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Russian ambassador’s assassination: A diplomatic disaster for Turkey?

12.20.16

Russia’s ambassador to Turkey has been killed at an event in Ankara, by a man chanting Islamist slogans and the words, “Don’t forget Aleppo!”

International Relations and Security
Russian military in Syria

Russia, Syria, and the ‘new Cold War’

12.19.16

Russia intervened in the Syrian war to redefine the international balance of power, not as a brotherly commitment to defend his Arab ally.

Yasser Arafat and Fidel Castro

Middle East leaders mourn Fidel Castro

11.29.16

Fidel Castro, the revolutionary leader who ruled Cuba for nearly half a century, died on November 25 at the age of 90. Despite Cuba’s small size and the long distance separating it from the Middle East, Castro’s Cuba played an active role in the region in the 1960s and 70s. Claiming to act in promotion […]

Politics

Russia and Iran: the best of friends, the worst of friends

11.27.16

Embed from Getty Images Since 2011, conflict and political upheavals have rocked the Middle East, challenging traditional alliances and the balance of power in the region. New relationships have developed – most noticeably cooperation between Russia and Iran, particularly in Syria. To look further into this new landscape, JMEPP spoke with Mark N. Katz, professor of government […]

Syrian refugees in Turkey

Four innovative approaches to the Syrian refugee crisis

11.17.16

The number of refugees is at its highest-ever level, at more than 20 million worldwide. The Syrian civil war is the biggest source of refugees today, and neighboring countries Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey bear much of the brunt. Syrian refugees now represent roughly 20% of Lebanon’s population, which has put enormous strains on the small […]

Human Rights

De-stigmatizing mental health in the Middle East’s conflict zones

11.14.16

  In times of conflict, humanitarian organizations aim to meet the “basic needs” of those in crisis. But too often this model of emergency intervention ignores chronic conditions – and especially the pressing question of mental health, according to Fouad M. Fouad, a professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the American University of […]

Health
Operation Provide Comfort

Looking to Syria: No-fly zones and political stability in Iraq and Libya

11.5.16

This article appeared in JMEPP’s Spring 2016 print edition. The ongoing civil war in Syria has reignited interest in no-fly zones as policy options for halting violence against civilians and maintaining stability in conflict-ridden regions. In order to evaluate the success of this policy option, this article will survey a portion of relevant literature to […]

Globalization

The war on Syria’s hospitals

10.16.16

Embed from Getty Images In late September, the largest hospital on the rebel-held side of Aleppo was bombed by Syrian or Russian planes, taking it temporarily out of commission and leaving only six hospitals operational in the area. This week, Aleppo’s M10 hospital was bombed yet again, leaving two doctors and a pharmacist wounded. The […]

Human Rights

Rami Khouri: The US’ ‘unlearned lessons’ in the Middle East

10.7.16

For the past 35 years, the United States has been militarily involved in the Middle East – from Lebanon to Libya, Iraq to Syria. Yet this extensive involvement in the region has failed to make any lasting positive impact or achieve the United States’ stated goals, according to Rami Khouri, director of the Issam Fares […]

International Relations and Security

President Clinton: The Arab world’s perspective

10.6.16

For Republicans, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s Middle East policy has been a lightning rod. In addition to Clinton’s email scandal, Republicans have frequently criticized positions the former secretary of state took during the 2010-11 Arab Spring uprising and the 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. The Arab world’s pundits have their […]

Politics

Syria: Why the shooting never stops

09.27.16

In Syria, a ceasefire negotiated by Russia and the United States quickly broke down last week. Although unstable from the outset, the truce crumbled after the US bombed a Syrian army position, in a move it said was accidental, and Russian or Syrian jets attacked a UN aid convoy near Aleppo. This ceasefire was just […]

International Relations and Security

Kerry: On Syria, Russia needs to set an example, not ‘unacceptable precedent’

09.24.16

US Secretary of State John Kerry strongly condemned the breakdown of the recent ceasefire in Syria before a meeting of the “Quintet” foreign ministers at Tufts University on Saturday. “One thing I think all of us join in saying, and I’m going to make this clear: What is happening in Aleppo today is unacceptable. And […]

International Relations and Security

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