2023 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 December 2023 Israel: A Resilient Economy in Spite of the War Jean-Pierre Sereni · December 2023 The war and the mobilisation of hundreds of thousands under the flag involve strain on the Israeli economy. However, in the short and medium term, it seems capable of holding its own. The war unleashed after the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 caught a prosperous Israeli economy off-guard: a (…) Can We Speak of a “Genocide” in Gaza? Ziad Majed · December 2023 The use of the term “genocide” remains very limited in France, often put in quotation marks by the press, and presented as excessive. However, if we go back to international law, the relevance of the term to the massacre that has been taking place in Gaza since October 7 is clear. Indeed, the (…) November 2023 Understanding the Enigma of the Egyptian Left Hesham Sallam · November 2023 Although the Egyptian street has always seemed to favor the emergence of left-wing power, this political current has been losing the battle to the Islamists and to the government for several decades now. This is due to a lack of autonomy fostered by the regimes of presidents Gamal Abdel Nasser (…) The Intertwined Destinies of Europe and North Africa Alex Simon · November 2023 Climate change, which governments and NGOs are expected to tackle at COP 28 in Dubai, calls for reflection on the interdependence of societies, particularly in the Mediterranean. In this context, migration policies, in particular, which seek to turn Europe into a fortress, seem to run counter to (…) European Funding for Palestine: Cooperation or Counterinsurgency? Taher Labadi · November 2023 Once again, the financial lever is at the heart of Europe’s response to ‘the resurgence of the Middle East conflict’, alongside public statements on ‘Israel’s right to defend itself’. Although the sustainability of this aid is not in doubt for now, the announcement of tighter controls and (…) Migratory Deal with Egypt. French Ships in Murky Waters · November 2023 Three French companies Civipol, Défense Conseil International (DCI) and Couach are going to provide the Egyptian navy with three search and rescue ships (SAR) along with their crews. This delivery, part of the migratory arrangement with Egypt, is likely to render the European Union complicit (…) In France, Freedom of Speech Flouted and Repressed Laurent Bonnefoy · November 2023 Since 7 October, the acts of war in the Middle East are the object of commentaries non-stop. However, a parallel process remains off-screen: the shrinkage of the space allotted in Europe and especially in France to the expression of any form of support for the rights of the people of Palestine. (…) You Need Orient XXI, Orient XXI Needs You · November 2023 If proof were needed that Orient XXI is indispensable, the war against Gaza brings each day the horrific confirmation. Ever since Hamas and its allies attacked Israel on 7 October, we have seen an avalanche of propaganda from many French media, especially the television channels. With their (…) The ‘Global South’ Takes on the IMF Jean-Pierre Sereni · November 2023 In Johannesburg, New Delhi, and Marrakech, between August and October 2023, on the occasion of three summit meetings, the ‘Global South’ showed its strength in international economic negotiations. This was a first which will have major consequences in the more or less near future. It all (…) October 2023 Syria. In Suwayda the Druze Start their Own Revolution Mazen Ezzi · October 2023 Since August 2023, Suwayda Province in Southern Syria has witnessed periodic demonstrations calling for the end of the Bachar al-Assad regime. This movement has caused astonishment, twelve years after the uprising which led to the civil war, especially coming from the Druze community which up (…) The Abraham Accords, Expression of a Fundamentalist Religious Alliance Hicham Alaoui · October 2023 The war in Gaza has overshadowed the normalisation agreements signed in 2020 between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco. Beyond its geopolitical dimension, one aspect of this alliance has been overlooked: despite their theological differences, the fundamentalists of the three (…) Attack of some, defense of others. A Western sentence Leyane Ajaka Dib Awada · October 2023 Although it was conceived and executed like a military operation, the attack carried out under the direction of Hamas’ Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades around the Gaza Strip on 7 October 2023 was described in Paris as in Tel Aviv as a terrorist attack. This parallel reveals the differing ethnic (…) Gaza-Palestine: The Right to Resist Oppression Alain Gresh · October 2023 It was also in the month of October, exactly 50 years ago, in 1973. The Egyptian and Syrian armies crossed the cease-fire lines ad inflicted heavy losses on the Israeli army. What a dreadful commotion in Tel Aviv! While their intelligence services had information that an attack was imminent, the (…) The Archaeological Site of Luxor Becomes an Amusement Park Sophie Pommier · October 2023 Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the antique city of Thebes is an important historical location Renamed Luxor in modern times, it has recently undergone profound changes associated with both new archaeological discoveries and an ambitious policy of touristic development. Among the (…) September 2023 Maxime Rodinson: What Marxism Can Teach Us About the History of Islam Renaud Soler · September 2023 Between the nineteen fifties and nineties, Maxime Rodinson (1915–2004) was one of France’s most famous Arabists. Gifted with an admirable encyclopedic culture, author of thousands of recensions, he was also an influential member of the left-wing intelligentsia, often called upon by the media for (…) 13 September 1993. Oslo, a Fools’ Bargain Christian Jouret · September 2023 The ‘Oslo process’ has been passed off as one which favours a peaceful settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; actually, it only benefited one side, Israel, the only ‘negotiator’ to gain any advantage in that fool’s bargain that constituted the different accords that followed the signing (…) Petroleum. Turkey vs. Iraq, but the Kurds are Collateral Victims Benoît Drevet · September 2023 In March 2023 Turkey was found guilty by an international tribunal of having purchased oil directly from Iraqi Kurdistan between 2014 and 2018. Since then, oil exports from Iraq to Turkey are at a standstill resulting in a heavy loss of income for the Erbil authorities, even though Iraq has (…) Lamartine, in the forgotten years of French Islamophilia Louis Blin · September 2023 Hard as it is to believe today, in the course of French literary history, many writers displayed, vis a vis Islam, a desire to understand, a real tolerance and an open-mindedness which have now vanished completely among most of our intellectuals. The poet Alphonse de Lamartine is a case in (…) Archetype of a Failure Daniel Levy · September 2023 The Oslo process could have succeeded if Israel had made the effort to make its terms acceptable to a Palestinian leadership that had shown a willingness to compromise and had sufficient legitimacy to seal an agreement. This has not been the case, quite the contrary, with Israel continuing its (…) Egypt: A New Capital Bogged Down by Speculation Jeanne Gorin · September 2023 A report from POMED, a human rights organisation, published in June, reveals the hidden finances behind the construction of the New Administrative Capital of Egypt. President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s showcase project, as he prepares to stand for a new term of office in 2024, might nonetheless be (…) August 2023 “Nefertiti wants to go home” Alain Gresh · August 2023 The bust of Queen Nefertiti is without doubt one of the most fascinating artefacts from Egypt’s Pharaonic period. Discovered with many other objects by German archaeologists in 1912, its display in Berlin just as Europe’s biggest exhibition of modern art was under way provoked a storm. The (…) July 2023 The Criminalisation of Solidarity with Palestine Is Gaining Ground in Europe Baudouin Loos · July 2023 On 3 July 2023, the British Parliament passed a bill making boycotts illegal and which primarily targets those who oppose the policies of Israel. And Britain is not alone, since the phenomenon has gathered momentum in Germany, Great Britain, and France: in different ways, active support of the (…) USA: Anti-BDS laws extended to serve the most reactionary causes Sylvain Cypel · July 2023 In the United States, as in Europe now, many laws against BDS are being passed to protect Israel from that grass-roots movement demanding concrete measures against the occupation of Palestine. A recent documentary examines the anti-BDS campaign and indicates how it is being extended to ban (…) June 2023 To guard its borders, Europe rushes to Tunisia’s bedside Hatem Nafti · June 2023 While President Kais Saied’s regime is having a hard time reaching an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, Tunisia has seen several European leaders – French and Italian in particular – flying to the rescue. Helping hands which are anything but disinterested, meant to develop the (…) The SCO Expansion in the Gulf: A New Centre of Attraction for the Middle East? Francesco Salesio Schiavi · June 2023 In recent years, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has become a magnet for the Middle East, with several countries in the region knocking on the group’s door. Its successes testify to the redefinition of global balances and the growing influence of China and Russia in a region considered to (…) France. Islamophobia and culture wars, the Bergeaud-Blacker “case” Jocelyne Cesari · June 2023 More than ever, France seems to be torn apart by identity-based fractures, which are not only maintained by the extreme right and patent racists. Over the past five years, the debate on islamophobia has become more acrimonious, less academic and more political. Based on her academic experience (…) The Turkish diaspora and 2023 presidential election Samim Akgönül · June 2023 The Turkish diaspora around the world has mobilised for the presidential and legislative elections in May 2023. Although the diaspora is not a homogenous group, and its choices are influenced by social, ethnic and even religious divisions, 60 % of them voted for Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Turkey’s (…) India: The ‘Love Jihad,’ an Islamophobic Crusade Against Mixed Marriages Victoria Lavelle · June 2023 The interreligious marriages between a Muslim man and a Hindu woman are the object of many discriminations. Since 2020, blinded by their hatred, the Indian far right have pushed through laws in several States allegedly meant