Tag: Updates

Can Cannabis Fix the Lebanese Economy? On Tuesday, the Lebanese parliament passed legislation to legalize cannabis cultivation for medical and industrial purposes. The move had been recommended by economic advisers even before the coronavirus pandemic dealt yet another blow to the country’s struggling economy. Although the plant has long been widely and openly grown and […]

On Thursday, September 5th, multiple news outlets reported that Jason Greenblatt, President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Middle East peace, had resigned —adding new obstacles to the “deal of the century” between Israel and the Palestinians that Trump and his team have been pushing since the beginning of his term. Vox reported that Greenblatt, whose previous job […]

On Wednesday last week, the United Arab Emirates announced they would begin a significant withdrawal of ground troops from Yemen, where it participates in the Saudi-led coalition supporting the Sunni government. The troop drawdown signals a growing understanding in the coalition that the war cannot be won decisively through military means, especially as international scrutiny […]

In the latest on the Iran crisis, the United States announced new sanctions against the Islamic Republic on Tuesday. After the decision last week to not retaliate militarily after Iran shot down a U.S. drone, the Americans instead punished Iran with further economic penalties. These new sanctions target the personal assets of Iran’s supreme leader […]