When Syrian refugees started flooding into Jordan, citizens in my city were angry and concerned. But with time and investment, tensions have eased. Syrian refugee children at the Za’atari refugee camp near Mafraq, Jordan, 19 March 2014. (EPA/Jamal Nasrallah) This...
The victory of a nationalist in Iraq’s elections has hit Iran’s interests and begs the question of whether Tehran’s influence in the Middle East has peaked. Supporters of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr celebrate his election win in Baghdad, Iraq, 14...
This article is part of a News-Decoder series of “decoders” that explain crucial background to big issues. For more decoders, click here. By Alistair Lyon Faith is often flaunted in the Middle East, but there are no angels here. One religiously-based state...
China’s stance towards the Iran nuclear deal is rooted in three concepts: energy, its relationship with the U.S. and the North Korean nuclear issue. Foreign ministers of China, France, Germany, the European Union, Iran, Russia, Britain and the United States...
Democracy and the post-war world order are under siege as populist and nationalist forces gain ground around the world. We must wake up and act. This story was co-winner in the high school division in News-Decoder’s Arch Roberts Jr essay/reporting contest. You...
In vowing to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, Donald Trump has torn up the diplomatic rule book, satisfying his base but at what cost? An Israeli soldier looks at the Western Wall at the Old City of Jerusalem with the Dome of the Rock in the background,...
By Alistair Lyon Arriving in Amman the other day, I boarded an airport taxi into town and began chatting with the driver. I’ll call him Yusuf. He told me he used to work as an engineer, calibrating ground instruments for the Jordanian air force. I mentioned that...
Rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia, aspirants for leadership of the Islamic world, is at the crux of conflict across the Mideast, with deadly results. An Iranian woman in Tehran holds up a poster showing Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent opposition Saudi Shiite...
We originally published this article in February after Donald Trump took office as U.S. president and said he was not committed to a two-state solution in Palestine. We are publishing it again because of the continuing importance of the issue, which was the focus of a...
By Chermaine Tay Islamic State fighters are on the run in Syria, squeezed on all sides by armed opponents whose only common goal is to annihilate the militant group. The eventual defeat of ISIS would be welcomed by their many disparate foes, who range from the Syrian...