to prevent forced conversions, aimed especially at Muslims. On 18 (…) May 2023 Here and there. For a Free, Independent and Humanist Voice · May 2023 The spaces for free expression are fast shrinking in countries where only yesterday the people rose up against a stifling power structure. In Algeria, after the Hirak rebellion, the time has come for impounding and silencing as witness the fate of our brothers and sisters at Maghreb Émergent and (…) War in Sudan: The Shadow of the Islamists Gwenaëlle Lenoir · May 2023 While the fighting continues, especially in Khartoum and the Darfur, the two protagonists, Abdelfattah Al-Burhan and Hemetti appear determined to pursue their bout down to the last Sudanese. But behind these clashes we can detect the ‘fine Italian hand’ of the ousted Omar Al-Bashir and his (…) In Israel, the Settlers on the Counter-offensive Clothilde Mraffko · May 2023 Galvanised by an ultra-nationalist government, the Israeli colonists are intensifying all their efforts in view of a partial annexation of the West Bank of the Jordan. Their intention is also to provide support for Benyamin Netanyahu faced with the opposition of a large share of the population (…) Impunity for the Murder of Shireen Abu Akleh Alain Gresh · May 2023 On 11 May 2002, Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed while covering an assault on Jenin. The case could have been buried, she was neither the first nor the last Palestinian journalist to be killed by Israeli forces without any soldier ever being prosecuted . Israel initially blamed (…) Israel-Palestine: From Colonisation Straight to Apartheid Alain Gresh · May 2023 The debate scheduled to be held on 4 May in the French National Assembly on a resolution condemning the ‘institutionalisation by the State of Israel of an apartheid regime consequent upon its colonial policies’ has aroused outraged protests, roars of indignation and predictable accusations of (…) April 2023 Indonesia: A Delicate Balance Between Muslim Orthodoxy and Nationalism Rémy Madinier · April 2023 Following the wave of terrorism at the turn of the new century, the political class of the world’s most populous Muslim country was predominantly in favour of increasing the role of Islam. The rulers have often been opportunistic in matters of religion, knowing they must indulge the (…) The Passionate Life of an Egyptian – Communist and Jew Alain Gresh · April 2023 A journey of almost a century through the history of Egypt, from monarchy to republic, from British occupation to national independence and the nationalisation of the Suez Canal Company. And how to be an Egyptian, a Jew and a communist at the same time. ‘Does your homeland stick to the sole (…) Egypt at Ramadan time. There Are Ads in My Pop! Pierre France · April 2023 When some brands partner with stars for unreleased songs, what is happening in Egypt has a unique scope, where advertising itself is bringing out a new pop aesthetic. With all the contradictions of such a marriage. It is 1 a.m. on Ahmed Tarek Yahya’s rooftop in Cairo, and the workday is just (…) Afghanistan: the U.S. Has Frozen the Assets of its Central Bank, the Population Foots the Bill Line Golestani · April 2023 Since the Taliban have taken power again, Washington has frozen the Afghan central bank’s U.S. holdings, a move which has aggravated the humanitarian crisis in that country without affecting the regime. And the creation of a fund in Switzerland, meant to manage half the money has had little (…) Saudi Arabia Relies on China to Secure its Normalisation with Iran Fatiha Dazi-Héni · April 2023 The announcement in Beijing on 10 March 2023 of the normalisation of Saudi-Iranian relations had a resounding echo across the world. It will affect the delicate geopolitical balance in the competition between the two superpowers, China and the USA, in a region which is under tension and where (…) Tunisia: Exploiting Fear and Rivalries, Kais Saied Stands Alone at the Helm Sarra Grira · April 2023 Add restrictions on civil liberties to the looming economic crisis. Several political opponents have been arrested and human rights activists arraigned. Yet far from making people want to organise protests, the situation is marked by a fear of arbitrary persecution and by defeatism. ‘Will I (…) How Africa Has Become the Epicentre of Jihadist Activity Wassim Nasr · April 2023 Though territorialy defeated in Iraq and Syria, since 2014 the Islamic State Organisation have given themselves the means to set up shop in Africa. By no means a secondary battlefield, the continent is today the epicentre of jihadist activities, the populations of the Sahel offering them an (…) March 2023 Disinformation: Another Israeli Repression Technology for Sale Shir Hever · March 2023 An international network of investigative journalists, Forbidden Stories, is conducting a global investigation into ’disinformation mercenaries’. Israel, the leading exporter of services in smear campaigns, fake news and election rigging, reaps juicy profits, but may be held legally responsible (…) Political Crisis, Democracy, Colonisation Alain Gresh · March 2023 With this “focus Israel”, Orient XXI is republishing a series of articles dealing with the consequences of Benyamin Netanyahu’s government’s justice reform project, provisionally suspended on 26 March 2023. Despite the actual vote on the reform in July, the anti-reform movement remains (…) Egyptian Duo