Politics

Michael Aoun
No Easy Options for Lebanon’s New President

Despite Lebanon’s presidential deadlock having been resolved with the election of Michel Aoun, there’s little sign of respite from political stalemate for the country’s citizens writes Sahar Ghoussoub.

Aoun cartoon
Hypocrisy Marks New Lebanese President’s Rise

At the ripe old age of 81, Michel Aoun has finally achieved his dream of leading Lebanon as president. But he’s had to abandon his values to get there.

Ahmad Kassar used to run a soap factory in Aleppo; in Amman he struggled to find work.
Many Refugees Struggle to Access Work

While Syrians that flee to Jordan or surrounding countries can take solace from having fled the horrors of war, difficulties in accessing labour markets or starting their own enterprise mean they have to subsist on aid.

Sketches of those who died in Suruç appeared in Ozgur Genclik
Life for Pro-Kurdish Organisations Gets Harder After the Coup

In July 2015 its members were killed when a suicide bomber's detonation ripped through a crowd of youth activists in the city of Suruç in southern Turkey. Now members of the pro-Kurdish youth organisation SDGF are under attack from their own government.

Former UN Special Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi
Top Diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi on Ending the Syrian War

Lakhdar Brahimi, former UN special envoy to Syria, explains why he thinks there is still hope of ending the civil war there.

Men repair a bridge near Mosul, Iraq.
The World Bank's Strategy After the Arab Spring

Despite optimism for quick transitions after the so-called Arab Spring, the reality has been regional conflicts and stalled reforms. Janmejay Singh explains how peace and stability in the MENA have become the main focus for the World Bank.

A view of downtown Amman, Jordan.
Investigating Corruption in Jordan

Journalist Daoud Kuttab’s team at Radio al Balad worked for half a year uncovering Jordanian connections to illegal offshore dealings in the Panama Papers leak. But making the final decision to publish the sensitive details was difficult, he writes.

An empty room used by migrants
Migrants Facing Danger on the Road to the Mediterranean

In Libya, African migrants run into Jihadis, xenophobia and organised crime. Encounters with passage-makers and people smugglers between the Sahara and the Mediterranean.