‘Collective punishment is always wrong, but certainly if there is a claim that the citizens of Gaza are really supportive of this government — they’re really not,’ one of its authors told The Messenger Less than one-quarter of residents of the the Gaza Strip said they would vote for Hamas if given the opportunity, and more than two-thirds said they…
Opinions of Hamas from Palestinians in Gaza
Israel’s pummeling of Gaza with airstrikes continues almost three weeks since the attack by Hamas militants into southern Israel on Oct. 7 that killed more than 1,400 Israelis. As the death toll mounts in Gaza, there is concern that all Palestinians there are being lumped together with Hamas and seen as legitimate targets. Host Marco Werman speaks with Amaney Jamal,…
Why Iraqis are still searching for a ‘homeland’ 20 years after US invasion
Two decades after the US waged war on Iraq, the political demands and aspirations of the Iraqi people remain unfulfilled under a political system that was designed to fail The US invasion of Iraq succeeded in toppling the Baathist regime of President Saddam Hussein, but 20 years on, it clearly failed to achieve its proclaimed goal of bringing freedom, security, democracy, and prosperity to Iraq and its…
Fighting racism in Tunisia 1 bag of groceries at a time
Ordinary Tunisians are volunteering to help sub-Saharan African residents who are being persecuted. They say the issues behind the current crisis — racism and migration — should have been tackled long ago. In a cobbled lane in the Tunisian capital, canvas has been fixed to the white walls of a nearby garden to form shelters. Here and there, you also…
The Global Economy Caught Between Wars and Geopolitical Conflicts
There is a saying, “When the US economy sneezes, the emerging markets get a cold.” The global economy now may be more complex: it is more resilient in terms of where new economic growth emerges, but more vulnerable in terms of risk emanating from the United States, but also in China, and in sites of conflict and geopolitical competition. Inflation…
Tunisians Emigrate in Record Numbers as Hopes Fade for Its Economy, Democracy
They once believed that the Arab Spring would yield stability, but Tunisians are now fleeing their home country in droves TUNIS, Tunisia—Record numbers of Tunisians are leaving the country after a decade of economic turmoil and the government’s turn toward authoritarianism, dimming hopes that a younger generation can build a future in the nation that sparked the Arab Spring. The flood of Tunisian émigrés…
Xi Wins Over Arab Leaders Looking Beyond U.S. in One of Most Powerful Trips
As Chinese President Xi Jinping reemerges in-person on the world stage after more than two years of avoiding travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, his visit to Saudi Arabia may be his most impactful trip yet. The Chinese leader is seeking to bolster Beijing’s ties in a strategic region where the longstanding influence of the United States appears to be on on…
Jordan has a plan to retain nation’s youth – can they sell it?
All Anas Atef wants is to open a restaurant and live next door to his parents. His family has other plans for the 22-year-old college student: leave the country. “The last thing I want to do is leave my family and community behind, although they are all telling me to leave,” Mr. Atef says. “I’m defying them and staying. But…
China lends billions to poor countries. Is that a burden … or a blessing?
Chinese leaders have often boasted about their country’s “miracle” progress in alleviating poverty and indicated their willingness to share their expertise with other nations. Take its “Belt and Road Initiative,” also known as the New Silk Road. China has spent nearly one trillion dollars in the last decade building highways, railways, ports and energy plants from east Asia to Europe in a…