Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani met last week with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House as part of a weeklong visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations. The visit occurred amid several historic anniversaries and dangerous developments in the Middle East. April marks the 21st anniversary of the toppling of Saddam Hussein. Since 2003, the U.S.-Iraq rela
Read MoreIslamic Anti-Christian Polemics in the West *. By Salah Abdul Razak ** - An Explorative and Typological Approach to a Contemporary Religious Phenomenon Introduction During the last two decades, the new Islamic revival has led to many developments in the field of Islamic religious polemics. The Islamic world confronts many challenges in its relationship with the We
Read MoreThe Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is expected to grow modestly in 2024, returning to the low growth that prevailed in the decade before the pandemic. In addition to examining the macroeconomic outlook of the region, this edition of the semi-annual MENA Economic Update, titled Conflict and Debt in the Middle East and North Africa, includes two special sections. The
Read MoreProxy battles: Iraq, Iran, and the turmoil in the Middle East. By Hamza Hadad. Summary The war in Gaza has deepened the Middle East’s fault lines. Iran and its proxies and the US and Israel have engaged in a cycle of tit-for-tat attacks across the region, with the Israeli bombing of the Iranian consulate in Syria and Iran’s direct retaliation against Israel threatening to
Read MoreTwo decades ago, the United States assisted the Iraqi people in overthrowing the dictatorial regime of Saddam Hussein and laying the foundations for a democratic system. It enabled Iraqis to taste freedom for the "first time, eliminating the oppression and the misuse of resources that had caused problems not only for my country but also for the region more broadly. Since the
Read More