Middle East & North Africa

For the first few weeks of the social protests in Israel the press happily dismissed everything else – Palestinians, Iran, September, democracy barely reached back pages of the papers. The question at stake is, will the movement ultimately be forced by its own goals to confront and possibly re-interpret critical issues such in light of the newfound empowerment and social consciousness?

Protesters just over two weeks ago built a camp at the end of Rothschild Boulevard, just opposite Israel's National Theater and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. By the next day, there were fifty tents, and by week's end a hundred. By then, tent cities rose in a dozen cities and towns around the country. A report about the growing social protest against high rents and living costs which started in Tel Aviv and have captured the entire state of Israel.

To the degree that the international community is concerned with the intra-Afghan agreement and security handover, so should it also be concerned that the process does not harm Afghan civil society, but rather ensure that it has an active voice in the process. 

Lebanon is back on the world tourist map, and Beirut is currently traded as the "hottest city on the Mediterranean." The tourism industry is now one of the driving sectors of the country. But the growing tourism also has strong environmental impacts.

On  February 5th an explosion on the Sinai Peninsula damaged a gas pipeline to Jordan. The consequences are far-reaching: Supply of natural gas from Egypt was suspended, which Jordan relies on for about 80 per cent of its electricity generation needs. Heinrich Böll Stiftung asked energy consultant Dr. Malek Kabariti about the implications of the latest developments.

The Jasmine Revolution has prevailed, and the dictator has fled. The Tunisian people have outlined a new page in their history and the history of the Arab world during this first half of 2011.

As the second day of the post-”cablegate” news cycle unfolds, local media in Jordan seems to have only stuck out its head enough to disseminate the government’s position in a slew of standardized articles in the major newspapers all reiterating the same denials and reaffirming the same positions.

The final document of the 2010 NPT Review Conference includes reference to the convening of a conference in 2012 to discuss the idea of a Weapons of Mass Destruction-Free-Zone (WMDFZ) for the Middle East.

Karim Sadjadpour analyzes the political situation in Iran with regard to foreign and domestic issues one year after the elections in Iran. What's next in the Islamic Republic of Iran which according to the late Grand Ayatollah Ali Montazeri is "neither Islamic nor a Republic"?

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is currently being attacked by radical islamists. Recently a UNRWA summer camp for palestine boys and girls has been set on fire. John Ging about the humanitarian crisis due to the Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip in violation of international law.