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.
  • Federica Zoja 21 October 2024
    After surpassing 90 percent approval in the first round of the presidential elections on October 6, incumbent Tunisian leader Kais Saied faces his new term in a political, social, and economic climate vastly different from that of 2019. We discussed this shift with writer and essayist Hatem Nafty, whose latest work, Notre ami Kaïs Saïed. Essai sur la démocrature tunisienne (Our Friend Kais Saied: An Essay on the Tunisian Dictatorship), was presented in late September.
  • Abhijan Choudhury 10 October 2024
    Once a formidable force in Indian politics, the Left has steadily declined over the past 15-20 years. It previously governed the states of West Bengal, Kerala, and Tripura, and maintained a significant presence in the national parliament. Today, it has lost two of those states and become a marginal player. In this year’s national elections, a combination of three Left parties won just eight seats out of 545 in the Lok Sabha, the popular chamber.
  • One year after the Hamas massacre on October 7th, the war has expanded into a regional conflict, involving Lebanon and later Iran. In Gaza, the death toll has reached nearly 42,000. Most of Hamas’ leadership – except for Yahya Sinwar – has been killed, as well as Hasan Nasrallah and much of Hezbollah’s leadership. Meanwhile, 97 Israeli hostages remain in Hamas’ hands, and violence in the West Bank has become increasingly frequent, with many analysts warning of a potential “Gaza-fication” of the area. Reset DOC reached Prof. Olivier Roy, Professor of Political Science at the European University Institute (Florence).
  • Riccardo Cristiano 2 October 2024
    According to the BBC, the missile attack on Hezbollah’s general command bunker is said to have caused 492 casualties, in addition to the wounded. The Israeli army has announced the killing, among others, of Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and nearly the entire senior leadership of the party. The number of Lebanese casualties, especially in southern Lebanon and the Shiite neighborhoods of Beirut, remains unknown, as no one can yet account for those trapped beneath the rubble. Israeli forces have gained control of strategic positions near the border, while hand-to-hand combat between Hezbollah militants and Israeli soldiers has already claimed eight Israeli lives. Despite these developments, few believe Hezbollah will disappear
  • Ilaria Romano 1 October 2024
    Elections have been postponed indefinitely in autonomous Northeastern Syria, also known as Rojava. Initially scheduled for May 30th, they were first delayed to June 11th and then to August 8th, but the timetable was never confirmed. Officially, this was attributed to insufficient time for electoral campaigning, but more realistically, it was due to genuine concerns over a potential new Turkish escalation in the area.
  • Ruth Hanau Santini 30 September 2024
    Since July 25, 2021, Tunisia has been in a state of self-coup. President Kais Saied, elected two years earlier, suspended parliament that summer, had the prime minister resign, and issued two presidential decrees that consolidated all executive powers in his hands – rather than sharing them with the prime minister, as outlined in the 2014 Constitution.
  • Vanessa Breidy 28 September 2024
    Until September 17, the situation was still under control in Lebanon. That changed when around 3,000 Hezbollah-linked pagers exploded simultaneously around 3:30 PM. Twenty-four hours later, another round of explosions hit hundreds of walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members. On September 20, commanders from Hezbollah’s Radwan force, a special operations unit, were assassinated in the suburbs of Beirut. By September 23, the conflict had peaked with heavy bombardment in southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley, killing over 500 people, many of whom were civilians, women, and children. Attacks on Hezbollah leaders have continued daily, and bombings have reached Byblos and Keserwan. In response, Hezbollah has launched rockets at Haifa and targeted Tel Aviv, a first since the war began.
  • Abhijan Choudhury 27 September 2024
    India’s ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has repeatedly been accused by the opposition and civil society of pursuing divisive politics and promoting a sectarian agenda aimed at dismantling the country’s secular foundations to establish a majoritarian state. The recent incident involving the Kanwarias, pilgrims devoted to Lord Shiva, should be viewed in this context, rather than dismissed as trivial, as has been done with similar cases in the past. It once again highlights that the party and its leadership are focused on securing power by appealing to the majority community while sidelining minorities.
  • Lorenzo Monfregola 24 September 2024
    In Germany, September dealt a harsh blow to Olaf Scholz’s Ampel, the “Traffic light” coalition of Social Democrats, Greens, and Liberals. Elections on September 1 in the eastern states of Thuringia and Saxony underscored the government’s deepening crisis. While the September 22 vote in Brandenburg brought a faint glimmer of hope, particularly for the SPD, it was far from a solid win for the Ampel. Nationwide polls continue to show strikingly low support for Scholz’s cabinet, raising doubts about its ability to hold together until the next national election, set for September 2025.
Load more
SUPPORT OUR WORK

 

Please consider giving a tax-free donation to Reset this year

Any amount will help show your support for our activities

In Europe and elsewhere
(Reset DOC)


In the US
(Reset Dialogues)


x