A woman of hope and courage
On August 4, 2020, the port of Beirut suddenly exploded. After Australian bushfire season, the Covid-19 pandemic, the explosion of the Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, the death of George...
Category: Asia
The Cardboard People: Asia’s cardboard collectors
Behind the flashy exterior of glassy skyscrapers, bubblegum pop and the artificial lights of capitalism lies a secret that many choose to ignore: the cardboard collectors. Elderly, often homeless and...
Child marriage as an unforeseen consequence of the pandemic
We’ve all felt the economic impact of the pandemic and are trying to stay afloat. Although many of us can survive, vulnerable families face a greater risk of starvation and homelessness. In this...
US election: one hundred years of Iran-US relations
Since the Islamic Revolution, Iran and America's relations have become tense and hostile. The two countries stand against each other and, despite the efforts made to establish a relationship again,...
Mehrdad Sepehri, the George Floyd of Iran
Widespread protests erupted in the United States, as well as in some European countries, after the killing of George Floyd by police on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis. Many politicians reacted and...
Is Indonesia heading for a brain drain?
Several weeks ago, Indonesia's Minister of Education, Nadiem Makarim, suggested that Indonesian students who are studying abroad should return to the country once they graduate. He said the country...
Revisiting Trump’s disastrous and shameful Syria drawdown, one year later
A year ago, U.S. President Donald Trump made the disastrous unilateral decision to pull U.S. troops back from Syria’s border with Turkey, paving the way for an aggressive Turkish military operation...
Russia’s influence in the Balkans: myths and facts
Russia’s influence in the Balkans is rather limited, despite media exaggeration of Moscow’s role in the region. The Kremlin effectively controls a small portion of the Serbian energy sector, as...
Are Armenia and Azerbaijan heading for full-scale war?
Turkey-backed Azerbaijan and Russia’s ally Armenia are fighting a proxy war over the control of the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh. Fierce clashes broke out on September...
Will Kyrgyzstan have another “color revolution”?
Kyrgyzstan – a Central Asian country that is seen as Russia’s most loyal nation in the Commonwealth of Independent States, as well as in the Eurasian Economic Union – will hold very uncertain...