Chatham House: How Gen Z is reshaping protest in North Africa

This Chatham House event is chaired by Hayder Al-Shakeri, MENA Programme. On the panel are: Merissa Khurma, CEO AMENA Strategy, Mondher Tounsi, University of Oxford, Nissrine Ait Haji, Entrepreneur and Youth Activist. This is about how Gen Z are shaping protests in North Africa specifically in Morocco and Tunisia. How…

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Chatham House: One year of Syria’s transition: Progress, challenges and prospects

PHOTO: The new Syrian Government Today’s Chatham House meeting is chaired by Raya Jalabi, Middle East Correspondent, Financial Times. On the panel are: Dr Haid Haid, MENA Programme, Rime Allaf, Syrian writer, formerly Chatham House and Dr Ibrahim Al-Assil, Belfer Center, Harvard University. It is a year since the rapid…

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Chatham House: A foreign policy for the new Syria

Asaad al-Shaibani, Syria’s foreign minister, outlines post-civil war plans to rebuild international relations and internal governance. The new regime aims for inclusivity, economic investment, and transitional justice while addressing community trust. He emphasizes a pragmatic approach towards rebuilding, focusing on diplomatic ties, especially with the UK and Turkey, amidst regional challenges.

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Chatham House: Turkey’s evolving role in Libya

Recent violence in Libya highlights Turkey’s growing political and military influence there. Turkey aims to be a regional power, pursuing security assistance and economic interests. Despite temporary conflict resolution efforts, tensions persist, raising concerns about a potential war. Turkey faces dilemmas with local power dynamics while navigating complex foreign relationships and corruption risks.

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Review: The Dragons and the Snakes – How The Rest Learned to Fight The West – by David Kilcullen

This is one of the very best books I have ever read. It is up to date material and full of cutting edge military theory and ideas and I believe is critical essential reading for any politician or military personnel, especially those who conduct their employment in the NATO led…

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Review: The Near East Since The First World War – by M.E.Yapp

This book was written in 1990 and is thus a bit dated. The postscript announces the start of the first Gulf War after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Post World War 1 saw most of the current political boundaries drawn in the Near East or as we now most predominantly…

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Review: Blood Year – Islamic State and the Failures of the War on Terror – by David Kilcullen

This is the second book that I have read by David Kilcullen. The author is a former Australian soldier and a senior advisor to the US Military in addition to being a leading theorist of modern warfare. This book looks deeply at the fundamental Islamic terrorist state ISIS. ISIS grew…

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Review: The Rise Of Islamic State – by Patrick Cockburn

This is an excellent introductory text for those wishing to better understand the complex details of the rise of Islamic State, ISIS or ISIL. From its arrival due to the Syrian Civil War and its cancerous spread into post-war Iraq, this extremist-terrorist Sunni Islamic (Wahhabi) nation/fundamentalist organisation, has been indefatigable.…

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