Middle East & North Africa
Lebanon's Attempt to Change Time Zones Causes Chaos
Last week, Lebanon experienced life in two time zones – not for geographic reasons (Russia, after all, has 11), but political ones.
Mada Masr Journalists Referred to Trial in Egyptian Press Crackdown
Three journalists have been brought to trial on charges of insulting (pro-government) Egyptian members of parliament.
With Pressures Rising Two Months Before Elections, Turkey's Opposition Reshuffles
Despite last month’s earthquake, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says that national elections will move forward as planned.
Earthquake in Turkey and Syria Inspires Activism at NYU
Speaking at the Turkish Cultural Association’s vigil, NYU Professor Ayse Baltacioglu-Brammer said, “Your friends, your colleagues from Turkey, from Syria, they are not well.”
UN Conference on Nuclear Proliferation, WMDs in the Middle East Meets in New York
From Nov. 14 to Nov. 18, representatives of 21 nations in the Middle East met at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City to discuss nuclear non-proliferation and efforts to improve compliance with bans on biological and chemical weapons.
US Special Envoy for Yemen Returns from UAE, Saudi Arabia as War Fades From Headlines
Tim Lenderking, US Special Envoy for Yemen, returned Wednesday from a week-long trip to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia “where he met with Emirati, Saudi, Yemeni officials and…
US Treasury Department Issues Sanctions for Scheme to Export Iranian Oil Despite Hezbollah, IRGC Restrictions
On November 3, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced a series of sanctions against dozens of individuals, companies, and oil tankers for their role in the export of Iranian oil to global markets, violating American sanctions against the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and Hezbollah on antiterrorism grounds (E.O. 13224).
Demise of Russian Grain Deal Threatens Middle East, Africa
Earlier this week, a landmark deal to allow for the export of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports collapsed, magnifying a crisis of food instability in the Middle East and Africa that predated Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (and subsequent mining of the Black Sea) and has only expanded since then.
Russian Oligarch Admits Ties to Wagner Group, Accused of War Crimes in Syria
Less than a decade after the Kremlin had denied the fledgling Wagner Group's existence, a close associate of the Russian president admitted to founding and managing the group.
Inflation Spreads to North Africa as War in Ukraine Spikes Grain, Fertilizer Prices
More than a month after Russia launched a further invasion against Ukraine, the effects of the war are still reverberating across the world.
Close the Sky: No-Fly Zones in Contemporary Military Conflicts
As pitched resistance continues in the war in Ukraine, Ukrainian activists and peace protestors around the world have called on NATO to counter the invasion in an ostensibly non-military manner
Turkey, Ukraine, & the Crimean Tatars: Between Diaspora & World Powers
Last week, as the threat of further Russian aggression loomed over Ukraine, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan traveled to Kyiv in an effort to ameliorate tensions.