A scholar of Middle Eastern cultural traditions explains the history and significance of the bisht.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Middle East – Analysis and Comment
The Muslim Brotherhood once held the reins of power in Egypt. Now it faces internal splits, government repression and dwindling support.
Morality police first appeared in Iran soon after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. But similar forces were present in parts of the Middle East even prior to the date.
Migrant workers’ rights are indeed an ongoing issue in Qatar – but the country has passed reforms to improve workers’ rights, and it isn’t the only issue to define Qatar.
Pictures of women in war play a pivotal role in the battlefield of political ideas, argues a feminist historian who examines how images and attire are used and seen in war zones and occupied lands.
Iran has a growing role in the Ukraine war, helping Russia augment its dwindling weapons supplies. That may help Russia, but it also serves Iran’s national interests.
The Wahhabi school of Islam has spread throughout the world, along with its disapproval of the holiday.
There’s an unexpected beneficiary of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Political and economic forces across the Middle East and North Africa combine to mean well-educated young people spend years looking for work, which delays their independence and adulthood.
Joe Biden is set to make his first visit as president to the Middle East, during which he will meet the Saudi crown prince the US accuses of ordering the murder of a journalist.
In trying to present violent events in ‘neutral’ language, media reports may be ignoring power imbalances when it comes to Israeli police or military violence against Palestinian civilians.
Viewed from Cairo, the war in Ukraine poses an existential threat to something Egyptians can’t do without: abundant, cheap bread.
Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi had led the terrorist group since 2019. His death may lead to uncertainty over who will replace him but may not signal the group’s demise.
The 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks is an opportunity for teachers to focus less on recreating the day and more on what students can learn from it, two curriculum experts argue.
The caretaker leader for Afghanistan represents a compromise candidate for Taliban factions, but his reactionary past has drawn concern over the fate of minority and women’s rights.
Nothing seems to have brought a lasting peace to Palestinians and Israelis. Two Middle East scholars suggest approaches different from what has been tried before.
Drought has been a threat multiplier for centuries, fueling conflict and migration from the time of the Ottoman Empire to Syria today.
Attempts to integrate Palestinian citizens of Israel into the Israeli state have failed. What is emerging is growing solidarity with those living in occupied territories, argues a scholar of the region.
Saudi’s crown prince approved the killing and dismemberment of a Washington Post columnist in 2018, the Biden administration says. So how can the US still see the Saudis as good partners?
Biden wants to restore US global leadership after four years of Trump’s isolationism and antagonism. These are some of the challenges and opportunities he’ll face, from China to Latin America.
Biden and Trump are like night and day on foreign policy, and American global engagement would change radically under a Biden presidency. But actual Mideast policy might show only cosmetic changes.
How would Joe Biden engage a world upended by Trump? A diplomacy expert explains what Biden’s history says about his foreign policy priorities.
Israel and the United Arab Emirates weren’t at war, so their new deal is not really a peace accord. Nor does it satisfy the Palestinians, who need Arab nations to support their drive for statehood.
An expert of the Israel-Palestine conflict explains the history of Jewish settlements on the West Bank, and why they are so controversial.
Research reveals a complicated relationship between surveillance and freedom, as surveillance activities allow for greater autonomy for women hoping to work in Jordan.