Nasa4nasa Summons the Internet on Stage Sama Waly · March 2023 Cairo-based dance duo Nasa4nasa (Noura Seif and Salma Abdelsalam) premiered their latest performance, No Mercy in August 2022, at Rawabet theatre in downtown Cairo, leaving a packed audience mesmerised before launching their European tour this winter with a performance at HAU Berlin, Germany. (…) Paris-Washington, From Quarrels to Reconciliation Christian Jouret · March 2023 Differences between French and American diplomacy have always existed, with periods of tension or calm. It is this circuit between tumult and appeasement that was followed on the occasion of the American intervention in Iraq in 2003 — to which France was opposed, and then in 2005 when Syria left (…) Sanctions: “Protect Syrians and seek a political solution” Alain Gresh · March 2023 The earthquake that has ravaged Turkey and Syria has put the sanctions against Bashar Al-Assad’s regime back on the agenda. Are they still justified? Are they effective? Do they hurt the regime or the population? Brigitte Curmi, French Ambassador for Syria, answers our questions. Alain Gresh. (…) Palestine: Emmanuel Macron Is Covering the Fascists in Israel Alain Gresh · March 2023 What more does it need? The governing coalition now established in Israel includes ministers who in any other country would be labelled fascists. Some of them have been defined as neo-Nazis by Daniel Blatman, professor at the Institute of Contemporary Jewish Studies at the Hebrew University and (…) Iran. “Guardians of the Revolution” or Guardians of the regime? Stéphane A. Dudoignon · March 2023 One of the pre-conditions on which Iran insists in the nuclear negotiaitions is that the Guardians of the Revolution be removed from the US list of terrorist organisations, all the while trying to convince the EU not to include them on its own list as the European Parliament recommended early in (…) February 2023 Palestinian Citizens in Israel Hostage to Organised Crime Clothilde Mraffko · February 2023 In 2022, 109 Palestinian citizens of Israel were killed as a result of criminal actions. The authorities have turned a blind eye, as long as the murders did not affect Jews. On Fridays, Watfa Jabali spends the day with her eight grandchildren on her land, on the edge of Tayibe, a town in (…) End of an Era for Many, As BBC Arabic Radio Closes Down Jim Muir · February 2023 At midday GMT on Friday 27 January, the BBC’s Arabic radio station closed down with the same words with which it launched its first broadcast 85 years earlier: ‘This is London, the British Broadcasting Corporation’. The closure brought a wave of nostalgia and regret from many throughout the (…) From South Africa to Israel, the Three Pillars of Apartheid Naeem Jenah · February 2023 How does a South African and former anti-apartheid activist feel about visiting Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories? Classification of the population, freedom of choice of residence and movement, importance of security: based on the three central drivers of separation, Na’eem Jeenah (…) January 2023 Qatar 2022. An Unconventional Tournament Draws the Lines of the Old World Laurent Bonnefoy · January 2023 There is no doubt but what the 2022 football World Cup in Qatar constituted a political event of prime importance. Yet while prior to the tournament and during it there were heated debates, there have been few overall assessments. And yet one month after December 18, finale with its twists and (…) The Financial Cancer That Is Eating Away at the Heart of Algeria Jean-Pierre Sereni · January 2023 Like Janus, the two-faced Roman god, the Algerian financial system conceals two-time bombs, each as dangerous as the other for the future of the country: an insane mass of subsidies which weigh a good quarter of the GDP and a constantly expanding budget deficit of almost the same dimensions. (…) Tunisia in the mirror of the democratic transition in Latin America Youssef Cherif, Richard Feinberg · January 2023 A decade after the Arab Uprisings of 2010-11, these popular aspirations have largely faded. In Tunisia, the nation’s deepening economic crisis has disappointed citizens hoping that democracy would usher in a new prosperity. But both Tunisia and other nations undergoing transitions from (…) Storm Warning in Egypt Jean-Pierre Sereni · January 2023 In line with an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Egyptian Central Bank has stopped supporting the Egyptian pound since the beginning of the year. The local currency is now trading at a little under EGP30 to the dollar. In a single year, it has lost 70% of its value. When (…) Israel. Ever More to the Right, a Race to the Abyss Ezra Nahmad, Sylvain Cypel · January 2023 Who is going to stop the repressive government of the extreme nationalist, colonial and religious right set up by Benyamin Netanyahu? Its coalition agreement suggests a worst-case scenario. Sylvain Cypel and Ezra Nahmad outline what the latter calls “Israel’s descent into the abyss”. On 30 (…) Iraq, Syria, Turkey… Trivialising the Use of Chemical Weapons Nina Chastel · January 2023 Like the rulers of Iraq and Syria a few years ago, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is believed to have used chemical weapons in his war on the Kurdish people. This information remains to be confirmed, and has, as usual, scarcely stirred many reactions in the “international community”. (…)