounds to his skull after...
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‘Living under a black sky’: Iraq’s post-conflict environmental challenges
The departure of Daesh from various regions of Iraq has been a reason for the international community to rejoice in recent months, particularly for those invested in tackling the numerous human rights abuses and international law violations that took place during the self-declared caliphate. But as the country looks...
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Remembering the First Intifada
On this day 30 years ago, the First Intifada broke out in occupied Palestine. It was an uprising which would last for over five years, and witness the deaths of thousands of Palestinians. Three decades later, the struggle for Palestinian freedom continues. What: The First Intifada When: 9 December...