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Interview with Former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos
11.15.23
On November 13, 2023, HKS Student Policy Review Senior Editor Jane Petersen spoke with former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. The conversation covered a range of topics including what other countries can learn from Colombia’s peace agreement, poverty alleviation efforts, and the fight against climate change.
Interview with U.S. Ambassador (Ret.) Djerejian: U.S. Response to the Israel-Hamas War
11.8.23
On November 3, 2023, HKS Student Policy Review Senior Editor Samriddhi Vij sat down with former U.S. Ambassador to Israel and Syria, Edward Djerejian, to discuss the Israel-Hamas war.
The Peaceful Rising of the Silent Dragon in the Middle East
12.17.21
Arman Mahmoudian examines the return of great power competition in the Middle East and China’s role within the region.
The Forgotten Arabs of Iran
01.3.19
An Iranian Revolutionary Guard parade in Ahwaz, the capital of the Khuzestan province of Iran, ended in chaos in September when four gunmen opened fire on an assembled crowd of troops, civilians and children. Assailants dressed in military garb killed at least 25 people and wounded about 60 more at the parade that was meant […]
Trump’s Jerusalem Policy is a Wakeup Call for Arabs
03.8.18
BY EKRAM IBRAHIM When President Donald Trump declared in December that the United States would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, many observers heard a death knell for Palestinian hopes that Jerusalem would serve as the future capital of an independent state. But in reality, aspirations for an Arab Jerusalem died long before – […]
Could Saudi Meddling Unite the Lebanese?
11.24.17
By HALA AL-HARIRI “In this room, the honorable Bchara El Khoury, President of the Republic of Lebanon, was arrested from November 11 until November 22, 1943.” This is written on a plaque on the wall of The Rashaya Citadel, also known as the Citadel of Independence. Another plaque says the same for the honorable Prime Minister Riad […]
Social Media Alone Won’t Improve Women’s Rights in the Middle East
05.9.17
BY NABILA ABU-HANTASH I was sitting behind the wheel in Jedda, Saudi Arabia, with my close friend in the passenger’s seat. The car was parked with the ignition switched off. We were waiting for her husband to come back from souvenir shopping, so that we could begin the twenty-three-hour drive back home to Kuwait. He […]
Why post-coup Turkey is suspicious of Hillary Clinton
10.29.16
Embed from Getty Images “Turkey is at a crossroads!” has become the rallying cry for commentators as the country grapples with terrorism, a coup attempt, and a reshaping of its domestic and international stances. The cliché has long described Turkey as a country straddling two continents, torn between East and West – its imperial history tied to […]
A Free Middle East: Pipedream or Possibility?
08.3.16
BY YAEL STERN AND GAL LIN “Will you answer a survey we are conducting to understand people’s values?” the surveyor asked the young Iranian man on the other end of the phone line. “Sure,” he answered. The young man answered the surveyor’s questions pleasantly and openly, even joking occasionally. They reached question twenty: How similar […]
Changing Coverage in the Middle East: One Journalist’s Perspective
03.29.15
Covering the Middle East has fundamentally changed in the last decade, said Farnaz Fassihi, senior Middle East correspondent for the Wall Street Journal at a Shorenstein Center event. Increased security threats toward journalists in the Middle East and the quick turnaround times required for digital publishing have made it more difficult for Middle East correspondents […]
Authorization Without Appropriation in Syria
09.5.13
BY DAN MCCONNELL As President Obama made the case for military action in Syria Sunday, he was clear that such actions would be proportional in scope, reiterating, “What we are envisioning is something limited.” Now that the President has placed the onus for a decision on the legislature, it is at least as important for […]
Roots of Discontent: Egypt’s Call for Freedom
04.10.11
BY SANJEEV BERY On January 1, 2011, few would have predicted that Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak would soon be removed from office. But just three weeks later, thousands of Egyptians gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to begin the push for change. In the aftermath of Tunisia’s political shakeup, Egyptian citizens called for an end to […]