Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Muhammad Hussein
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The Taliban won legitimacy through armed struggle, now it must earn it through diplomacy
When provincial capitals fell one after another last week, surrendering to the Taliban and relinquishing the glittering mansions of the warlords who fled the country, it was clear to many that the battle for Afghanistan would soon be over. Contrary to predictions that the group’s entry into Kabul would...
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Lobbying in Britain’s Conservative Party illustrates the dark ties to the Gulf alliances with Israel
When the extent of former British Prime Minister David Cameron’s involvement in lobbying for the investment company Greensill Capital was revealed by the BBC’s “Panorama” programme this week, the revelations went far beyond his role in the scandal. It goes back years but the investigation was only launched properly...
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Unlike secularists, ‘Islamists’ in Tunisia were weak but not undemocratic
When the Tunisian President Kais Saied dismissed the country’s government a week ago, everyone knew it would be a turning point in the North African state’s history, just not in what way. Announcing that “We have taken these decisions…until social peace returns to Tunisia and until we save the state,”...
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Remembering Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus
What: Turkey’s invasion of the north of Cyprus following a military coup which aimed to annex the island to Greece When: 20 July 1974 Where: Cyprus What happened? Upon Britain’s granting of independence to the island of Cyprus in 1955, the Cypriots were a mixed crowd of Turks and Greeks who had lived...
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The veto on aid for north-west Syria proves the failure of international institutions
The last official border crossing open for humanitarian aid to get into north-west Syria is about to close. The lives of almost four million people – including the displaced who were pushed north from their home towns because of attacks by the Syrian regime and its allies — are...
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If the US withdraws from Afghanistan, who will fill the security vacuum?
Military withdrawals announced by the United States don’t always happen the way that we expect them to. They are either drawn-out over a number of years, during which they may be delayed and rescheduled; are cancelled by the return of “boots on the ground” a short while later; or...
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With a new offensive on the horizon, Idlib is the Gaza of Syria
In Syria’s north-west, a renewed military offensive has apparently been long overdue. Since the very signing of the ceasefire deal between Russia and Turkey on behalf of the Syrian regime and opposition for the halting of the assault on Idlib, predictions abounded on how it would break down within...
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Could an international force really protect the Palestinians?
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has – despite Israeli forces sabotaging the peace with a raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque compound – held so far, officially at least. In Israeli-occupied Palestine, though, ceasefires come and go, and are usually broken by an Israeli action of some sort. The latest...
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As Israel creeps closer to its end game, there may be no third Intifada
Every year, usually during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, as if Palestinians are somehow unreactive without food in their stomachs, Israel does something that makes its security forces and their actions increasingly predictable. Like an annual festival, it launches an assault against the Palestinian population, either in the...
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The West’s genocide deniers are dragging down the Palestinian cause
Influential American academic Noam Chomsky asked what he called a “simple question” in a recent interview with the journalist Ezra Klein for the New York Times: “Is the situation of the Uyghurs, a million people who’ve been through education camps, is that worse than the situation of, say, two...
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Turkey and Ukraine could each be the foreign policy saviour of the other
Turkey has been criticised heavily over the past few years for what some see as a series of foreign policy blunders, from its military intervention in northern Syria to its assertiveness before the US and Europe. Now, though, it may have taken a very firm stance that could alter...
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The hijacking of the Prevent review shows the vulnerability of Britain’s Muslims
Much has been speculated regarding Britain’s Muslim community over the years, from the alleged rise of extremism to the overall state of the community within the wider British society. But despite Muslims in the UK being seen as the most vibrant and active amongst their religious kin throughout Europe,...
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The Pope’s visit brought hope to Iraqi Christians, but did not solve their problems
After almost two decades of conflict, instability and bad government, a wave of excitement swept through Iraq last week with the long-awaited spectacle of hope and revival that was the four-day visit to the country by Pope Francis. Social media lit up with updates and images of the trip,...
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MEMO in conversation with Omar Abu Layla
Watch out interview with the CEO of the Syrian news outlet Deir Ezzor 24...
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Profile: Sir Gerald Kaufman MP (21 June 1930-26 February 2017)
His disillusion with Israel reportedly began when he toured the country in the 1980s for research purposes....
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If the Houthis are not terrorists, then neither are HTS
This month, the United States removed the Houthis from its list of designated terrorist groups, a decision thought wise by the administration of President Joe Biden. That move, more than simply reversing yet another policy adopted by the previous Trump administration, was made with the intention of enabling the...
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Turkey is leading the way in the fight against big tech dictatorship
In recent months, the public’s eyes have been opened to the growing threat that technology and social media companies pose, realising with shock the extent to which the companies would go to invade users’ privacy and limit their expression. The messaging app WhatsApp struck first, updating its privacy policy and...
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Orientalism still runs deep within the Western subconscious, Capitol Hill has shown
When supporters of the soon-to-be ex-President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol Building in Washington DC last week, many things were revealed that day. We saw the lengths that Trump supporters would go to keep him in office, the fragility of American democracy, the shockingly limited security employed by the...
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The Axis of Torture was taught by a Nazi and is likely to grow
Torture is an evil as old as conflict, and there is much more to it than the sort of thing usually seen in the movies. It is, sadly, a skill that appears to be passed down from generation to generation, and is widespread. Individuals with such skills are not only...
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In offering its militias as security contractors, Iran is exporting its revolution
Afghanistan has long had a security problem, despite the many who have sought to guarantee its safety. The latest of those revealed themselves this week when Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif offered the Afghan government the help of Afghan Shia militants to fight against Daesh. “In Afghanistan, we are...
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Middle East nuclear proliferation may be on the way, but the immediate threat is cyberwarfare
Nuclear weapons have long been a dream of Middle Eastern states wishing to expand their influence or outdo their rivals, and they have never been closer to that dream than they are now. Donald Trump’s withdrawal of the US from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, although seemingly bad...
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‘Mankind’s greatest peace project needs Turkey,’ says Ambassador
Of all Turkey’s strained relations in recent years – its disputes with the United States, conflict in the Eastern Mediterranean and military confrontations in Syria and Libya – the most significant and impactful has probably been its link with the European Union. Relations between Turkey and Europe will be...
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Iran’s mistake in its Nagorno-Karabakh policy sees Turkey reaping the rewards
It is unusual for Iran to have a sudden change of heart in its foreign policy. Indeed, it can be said to be one of the firmest and most blatant when it comes to its projection of regional influence, and its rhetoric is just as bold. This has changed...
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A post-colonial united Libya looks increasingly like wishful thinking
Not many people have seen or even heard of, the black flag of Cyrenaica with its white crescent and star; a black version of the Turkish flag, perhaps. Events since the uprisings in Libya against former dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, however, are making it even more visible. Following the...
