Foreign Policy Blogs

Middle East & North Africa

Should funding to UNRWA be made conditional on ending incitement?

Should funding to UNRWA be made conditional on ending incitement?

A new comprehensive study by the Center for Near East Policy Research & the Israel Resource News Agency, commissioned by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, highlights new Palestinian Authority school books used in UNRWA schools, which shows unprecedented incitement to terror. How should the 68 UNRWA donors react?‘ Most recently, the Center for Near East Policy […]

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Israeli Druze diplomat: “We stand in solidarity with Kurdistan”

Israeli Druze diplomat: “We stand in solidarity with Kurdistan”

As the Iraqi Army, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and the Shia militias attack Iraqi Kurdistan, Israeli MK Akram Hasson and Israeli diplomat Mendi Safadi reiterate Israel’s support for an independent Kurdistan. After the Iraqi Army, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and the Shia militias launched multiple offenses in Kirkuk, Khanaqin, Khurmatu, Prde and other areas over […]

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What the terrorist attack in Mogadishu tells us about the resurgence of Al-Shabaab

What the terrorist attack in Mogadishu tells us about the resurgence of Al-Shabaab

The latest terrorist attack in Mogadishu has brought the threat of Al-Shabaab to the forefront of world news and signalled the weakness of the Somali American-backed government. More than 300 people died on 14 October in Mogadishu after two bomb trucks exploded in the crowded district of Hodan. While no group officially claimed the attack, […]

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Bangladeshi Hindu activist: Let’s establish diplomatic relations with Israel

Bangladeshi Hindu activist: Let’s establish diplomatic relations with Israel

In recent times, the Bangladeshi Hindu community has been persecuted immensely by the Awami League government. Due to this horrendous oppression experienced by the Bangladeshi Hindu community, Shipan Kumar Basu, the head of the Hindu Struggle Committee, seeks to topple the Awami League government and has asked for Israeli assistance in doing this: “We will […]

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Oil and business deals protect Kurdistan

Oil and business deals protect Kurdistan

After Kurdistan held a referendum for independence, the US administration has come out against it, stressing that they support a “united, democratic and prosperous Iraq.” The problem with this position is that the present Iraq is anything but united, democratic and prosperous. To the contrary, it is an undemocratic failed state on the verge of […]

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Trump’s Islamic Military Alliance Threat to Regional Stability

Trump’s Islamic Military Alliance Threat to Regional Stability

The Islamic Military Alliance (IMAFT) that was given support by Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia on May 21st, is not only a direct security threat to the European Union, as explained in my previous text, but also a disruption of regional balance. This is very evident in the current crisis around Qatar where Saudi Arabia […]

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Why is the International Community so Hostile to Kurdish Independence?

Why is the International Community so Hostile to Kurdish Independence?

Iraqi Kurds numbering 5.2 million are voting today in a Kurdish independence referendum. The referendum includes the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) territories and contested provinces of Kirkuk, Shingal, Makhmur, and Khanaqin. The ballot reads: “Do you want the Kurdistan Region and the Kurdistani areas outside the administration of the Region to become an independent state?” […]

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An Alternative to U.S. Discarding Iran Nuclear Deal

An Alternative to U.S. Discarding Iran Nuclear Deal

If the U.S. were to unilaterally withdraw, the JCPOA would simply become a P4+1 agreement and Iran would still be in a legitimate position.

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Iraq’s Lost Generation: Indoctrinated to Hate

Iraq’s Lost Generation: Indoctrinated to Hate

While ISIS has been uprooted from most of Iraq, years of bitter struggles and wars have deprived an entire generation in Iraq.

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Don’t Put Pakistan in the Rearview Mirror

Don’t Put Pakistan in the Rearview Mirror

As President Trump eyes a hardening line towards Pakistan, its clear that somehow my country has ended up in the rearview mirror.

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Jordan Holds Key to Syria

Jordan Holds Key to Syria

As heavy fighting in the city of Hama reminds us of the seemingly endless misery in Syria, a hopeful breakthrough has been overlooked in the media.

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Algeria’s Battle Against Terror

Algeria’s Battle Against Terror

Since the 1990’s Islamist groups have emerged in Algeria, but over the years their allegiances and identities have shifted according to geopolitical trends.

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Remembering the Yezidi Genocide

Remembering the Yezidi Genocide

Lasted week, the international community marked the beginning of the Yezidi genocide when on August 3rd 2014, 40,000 Yezidis got stranded on Mount Sinjar.

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Hindu rights activist: “Bangladesh is now infested with ISIS”

Hindu rights activist: “Bangladesh is now infested with ISIS”

Shipan Kumer Basu stated in an exclusive interview that ISIS is on the ascent in Bangladesh and he blames the Bangladeshi government for this reality.

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Who will be the failed state, Iraq or Kurdistan?

Who will be the failed state, Iraq or Kurdistan?

Contrary to certain claims, any objective analysis comparing former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki to Kurdish Prime Minister Nichervan Barzani illustrates that Kurdistan is not destined to be a failed state. An article published in Newsweek claimed that an independent Kurdistan would be a failed state, stressing that disputes over water, borders and the […]

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