Category: MENASource

Razing the dead: Contextualizing IDF cemetery desecration in Gaza

As Israel’s war in Gaza continues, CNN uncovered a pattern of cemetery desecration throughout the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) military advance into the Gaza Strip. The article highlights two satellite images depicting an unspecified Shajaiya cemetery, with the first image showing an aerial view of tombstones dotting either side of a small road. With a

Sanctioning the ICC over Israel is a strategic misstep for the US

In late May, the Joe Biden administration announced its opposition to sanctions that Republicans in Congress are promoting against International Criminal Court (ICC) officials in reaction to the ICC prosecutor’s decision to file applications for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant concerning the Gaza war. Earlier this month,

Hezbollah escalates in the shadow of US-Israel tensions over Rafah

Hezbollah intensified its attacks against Israel since early May—shifting from pulling its punches on causing Israeli casualties to noticeably seeking to draw blood. Of the twenty-four Israelis slain in attacks from Lebanon since October 8, 2023, Hezbollah deliberately killed four—three soldiers and one civilian—during May’s second week. Nevertheless, Hezbollah is still calibrating its attacks to

Algeria’s Morocco obsession has killed reconciliation prospects

For nearly five decades, Algeria has used the dispute over Western Sahara as a front for its antagonization of Morocco. But behind Algeria’s support for the Sahrawi cause lies a much more complex case of the Algerian establishment’s determination to simultaneously avenge historical grievances and prevent Morocco from reclaiming a territory that would increase its

Economic recovery in opposition-held Syria is challenging but still possible

The prolonged nature of the Syrian conflict has prompted a paradigm shift by the international community and Syrians, involving early recovery and reconstruction alongside ongoing emergency responses, bypassing a political resolution. This approach addresses the urgent need for local communities to recover from the civil war’s impacts and reestablish livelihoods, while also combating donor fatigue.

Five impacts of the Gaza war to watch 

The latest Gaza war has resulted in horrific loss of life since October 8, 2023, and no matter how it eventually ends, the US government and companies should be paying attention to these five ripple effects:   1. The reputation of the United States and US company brands have taken a major hit in the

Sudan is an abject disaster. Is anyone listening?

In the year since civil war broke out, fighting in Sudan has left more than eight million people displaced—a number far greater than the displacement in Gaza and nearly on par with Ukraine. The war has killed and wounded more than thirteen thousand in the city of El Geneina alone, with the true cost in

Libya’s special envoy resigned. What’s next for the country?

Since the Libyan House of Representatives announced a new law for presidential and parliamentary elections on November 1, 2023, specifying a deadline of two hundred and forty days for holding the polls, political divisions in Libya have deepened. Despite this legislative step, disagreements persist among Libyan authorities, with various powerful politicians and military figures vying

A Rafah invasion might kill peace between Israel and Egypt

Relations between Egypt and Israel have soured in recent weeks as Israel prepares to launch a full-scale ground offensive into Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip—a move that Cairo has warned would put its peace treaty with Israel at risk and destabilize the region.   Egypt fears a sweeping assault on Rafah—where more than one