Middle East

As massive protests in Tahir Square and elsewhere in Egypt call for President Hosni Mubarak to step down from a 30-year reign marked largely by autocratic power, the West, in particular the U.S. appears to be stuck in thought about what to say, who to support, and what decisive action it should or should not take. One reporter’s view.

Even with the presence of international forces, there’s insecurity and chaos in Afghanistan.

Can we move forward as a world if an international discussion about a proposed mosque being built close to Ground Zero is censored?

Security and stability in the Middle East and North Africa is inextricably tied to the creation of over 100 million jobs.

Afghanistan will need more than international armies and a fighting force of its own to turn a 30- plus-year history of wars into a nation where education is more important than a gun and security is not something you worry about when you leave your home.

When Tzipi Livni, leader of the Kadima party (Israel) cancelled her trip to the UK last month it was because she would likely have been arrested for war crimes allegations as a result of her role as Defense Minister during the 2008-09 Israeli-Palestinian War. According to this report, tensions between the two states may not be new, however recent anti-Israel actions threaten British-Israeli relations.

By Sheinei Saleem, Virginia – September 2006
We live in a global world in which communication with other people on other continents takes seconds.  One would think that this has helped to unify people of different ethnicities and religions – however, it has had the opposite effect.  The news focuses on atrocities – most stemming from [...]

 By Yona Kaplan, Israel – September 2006
            I am an Israeli; I served in the Israeli army for two years and finished my army service about six months ago. I am also a peace activist who has met with Palestinians, Egyptians, Jordanians and other so-called enemies. Putting together all I’ve seen and experienced in my [...]

Sheinei Saleems left Kurdistan 10 years ago to escape the horrors of war. Yearning to return to the country she loved, Saleems traveled back to her home town of Slemani after graduating from university. What she discovered was bitter sweet.

Despite the terror and fear that describes much of the daily life in the Middle East, most Israelis yearn for the days when harmony between two groups can exist, when the land that is rich in religious history can be shared.