Category: The Middle East in Focus
US Open, Regional Expansion With the U.S. Open coming to a close last Sunday, September 10, conversations have been filled with new and existing household names — European players such as Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz and American players such as Ben Sheldon, Taylor Fritz, and Coco Gauff. However, although it is an exciting time […]
With the traditional Palestinian scarf, keffiyeh, affixed to their heads, eleven men clasped hands and led the Levantine folk dance known as dabke. Together, they form the Al-Ajaweed dabke troupe comprising Palestinian refugees in Jordan. In synchronized steps, they stepped forward, stomped their feet, crossed one leg over the other, and performed a small hop. […]
An Overview This article seeks to highlight work being done on the ground to promote peace and sustainable growth of Palestine. It seeks to start a discussion about the importance of grassroots and community-based approaches to peace and highlight the resilience of Palestinian society despite ongoing political turmoil. Education 300 Palestinian educational facilities were reportedly […]
Film as a Political Tool: Tracing the History of Cinema in Iran Artistic Production In Iran When Ayatollah Khomeini declared that his reservation was against promiscuity, not film, the ban on cinema eased. The movies produced after the revolution, however, were distinct from their pre-revolutionary counterparts. Today, many Iranian cinemas have been critically acclaimed and […]
Why Lebanon’s Food Prices Are Through The Roof An Overview This article will explore the context and impacts of food insecurity across Lebanon. Lebanon’s economic crisis is complex. Political instability obscures questions of accountability and who shapes future policy. Emerging black markets for cash and goods alike complicate an understanding of the economic lives of […]
After several years of advocacy from Moroccan representatives, UNESCO officially inscribed tbourida, a North African cavalry performance, on their Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021. Let’s take a look at the history and modern presence of this equestrian art. What is Tbourida? Tbourida, also known internationally as fantasia, is an […]
On December 5, 2022, various European outlets rumored that Portuguese soccer player and global superstar Cristiano Ronaldo agreed to play for Saudi soccer club Al-Nassr. Though these reports have since been denied, Saudi’s willingness to spend almost 200 million euros per year on one player is apparent, yet not surprising. The Ronaldo reports is the […]
Women, Life, Freedom Protests in Artistic Spaces On September 16, 2022, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in Tehran after being arrested by police. Amini was detained by Iran’s ‘Guidance Patrol,’ the country’s religious morality police who arrested Amini for allegedly not wearing her hijab according to the country’s Islamic dress code. Amini’s death sparked protests in […]
As the world becomes more connected than ever through globalization and social media, security has become an increasingly important aspect of governance and regime survivability. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a small yet important global hub for innovation and business. The nature of the UAE’s demographic, which is composed of less than twelve percent […]
Turkey and its neighbors, Greece and Cyprus specifically, are engaged in ongoing disputes surrounding maritime borders, the delimitation of exclusive economic zones (EEZs), and the rights to energy resources found in these EEZs. These issues have caused fraught and sometimes violent relations, including military hostilities between Turkey and Greece in 1987 and 1996. In 2020, […]
