Stories Archive | Page 17 of 78

Analyses

Yassin al-Haj Saleh, born in 1961, is one of Syria’s foremost intellectuals and a long-standing dissident against the Assad regime. He spent sixteen years in prison for “political reasons,” including time in the maximum-security facility of Tadmur, also known as Palmyra. With the onset of the Syrian Spring, he immediately emerged as an opponent of the regime.

Migrations
Stuck in Tunisia. Migrant Plight amid EU Pact’s Failure
Ilaria Romano 30 October 2023

Tunisia faces challenges managing a surge in refugees and migrants, with 11,000 registered by the UNHCR, making it a major departure point for those heading to Europe. The country lacks proper infrastructure for immigration, providing minimal support to registered migrants. The EU signed a Memorandum of Understanding to address the issue, but obstacles and human rights concerns persist, with Tunisia rejecting the first EU aid installment.
International Affairs
The Hamas-Israel Conflict: Three Reminders for the Long Run
Gaetano Pentassuglia 27 October 2023

As the level of brutality of the Hamas-Israel conflict further intensifies, and its effects become measured by the scale of defiance of international humanitarian and criminal law, it is vitally important that we retain the intellectual ability to step back from the horrors of the current confrontation and reflect on two fundamentals that must define any conversation on any type of settlement over the long term. One is Israel’s right to exist within secure borders under international law; the other is the equally sacrosanct legal right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.
Books
Shibli’s Frankfurt Award Another Casualty of Gaza’s War
Alessandra Tommasi 25 October 2023
International Affairs
Assaf Sharon: Netanyahu was Blind to the Hamas Threat
Giancarlo Bosetti , Alessandra Tommasi 20 October 2023

Assaf Sharon, a philosophy professor at the University of Tel Aviv and founder of the Center for the Renewal of Israeli Democracy, discusses the complex interplay between Israeli politics, security challenges, and populism in the wake of recent events. Talking to Reset DOC, he addresses the weakening of democratic values, the credibility of the Israeli government, and the prospects for a two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
International Affairs
Biden is Right: the US’ 2003 Catastrophe
Should be Avoided at all Costs
Hussein Ibish 20 October 2023

Hamas obviously thinks that if it wants to take over the Palestinian movement, it needs another sustained insurgency against Israeli occupation. Hamas is hoping to lure the Israeli military back into the interior of Gaza for the urban combat that favors insurgent groups. Hamas hopes a sustained insurgency can eventually result in a steady drip of killed and captured Israeli conscripts, allowing Hamas to claim that it alone is actively fighting for Palestine. What this means is that in trying to fulfill the pledge to “eliminate Hamas,” Israel could well deliver everything Hamas is counting on.
International Affairs
One in, One Out: Poland Sheds its Populist Coat
Fabio Turco 20 October 2023

Poland has undergone a significant political shift, as populist-driven governance yields to a democratic left majority. Mass protests, catalyzed by a controversial abortion law change, played a crucial role in this transformation, igniting participation among young voters. The election’s outcome also signifies Poland’s choice to reconcile with the European Union, bringing challenges like restoring the rule of law and securing vital EU funds. Cohesion among the diverse opposition is crucial to sustaining change. While Poland embarks on this new path, neighboring Slovakia witnesses a populist resurgence with Robert Fico’s victory, raising concerns about foreign policy and immigration.
International Affairs
Away from Treacherous Traps:
Why Biden is Holding Netanyahu Back
Siegmund Ginzberg 19 October 2023

Why does Hamas deliberately flaunt the horrors it perpetrates? To demonstrate Israel’s lack of preparation and Hamas’s own military prowess? To spread terror? To disorient, to humiliate, to foster a sense of paralysis and powerlessness? To say: look, we can get you when and how we want? Or perhaps to say: yes, we are the beasts you say we are, come and avenge yourselves, come and get us in Gaza?
International Affairs
As Gaza Land Incursion Looms,
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict at a Crossroads
Claudia De Martino 18 October 2023

On October 7, a major coordinated military operation by Hamas resulted in terrorist attacks in Israel marking a significant escalation in the Israeli-Arab conflict, with a higher casualty count than previous conflicts. The Israeli establishment was caught off guard due to internal divisions and a lack of military readiness. Hamas’s objectives included challenging the IDF’s invincibility, garnering international support for the Palestinian cause, and disrupting normalization efforts between Saudi Arabia and Israel. The conflict is now on the verge of a land incursion by Israel to eliminate Hamas in Gaza, potentially drawing regional players into the fray.
International Affairs
If this is the Israeli 9/11, US mistakes must be avoided
Michael Freedman 17 October 2023

In response to 9/11, the US attacked Afghanistan, and afterwards Iraq. Both these campaigns ultimately failed, suggesting important limitations to deterrence, counterterrorism, and the difficulties of state building. If this was Israel’s 9/11 moment, it can try to avoid post 9/11 mistakes by acknowledging the limitations of deterrence, military force, and more forcefully pursue political solutions.
Gender, Human Rights
Iranian Women’s Struggle Awarded:
Nobel Peace Prize Goes to Activist Narges Mohammadi
Marina Forti 13 October 2023

The 2023 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Iranian activist Narges Mohammedi, 51, “for her fight against the oppression of women in the country and her struggle to promote human rights and freedom for all.” Mohammedi, who is currently serving a 10-year sentence for “spreading anti-state propaganda” in Tehran’s Evin prison, has campaigned for women’s rights and against the use of the death penalty. Over the lenght of her career, the Iranian regime has arrested her 13 times, convicted her five times, and sentenced her to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes.