In The News

Reuters: Turkey Expects Swift Campaign Against US-Backed Kurds in Syria

Mert Ozkan January 22, 2018
Turkey is attacking US-backed Kurdish fighters in the Afrin region of Syria. Reports suggest that Turkey notified the US and Russia. The Kurdish YPG fighters have been influential in containing the Islamic State extremists in Syria. “The three-day-old campaign has opened a new front in Syria’s multi-sided civil war, realigning a battlefield where outside powers are supporting local combatants,”...

NPR: US Freezes More Than Half of Aid to UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees

Bill Chappell January 17, 2018
Aid is an essential tool for foreign policy, diplomacy and security. “The State Department is withholding $65 million it planned to send to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, calling for reforms and for other nations to step up their support — especially those that criticize the Trump administration's positions regarding Palestinians and Israel,” reports Bill Chappell for NPR. The US...

Deutsche Welle: Iran Rebuffs US Demand for More Nuclear Negotiation

January 14, 2018
The Iranian government rejects US President Donald Trump’s proposal of reopening the 2015 nuclear deal for more negotiations. “The agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed by former US President Barack Obama and other world leaders after two years of intense talks, marking a significant shift after decades of animosity between Tehran and the West,” reports...

The Times of Israel: Trump’s Mideast Policy – Diplomatic Darwinism

Raphael Ahren January 3, 2018
Showing no reticence on commenting about volatile regions or upending longstanding US policies, President Donald Trump started the year relaying a string of opinions over Twitter. “In under 100 words, he questioned America’s longstanding financial support for the Palestinian Authority, contradicted his own position on Jerusalem, and indicated that Israel would have to ‘pay’ in future peace...

Reuters: What Has Brought Iranian Protesters to the Streets?

Bozorgmehr Sharafedin January 1, 2018
Tens of thousands of people in Iran are protesting the government’s economic policies with at least 12 deaths reported. The protests lack centralized leadership and in general demand greater government focus on domestic issues rather than costly interventions in Syria, Yemen or Iraq. “Iranians vented their anger over a sharp increase in prices of basic items like eggs, and a government proposal...

Newsweek: What Happens If the World No Longer Has Water?

Peter Schwartzstein December 27, 2017
Countries of the Middle East, a region where population growth is high, may be among the first to run out of water. Shortages are associated with a series of conflicts and refugee crises after the country hosted Palestinians, Lebanese, Iraqis and Syrians. “Globally, water demand is forecast to rise by roughly 50 percent by 2050,” explains Peter Schwartzstein for Newsweek, adding that “21 out of...

Huffington Post: Saudi Arabia’s Leader Spent $450 Million on a Painting; Here’s What That Could Do for War Victims in Yemen

Akbar Shahid Ahmed December 22, 2017
Reports suggest that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman spent $450.3 million on a Leonardo da Vinci painting, “Salvator Mundi,” for the Louvre Abu Dhabi. As Akbar Shahid Ahmed reports for the Huffington, the purchase is the highest for an art auction and damages claims by the prince “that he will impose more transparency on the money accumulated by various members of the sprawling...