The Iran-Israel War: A False Front of Power
The Iran-Israel war has been making headlines in April, and rightly so—the fear of a WWIII happening has the world glued to screens now, more than ever before.
Lt Gen (R) Tariq Khan has a different view of these attacks between Iran and Israel. He deems them only to be an act; a play that appears to show both countries as protagonists.
The Most Sanctioned Countries Worldwide
Sanctions have been used as a popular tool by the international community to pressure countries. Since its invasion of Ukraine in 2023, Russia has become the most sanctioned country in the world. Other sanctioned states include Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Belarus.
No Turning Back: Life, Loss, and Hope in Wartime Syria
No Turning Back: Life, Loss, and Hope in Wartime Syria by Rania Abouzeid is a poignant publication on the individual realities of Syria. The author Ayesha Firdous writes a succinct review encapsulating the essence of the book. She praises Rania Abouzeid’s dedication and bravery as the author traipsed into the warzone time and again to document the harsh truths.
The Case of Julian Assange: Unveiling the Hypocrisy & Crimes of the US
Julian Assange, an Australian journalist and co-founder of WikiLeaks, has published confidential US military records exposing evidence of war crimes and human rights abuses in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, Assange faces legal charges, including allegations of sexual assault and espionage, sparking debates about press freedom and government transparency. On the contrary, the perpetrator of these crimes preaches democracy and freedom while criticizing other states for waging wars.
Forging Partnerships: Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad Visits China
Seeking funds and allies to rebuild war-torn Syria, President Bashar al-Assad made a historic visit to China on September 21, 2023, and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. During the visit, a strategic partnership was established, fostering cooperation in various areas. The Sino-Syrian partnership will serve to enhance China’s influence in the Middle East and challenge Western hegemony in the region.
Captagon—The Drug Fueling the Syrian Civil War
Captagon is a drug that is currently funding the Syrian civil war. It has become one of the most famous and easily accessible drugs in the black market, especially in the Gulf States.
It was created in the 1960s by a German pharmaceutical company, but its sales have grown exponentially over the past three years.
However, the question is, why is it featured large in diplomatic discussions, especially those involving Arab countries and their relations with Syria?
How Western Sanctions Are Worsening the Humanitarian Crisis in Syria
Labeled a ‘state sponsor of terrorism’ in 1979, Syria has been experiencing severe economic sanctions by the West since then. The sanctions are renewed every year, and all US Presidents have been renewing them (& adding to them) without fail.
The problem is that over half of the 21 million Syrians that lived in the country before the war have been displaced. Western Sanctions and Bashar’s obstinacy mean that Syrians are continually getting crushed by inflation, broken infrastructure, & the lack of access to basic humanities.
The question is, when will the suffering of the Syrian people end?
Israel’s Begin Doctrine
The Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Menachem Begin, believed that the acquisition of nuclear weapons by Iraq would pose an existential threat to the Jewish state.
That was the beginning of the Begin Doctrine which called for military action against countries or groups that carry out terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens or interests.
The Begin Doctrine has also been used to justify Israel’s military operations in the Middle East, including the bombing of the Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq in 1981 and the attack on the Syrian nuclear facility in 2007.
The Putin-Erdogan Meeting: Courtship or Alliance?
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi on August 5th, to discuss a wide array of topics. This included the strengthening of economic ties between the two.
This meeting follows Türkiye’s masterful diplomacy of acting as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia, which has allowed Ukraine grains to be exported again.
Turkey’s Opposition to the Nordic NATO Membership
Russia’s not the only one bothered by the NATO expansion — in fact, Turkey is only willing to admit Finland and Sweden into NATO if they meet a few crucial conditions. Turkey will only vote for their acceptance if they follow through on the agreements that were made on counterterrorism and arms exports at the NATO summit in Madrid.
The Conflict in Syria & Its Brutal Effects on the People
What started off as protests against the authoritarian regime of Bashar al-Assad in 2011, has turned into a decade-long war involving international and domestic actors. The author, Amna Shaukat, applies the conflict tree model to explain the deep-rooted causes of the conflict and the effects of this war on the people of the state. Since the war first broke out, almost 400,000 Syrians have lost their lives while millions have been displaced—internally and externally. It has left Syria devastated in every way. The economy itself will take years to recover, but that too, requires the war to end.
Questioning the Role of the United Nations (UN)
This research paper aims to evaluate the role of the United Nations Organization in light of some of the most highlighted events in its history, ranging from Rwanda to Kashmir; the crises mentioned will be summarized and analyzed to provide the reader with only the relevant information which is consistent with the central theme of this paper.
In addition to this, the paper will also shed light upon the effectiveness of the UN when it comes to dealing with the world’s superpowers. A brief part of this paper will scrutinize the role of the International Court of Justice from a legal point of view, covering its overall structure and the extent to which its decisions are binding on the member Nations.
The Syrian Port of Tartus: A New Gateway for Russia
President Vladimir Putin, who sees Soviet collapse as an epic tragedy, is extremely enthusiastic about reviving Russia’s lost honour. The author, Ayesha Zafar, considers Russia’s 49-year lease on the Syrian port of Tartus an attempt to expand the scope of its military power and trade routes.
The Kurdish Region: From Great Dynasties to Stateless Nation
The dissolution of empires and the formation of new nation-states after the two world wars divided the Kurdish region and population into four states—Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. For decades, the Kurdish people have been subjected to persecution, discrimination, assimilation, and repression in these states. Unlike the Kurds of Iraq, the Kurds of Syria, Iran, and Turkey do not have their own autonomous regions. The author argues that this can be contributed to the fact that the Kurdish people have long forgotten their true objective and have assumed the role of pawns for the very states that once abandoned them.
The Civil War in Syria: The Role of Iran and Saudi Arabia
In the quest to become the regional hegemon, Iran and Saudi Arabia have backed governments, militias, and organizations based on sectarian lines in the Middle East. While Tehran is financially and militarily supporting the Assad regime and Hezbollah in Syria, Riyadh has resorted to backing the Syrian rebels and jihadist groups, like the Army of Islam, Jaish al-Fatah, and Ahrar al-Sham, against the regime. The author argues that the proxy war in Syria, while only a battle for supremacy for Iran and Saudi Arabia, has devastated the Syrians and turned the state into a haven for extremist groups.
State-sponsored Terrorism in the Syrian War
In the past decade, Syria’s stability and economy have plummeted to the ground. Terrorism is rampant in the failed state, with the regime of Bashar al-Assad itself perpetrating violence against the civilian population and destroying the state’s infrastructure. Asadullah Khan Wazir, a broadcast journalist, notes that through the use of state-sponsored terrorism, the Syrian regime aims to prevent the population from supporting the rebel groups and offering an alternative regime. As a result, 83,500 civilians have been killed by Bashar al-Assad’s regime and its allies since the Syrian war first started.
The Contemporary Challenges Facing the Political System in Syria
The Syrian Arab Republic has a complicated stratification of ethnic groups, and strict constitutional boundaries for voting, the nomination of political parties, and elections.
Equally confusing is the distribution of power, with the presidential autonomous structure of the political system.
This system serves as an example of one of the most complex and intricate forms of democracy in the world, leading to a lack of options for any new political stakeholders to gain power.
Keeping that complexity in sight, this paper identifies and analyses the contemporary political challenges that are being faced by the political system in Syria.