A year on, Afghans are paying the price of Taliban takeover
One year ago, the fall of Kabul to the Taliban stunned the world, The Washington Post reports. Afghans fled to the airport in droves. A suicide bombing killed nearly 200… Read more »
Category: Middle East/North Africa
Sportswashing: a winning bet for autocrats?
For many of the world’s autocrats, the power of sportswashing lies in information manipulation—in the bankability of sports content to discredit, displace, and debase other kinds of content reaching audiences,… Read more »
Tunisia’s ‘dream of self-government’ in danger
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday that Tunisia’s “dream of self-government” was in danger, adding to U.S. criticism of the president’s expansion of powers that has already prompted… Read more »
Bleak outlook for Afghanistan’s women, civil society
Nearly a year since the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan, the humanitarian crisis and human rights record under the Taliban remains dire, CBS News reports. Despite the demands of the U.S…. Read more »
Arabs losing faith in democracy to deliver
Arabs are losing faith in democracy to deliver economic stability across the Middle East and North Africa, according to a major new survey. Nearly 23,000 people were interviewed across nine… Read more »
Despite food crisis, Afghan women say rights still matter
While Afghanistan’s food crisis is the most pressing issue for women overall, the rollback of rights, particularly for those between the ages of 18-25, remains a serious concern due to… Read more »
How to pull Tunisia away from authoritarianism
President Kais Saied’s steady dismantling of Tunisian democracy and authoritarian takeover—which has included shuttering the parliament, using military courts to try civilians, and repressing political opponents and media figures—has continued… Read more »
Deciphering Turkey’s geopolitical balancing and anti-Westernism
Does the West still serve as the point of reference for Turkey’s domestic transformation? This has historically (over the past two centuries) been the case, with the West/Europe serving as… Read more »
Can US/EU reverse Tunisia’s ‘deviation from democracy’?
The United States will cut assistance to Tunisia because of its government’s “deviation from democracy,” the head of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) said yesterday. “Tunisia will… Read more »
Syrian voices seek inclusive constitution
A new Syrian constitution can only be achieved through an inclusive process in pursuit of a national consensus which encompasses the voices of all factions of society, according to a… Read more »