2016 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 December 2016 A Turbulent Time in Saudi-Egyptian Relations Alain Gresh · December 2016 The failed attempts to mediate between Egypt and Saudi Arabia by several Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates, have confirmed the extent to which the two countries distrust one another. And yet only a few months ago they appeared bound by a strategic alliance. What has happened? (…) November 2016 The Sykes-Picot Agreements Kawthar Guediri · November 2016 Exactly a hundred years ago, in 1916, expecting the imminent collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and in order to expand their spheres of influence in the Middle East, the United Kingdom and France concluded a secret agreement with the assent of Tsarist Russia. This accord known as the Sykes-Picot (…) Trump Disturbing Security Advisor Joe Stork · November 2016 Retired Lieutenant General Michael Thomas Flynn, appointed by Donald Trump to be his National Security Advisor, distinguished himself by Islamophobic statements and his conviction that the United States is engaged in a world war against allied islamists in Cuba, Venezuela and North Korea. (…) From Egypt to Palestine, agroecology as a weapon Ahmed Sawan · November 2016 Climate change increasingly threatens agricultural systems worldwide. A situation particularly relevant in Egypt and Palestine. The contexts are different, Egypt has faced food riots which played a part in launching the 2011 revolution, and Palestine, smothered by the Israeli occupation, faces (…) From Climate Change to War Warda Mohamed · November 2016 The work of researchers has established that climate change and the monopolisation of resources are factors in the development of armed conflict and terrorist groups. These relatively little-explored connections are relevant in many areas of the world, including Syria, Iraq, Burma and numerous (…) COP22 From Rhetoric to Action Warda Mohamed · November 2016 From November 7th to 18th this year, in Marrakech, Morocco will play host to the COP22 (United Nations Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Climate Change). To mark the occasion, Orient XXI has published a series of articles about the environment, ecology and climate justice. The (…) Why Water is an Endangered Vital Resource in the Maghreb Sana Sbouai · November 2016 In the Maghreb, water-related problems vary with the changing seasons—droughts, interruptions in service, floods—and can cause many deaths. This vital resource is increasingly scarce. In addition to the dry climate and water-intensive farming, bad government management and rising aggregate (…) Turkey. When Dams Threaten World Heritage Sites Pelin Cengiz · November 2016 As the Turkish population is preoccupied with an intense political agenda, the historic town of Hasankeyf and the Dicle (Tigris) Valley keep fighting the Ilısu dam to survive. The dam threatens populations, Islamic heritage in Turkey, and a world heritage site in Iraq. In 1954, a massive (…) In Morocco, the Intense Exploitation of Miners and the Land Continues Salaheddine Lemaizi · November 2016 This year the COP22 is taking place in Morocco. The south-west of the country is a mining area rich in natural resources: gold, silver, cobalt and manganese are extracted by powerful companies with close ties to power, at the expense of miner’s rights, in a context of major conflicts of (…) Civil Society Gears up to Tackle the Climate Crisis CCFD-Terre Solidaire · November 2016 From November 7th to 18th, Morocco will host the COP22 in Marrakesh. This is an opportunity to focus our gaze on the Maghreb, and beyond, on the Sahel and the Middle East, to shine a light on civil society fighting for climate justice in the region. The gap between the hopes raised by the Arab (…) How the Environment Became a Communications Instrument in the Gulf Akram Belkaid · November 2016 The discourse on preserving the environment and saving energy has been assimilated by leaders of the Gulf, in a region on the frontline of climate change. However, as in many cases, beyond communication efforts the reality is much less ecological. The scene takes place in September 2015 in (…) October 2016 The McMahon-Hussein Correspondence Kawthar Guediri · October 2016 Because it marches with our immediate aims, the break up of the Islamic ’block’ and the defeat and disruption of the Ottoman Empire, and because the states [Sharif Hussein] would set up to succeed the Turks would be (. . .) harmless to ourselves (. . .), The Arabs are even less stable than the (…) Mosul, Key to the Future of a Unified Iraq Myriam Benraad · October 2016 Iraqi Premier Haïdar Al-Abadi and US President Barack Obama have promised impending defeat of the Islamic State organization (IS) in Mosul. However the battle for the nerve center of the “caliphate” is turning out to be more complex than expected. Besides which there is no telling whether this (…) September 2016 The Expulsion of the Jews from Tel Aviv-Jaffa to the Lower Galilee, 1917-1918 Gur Alroey · September 2016 Before the advance of the British troops in Palestine, the Ottoman military governor, Jamal Pasha, ordered in March 1917 the evacuation of residents of Tel Aviv and Jaffa. The Jewish population were scattered mainly in Galilee, where hundreds of deportees died of disease and hunger. All (…) August 2016 German Asymmetric Warfare in World War I Alexander Will · August 2016 Germany’s unorthodox World-War-I-operations in the Near and Middle East do not suit as proof for aggressive imperialism. These operations were rather signs of both weakness and the ability to adapt to a strategic situation of weakness which the Central Powers faced in the oriental theater of (…) June 2016 A Consul for all Seasons: the Spanish Diplomatic Mission in Jerusalem during World War I Roberto Mazza · June 2016 Antonio de la Cierva y Lewita, Count of Ballobar, was a Spanish consul in Jerusalem from 1913 to 1919. In charge of protecting Spanish institutions and possessions, he became involved with other religious orders, then was gradually brought to manage British and French interests in Palestine; (…) May 2016 Algerians and the First World War Gilbert Meynier · May 2016 Throughout the First World War, Algeria has provided the French colonial power not only substantial material support, but especially thousands of “indigenous” soldiers. Zouaves and “tirailleurs”, praised for their bravery, yet never had access to full citizenship. Conscious of having helped (…) April 2016 The Veil and the Political Unconscious of French Republicanism Joan W. Scott · April 2016 The French obsession with the veil exceeds that of most other countries in the West. Why? Analysis of an American historian specializing in France. The official French preoccupation with the veil exceeds that of most other countries in Western Europe. In the Anglo-American world, even post (…) March 2016 Stories of Egyptian atheists in a hyper-religious society Clothilde Mraffko · March 2016 Although atheists are a tiny minority in Egypt, their convictions have provoked many debates, especially since the uprising of January-February 2011. Yet it is still very difficult for anyone to voice his/her rejection of religion in a society steeped in faith. N. is trying to tie her niqab (…)