Middle East & North Africa
United States Releases $320 Million in Military Aid to Egypt Despite Human Rights Concerns
Egypt's long-standing diplomatic role in Middle Eastern conflicts is once again shaping how the United States weighs the importance of human rights against national security when it comes to military aid.
Pipeline Security: Evaluating Saudi Arabia’s Infrastructure Bypasses
As drone attacks and Red Sea conflict expose physical risks to the East-West Pipeline, energy analysts question whether multi-billion-dollar overland routes offer genuine market protection or simply create static targets.
A Fuel Hike Exposes Cracks in Syria’s New Government
A 40 percent hike in diesel prices sparked Syria’s broadest economic protests since Ahmed al-Sharaa took power, revealing economic strain across the nation.
Op-Ed: Red Sea Disruption Turns Shipping Route Into Supply Chain Shock
Attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea forced companies to reroute vessels around southern Africa, driving up costs, delaying deliveries and reshaping who gains from one of the world's most important trade corridors. Two years on, traffic is returning, but the vulnerabilities the crisis exposed have not gone away.
Op-Ed: The World Economy Withers as The Strait of Hormuz Standoff Continues
Though a temporary ceasefire was reached between the US and Iran on April 8, 2026, the situation in the Persian Gulf remains tense as both the US and Iran imposed blockades on the strait, prolonging the suffering of the global economy.
Op-Ed: Kurdish Uprising in Iran: A Struggle for Freedom or a Risky Gamble?
The 2026 War in Iran draws attention to the country’s ethnic Kurdish minority and their struggle for self-rule. Yet, is a foreign supported insurgency the final struggle or the beginning of further chaos?
The Fracture of the Saudi-UAE Alliance in Yemen
The dissolution of the Southern Transitional Council marks a historic rupture between the two Gulf States, and leaves the Iran-backed Houthis in their strongest position since 2014.
Op-Ed: When Strategy Trumps Strength: The Effects of Unrestrained Aggression in US Foreign Policy
Iran does not have to win, it merely has to survive. While the U.S. and Israel initiated the war with Iran anticipating a quick victory, Tehran has demonstrated that, despite its weakened odds, its ability to strategize over the long-term is more important than mere strength and capabilities. The U.S. is on a path to setting a dangerous precedent, one where blatantly aggressive foreign policy will result in the abandonment of the U.S. as a reliable global partner.
China Expands Economic and Diplomatic Role in the Middle East
China has increased its presence through investment, energy ties and diplomacy, raising questions about how its role compares to the United States’ longstanding security influence in the region.
Lebanon Confronts Hezbollah as War With Israel Escalates
With the Middle East in crisis, the unstable relationship between the Lebanese state and Hezbollah is exposed, as Hezbollah’s war with Israel raises questions in Beirut.
Gulf Sovereign Wealth Funds Buy Into Egypt as Debt Crisis Deepens
Billions in Gulf investment help stabilize Egypt’s economy, but growing ownership of strategic assets raises questions about political leverage in the Middle East.
Op-Ed: The Iran War and Its Implications On the Gulf Countries
The US-Israel-Iran war of 2026 saw Iranian forces repeatedly strike targets in the Gulf countries, even though they did not participate in offensive actions on Iran.
Sudan’s Silent Genocide: El Fasher’s Fall and the World’s Muted Response
On October 26, 2025, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) captured El Fasher, the Sudanese Armed Forces' (SAF) final major stronghold in the western Darfur region. The fighting has devastated the country since 2023: displacing more than 14 million people, killing more than 40,000, and pushing more than 24.6 million people to the brink of famine.
Op-Ed: Why does the US continue Aiding Israel Amid Human Rights Violations?
Upon receiving her presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention, Vice President Kamala Harris said she and President Joe Biden were working “around the clock” to negotiate a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel. Harris has since made dozens of statements claiming that the administration has been “dedicate[d] to ending this war and bringing the hostages home.”
These statements are misleading.
Afghan Women Face Bleak Future as Taliban Bans Midwife and Nursing Training
A new decree from the Taliban is set to ban women from pursuing education in midwifery and nursing, with some students having already been barred from classes.
Peace in the Middle East: A Fantasy or Possibility?
The endless cycle of conflict in the Middle East demands a shift from moral debates to pragmatic solutions — a practical, incentive-driven framework may be the only path forward.
Op-Ed: Hidden Atrocities: The Silence on Palestinian Detainees in Israel
The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories – has been documenting, researching and publishing data, testimonies, video evidence and reports on human rights violations in Israel-occupied territories since its founding in 1989. In August 2024, the organization released an 118-page report accusing the Israeli government of carrying out systematic abuse and torture of Palestinian detainees, particularly in the aftermath of the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah Announces Naim Qassem as New Leader
Lebanese militant group Hezbollah recently announced the election of 71-year-old Naim Qassem — Hezbollah’s long-time deputy secretary general — as the group’s new chief leader last week.
US-Led Coalition in Iraq to Enter Transition Period in Fall of 2025
Discussions of a transition period for the anti-ISIS US-led coalition in Iraq have been underway. If given the green light, this anticipated transitional period would introduce reductions in the 2,500 troops stationed in Iraq between September 2025 and the winter of 2026.