The Kurdish region of Iraq is under pressure to scrap an independence vote that critics say could hinder the fight against Islamic State militants. Kurds rally for an independence referendum in Iraq, Beirut, Lebanon, 17 September 2017 (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)...
Below is an account from a resident of the Gulf following a decision by Saudia Arabia and allies to impose a blockade on Qatar. We are withholding the author’s name for security reasons. This first-person account complements our earlier stories on the importance...
The region is energy-rich, torn by conflict and at the center of a struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran. All reasons why the blockade of Qatar matters. A container ship in Doha, Qatar, 14 June 2017. (EPA/Noushad thekkayil) The region holds about half of the...
Last week we asked readers what topics you think I should write about during my six-week internship here in Paris. After hearing your suggestions, I’ve pinpointed issues to cover in coming weeks. Yes, we listen to our readers! Several of you suggested I focus...
Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies have punished Qatar. The real target is not the small, gas-rich emirate but the regional powerhouse that is Iran. The “crisis” enveloping the tiny Gulf state of Qatar is a classic case of that regional diplomatic specialty:...
The U.S. strike against Syria has drawn Washington deeper into a messy conflict and set back ties with Russia. But a military escalation is not sure. Abdul-Hamid Alyousef holds his twin babies who were killed during a suspected chemical weapons attack, in Khan...
By Filippo Sciacca Once renowned mainly as an idyllic tourist attraction with beautiful beaches, the Italian island of Lampedusa is now widely known as a European entry point for desperate migrants and refugees escaping from nearby Africa — many of whom meet a...
Saudi-led intervention in Yemen’s civil war, now in its third year, has provoked a humanitarian catastrophe. The U.S. and Britain are making it worse. A woman holds her boy after he was weighed at a hospital malnutrition intensive care unit in Sanaa, Yemen, 27...
Donald Trump has called for a ban on the entry of Muslims into the U.S. and conflated “Muslim” and “terrorist.” But many Arabs are hoping the next U.S. president will take a harder line on Iran. Donald Trump at a rally opposing the Iran nuclear...
By Alistair Lyon U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has casually hurled a diplomatic grenade into the Middle East. He has picked as his ambassador to Israel a fervent sponsor of Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land and an enemy of any two-state solution to...