On February 11 a Syrian ceasefire was signed in Munich. Few are optimistic it will hold. Why? Because, argues one Middle Eastern scholar, world leaders are ignoring key realities.
Cairo takes to the streets, January 2011.
Reuters/Yannis Behrakis
The executions on the weekend are notable for the sheer number of people killed. However, they maintain a policy of political crackdown that was reinvigorated in Saudi Arabia during the Arab Spring.
Million Mask March in London November 2015.
Peter Nicholls/Reuters
Why did a hacktivist collective like Anonymous repurpose the image of Guy Fawkes for its ubiquitous masks? A scholar looks at how a 17th-century English villain became the face of resistance.
The ANC faces its toughest municipal elections test next year amid falling support.
Reuters/Mark Wessels
The annulment of the Tlokwe byelection results is a blow for the governing ANC. It has had a torrid 2015 and faces difficult local government elections early next year.
Algerians know that Abdelaziz Bouteflika can’t go on forever.
Reuters/Ramzi Boudina
We don’t really know how much international migration will be prompted by climate change. But everyone agrees the issue is big - perhaps too big to resolve at the Paris talks.
Assad meets French delegates in Damascus following the Paris atrocities.
EPA
The Paris atrocities came just as Assad’s military position was improving. Can the dictator harness international fury at Islamic State to strengthen his position in Syria?
Stefan Rousseau / PA Wire/Press Association Images
There is enormous potential for long term and genuine change if universities change their approach to dissent – and reinvent themselves as more agile institutions.
How realistic are expectations about Africa’s economic prospects? There are several reasons why we should be both optimistic and cautious about the continent’s future economic performance.
Protesters march against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision to run for a third term in Bujumbura, Burundi.
Goran Tomasevic/Reuters
Why does Burundi’s Nkurunziza, like many African leaders before him, find it difficult to leave office? The events of the Arab spring should have served as a wake-up call.
How did it come to this? Sana'a after an air strike.
EPA/Yahya
The emergence of the Joint List as the third-largest party is evidence of both Israeli democracy and a growing awareness among the nation’s Arab citizens of their power to influence its direction.
The Arab Spring began with a protest against police brutality. The dreams of those who took to the streets 4 years ago will not be realized until police forces change.