Politics

The Palestinian ghetto of Shatila in Beirut, Lebanon.
Statelessness in Lebanon

Palestinians and Syrian refugees in Lebanon live as second-class citizens, paying the price for a politics obsessed by religious denomination and origin.

A house in Yehud, in central Israel, destroyed by a Hamas-launched rocket in 2014
Averting the Middle East’s Next Big War

Recent history is littered with accidental wars. If war breaks out between Israel and Hezbollah, Iran could join the fray, with catastrophic consequences.

Libyans Enjoy Summer Swimming.
Ailing Infrastructure in Libya

With its power infrastructure crumbling and with militias squabbling, Libyans across the country endured lengthy power cuts amid soaring temperatures this summer.

A truck hauls waste at the Bourj Hammoud landfill site. Untreated waste is being dumped into the sea as a part of the land reclamation project.
Will the EU Act Over Lebanon’s Pollution?

Beirut has created two giant landfills that are polluting the Mediterranean. Will the EU simply watch the unfolding environmental disaster, or will it act?

Downtown Tunis, the capital of Tunisia.
Interview with Wided Bouchamaoui

Her family’s economic empire profited from Ben Ali’s policies. Then the Arab Spring came and Wided Bouchamaoui wanted to be on the right side of history. A discussion about whether and how Tunisia’s down-for-the-count economy can be saved. 

Khaled Mohammad speaking in Cairo. A member of the al-Qadhadhfa tribe he fled Libya after the revolution, and is unsure if he will ever return.
Gaddafi Loyalists Struggle for Relevance

Since the revolution in Libya, Gaddafi loyalists and members of his tribe have been marginalised. Some have chosen exile and wonder if they can ever return home.

A displaced Yazidi farmer who chose Mount Sinjar over a camp in the autonomous Kurdish region after ISIS stormed his village.
Outsiders Tussle Over the Yazidis’ Homeland

After the terror of ISIS, returning home is still a distant prospect for thousands of Yazidis. Now they have become pawns as Baghdad and Erbil bicker over their homeland of Sinjar.

Muhammad Al-Skir of the Libyan coast guard.
Finding Profit in Libya's Frayed State

Unscrupulous smugglers are taking advantage of the lawlessness of Libya, transforming the country into a gigantic transit zone for all kinds of goods. Their actions are endangering the prospect of a peaceful future on the North African coast.