Stories Archive | Page 13 of 73

Analyses

Yassin al-Haj Saleh, born in 1961, is one of Syria’s foremost intellectuals and a long-standing dissident against the Assad regime. He spent sixteen years in prison for “political reasons,” including time in the maximum-security facility of Tadmur, also known as Palmyra. With the onset of the Syrian Spring, he immediately emerged as an opponent of the regime.

International Affairs
If this is the Israeli 9/11, US mistakes must be avoided
Michael Freedman 17 October 2023

In response to 9/11, the US attacked Afghanistan, and afterwards Iraq. Both these campaigns ultimately failed, suggesting important limitations to deterrence, counterterrorism, and the difficulties of state building. If this was Israel’s 9/11 moment, it can try to avoid post 9/11 mistakes by acknowledging the limitations of deterrence, military force, and more forcefully pursue political solutions.
Gender, Human Rights
Iranian Women’s Struggle Awarded:
Nobel Peace Prize Goes to Activist Narges Mohammadi
Marina Forti 13 October 2023

The 2023 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Iranian activist Narges Mohammedi, 51, “for her fight against the oppression of women in the country and her struggle to promote human rights and freedom for all.” Mohammedi, who is currently serving a 10-year sentence for “spreading anti-state propaganda” in Tehran’s Evin prison, has campaigned for women’s rights and against the use of the death penalty. Over the lenght of her career, the Iranian regime has arrested her 13 times, convicted her five times, and sentenced her to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes.
Gender, Human Rights
One Year After Mahsa Amini’s Death
Continuing the Demand of “Woman, Life, Freedom”
Arghawan Farsi 12 October 2023

One year has passed since a young Kurdish woman named Jina Mahsa Amini died in the custody of the Iranian morality police in Tehran on September 16th, 2022. Her death sparked a revolutionary movement of Iranian women and men demanding “Woman, Life, Freedom.” It is a challenge to grasp and formulate everything that has happened in this past year, as the revolutionary movement has amplified a variety of voices, showing the will of individuals living in Iran to create change, though not yet successful, it has already come at a great cost.
Are Public Schools still Needed? The State-of-the-Art
of a Once Respected Democratic Institution
Claudia De Martino 10 October 2023

Public schools are going through tough times almost everywhere in Europe: the start of the new school year in September 2023 saw a series of major strikes in the UK, Wales, Ireland, Estonia, Lithuania, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Serbia, and even Germany, once considered a haven for education. If in the UK, school strikes for better pay and working conditions were partially addressed by the government’s promise to increase teachers’ pay by at least 6.5 percent in cash terms in the upcoming 2023/24 academic year, in Germany, consistent protests rocked what is usually considered one of the most rewarding environments for teachers in terms of wages and pay leave.
International Affairs
Hamas Sends a Clear Signal to the PNA and Saudi Arabia
Renzo Guolo 10 October 2023

Hamas’ truly unprecedented attack on Israel has multiple objectives. The first, most obvious and dramatically tangible in its casualty count and penetration capacity, is to dispel the myth of an unassailable “enemy.” Its second, and closely related goal, is to permanently undermine the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) leadership, now condemned to a delegitimizing immobility by its internal and external choices. Their third aim and certainly not their least, is to sabotage the understanding between Israel and Saudi Arabia, the true seal of the Abrahamic Accords, announced as imminent by Netanyahu.
International Affairs
New BRICS: That’s Realpolitik, Baby!
Federica Zoja 9 October 2023
Human Rights, Migrations
Before the Crossing: Sub-Saharan Migrants in Tunisia
Ilaria Romano 6 October 2023

A reportage about the sub-Saharian migrants who arrived in Tunisia with the idea of embarking and reaching Italian shores after grueling journeys and long periods of detention behind them, spent in migrant centers in Libya. In many of their stories, they have already attempted the crossing to the Italian island of Lampedusa, but have been stopped and sent back by the National Guard, or have been left at the mercy of the waves with their engine failing before being brought back to shore by some passing fishing boat
Migrations
Virtual Racism Against Migrants Surges in the Maghreb
Rabii El Gamrani 5 October 2023

Virtual racism against sub-Saharan migrants is flourishing on social media in the Maghreb region, with groups promoting xenophobia and racist content. Conspiracy theories and fake news contribute to the spread of these narratives, portraying migrants as a demographic threat. However, in real-life interactions, racism appears to be less prevalent, as many Moroccans and sub-Saharans coexist peacefully.
Human Rights, International Affairs
International Academics Call for Ghannouchi’s Release in Tunisia
Alessandra Tommasi 27 September 2023
International Affairs, Religion
Murder of Sikh Separatist Leader in Canada Sparks International Crisis
Maria Tavernini 26 September 2023

The murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen and a prominent Sikh separatist leader in the western province of British Columbia who was shot dead on June 18, 2023 by two masked gunmen outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara (temple) in Surrey, near Vancouver, has sparked an international crisis. On September 18th, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau made an incendiary statement to the Canadian Parliament that Ottawa was looking into “credible allegations potentially linking” India to Nijjar’s murder. India has denied any role in the killing.