The latest travel vlogger in Afghanistan
The images of the events after the Taliban seized Kabul and other cities in Afghanistan have crossed the world. In a few hours, the lives of the country's residents changed. Many tried to flee...
Category: Middle East
Russia and the Taliban: why is Moscow hosting terrorists?
Russia is currently not considering recognizing the Taliban regime, but is actively working with the new Afghan rulers. The Kremlin is de facto negotiating with terrorists, given that in 2003 Moscow...
Why Iran is flexing its military muscles on Azerbaijan’s border
Iran's recent military exercises on its northern border with Azerbaijan (replete with tanks, artillery guns, and helicopters firing at targets) raised eyebrows in Baku. Shortly after the Iranian...
How effective air defences in Iraqi Kurdistan’s Erbil Airport reduce risk of escalation between US and Iran-backed militias
On the night of September 11, 2021, explosions were heard at Erbil International Airport in the eponymous capital city of Iraqi Kurdistan. It was the latest in a series of rocket and drone attacks...
A bill to increase the unemployment rate in Iran?
On Wednesday, July 28, 2021, a Protection Bill, which is known as Tarh-e Sianat, was introduced in the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran. According to some members of parliament, the bill is to...
Why this jihadist warlord is calling for a ‘united administration’ with Turkish-occupied northwest Syria
Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the leader of the powerful Islamist Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group that controls large parts of Syria's northwestern Idlib province, has called for the establishment of...
Why Iraqi Kurdistan won’t suffer the same fate as Afghanistan
Following the Taliban's swift takeover of Afghanistan this August, Iraqi Kurdistan has insisted that it will not allow a similar fate to befall its landlocked region. "There is a big difference...
How Joe Biden failed the people of Afghanistan — and tarnished US credibility around the world
William Maley, Australian National University In April 1961, just months after the young John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as the 35th president of the United States, his reputation for expertise in...
Acid attack: “I want to forget everything”
After I saw the photos of Masoumeh Ataei as a model for the first time, I was shocked. "What happened to her?" I asked myself, staring at the burns and scars on her face, which contrasted with the...
Why Iraqi Kurdistan should be clearly distinguished from Iraq
Iraqi Kurds invariably become irked when others portray their autonomous region and nation as merely another interchangeable part of Iraq. Given their history, the legal status of their autonomy, and...