GCC States Should Cultivate Strong Ties with South Asia, Even as They Continue Engagement with China By Hasan Alhasan - Nov 19, 2018

Despite a long period of diplomatic estrangement during the Cold War, GCC states’ relations with China have in recent years become the focal point of their Asia policy. Although the GCC’s focus on China reflects the Asian power’s rising status and position as the GCC’s single-largest trading partner, it overlooks certain long-term trends that position … Continue reading “GCC States Should Cultivate Strong Ties with South Asia, Even as They Continue Engagement with China”

There’s No Harm in Cannabis and It Has Medicinal Purpose? Wrong By Jonathan Gornall - Nov 15, 2018

On October 19, just two days after Canada became the second country in the world after Uruguay to legalize the sale and use of cannabis for recreational purposes, an alarming paper published in an obscure medical journal went largely unnoticed by the world’s media. In the Archives of Toxicology, a team of Austrian researchers reported … Continue reading “There’s No Harm in Cannabis and It Has Medicinal Purpose? Wrong”

The Backlash Over a Syrian Refugee’s Story Is About Who Has the Right to Speak By Faisal Al Yafai - Nov 15, 2018

The moment it was announced that a young, white American woman was going to write a script for the true story of a young Syrian refugee, the backlash began. The American in question is Lena Dunham, who is best known for creating and acting in a TV series called “Girls,” about four young women living … Continue reading “The Backlash Over a Syrian Refugee’s Story Is About Who Has the Right to Speak”

How the Syrian Regime Co-Opts Former Rebel Fighters By Haid Haid - Nov 12, 2018

Since 2016, the regime of Bashar Al Assad has pursued a strategy of negotiating local surrender agreements – also known as “reconciliation deals” – in rebel-held Syrian territories. Those deals have allowed Damascus to re-establish its authority over a vast area. In so doing, it has forced out anti-regime fighters into the few remaining rebel-held … Continue reading “How the Syrian Regime Co-Opts Former Rebel Fighters”

The Democrats’ Victory in Congress Will Hurt Iran By Hussain Abdul-Hussain - Nov 8, 2018

Sanctions “hurt Iranians.” That was the un-startling revelation by an American think-tank personality, a “friend-of-Iran,” in a recent radio interview. Well, of course they do. But the larger goal is to force the behavior of the regime; regrettably, but to be brutally honest, “hurting Iranians” is part of the process to pressure the leadership. The … Continue reading “The Democrats’ Victory in Congress Will Hurt Iran”