Syria

The Masks Have Fallen, Revealing the Ugly Faces of Imposters; We Are Left Alone to Face our God

The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has accused the US-led international coalition against ISIS of committing what it called a “brutal massacre” in the countryside of Deir el-Zor, following a military strike by the coalition against the headquarters of the “Syrian Democratic Forces,” an ideological militia comprised of a variety of ethnic and religious minorities.
Meanwhile, Al-Ghouta, an area under the control of the Syrian opposition, has witnessed the highest number of casualties in a single week since 2015, with 229 deaths, as a result of relentless bombing by Syrian government forces. Read more

Palestine-Israel

Recent Calls for the Replacement of Palestinian Leadership Might Just be Another Paternalistic Scheme with a “Civilizing” Agenda that Ignores the Realities on the Ground

Western media discourses surrounding the Palestine-Israel conflict have recently born witness to a virtual flood of appeals for the replacement of Palestinian leadership. Whether in reference to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas or Palestinian leadership more generally, such calls are made in response to the supposed failure on the part of the leadership to seek peace with Israel. Within such discourses, the Palestinian leadership is likewise portrayed as betraying its own population in its adamant refusal to pursue the peace Palestinians overwhelmingly want and need – coupled with accusations of creeping totalitarianism and festering corruption. The deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza has been likewise ascribed to political infighting, with very little mention of the longstanding Israeli blockade or devastation left in the wake of recent wars. Read more

Iraq

Talk of Post-War Reconstruction in Syria and Iraq Renews Questions of Christian Allegiance in Middle East Nations

As ISIS’s existence as a military power to reckon with on the field of battle has dwindled over the past weeks, there is increasing talk of “reconstruction” with regards to Syria and Iraq. In Syria, “reconstruction” has very much been about the reinstatement of the Assad Regime. Russia’s goal is to restore the regime to its pre-war status. From the EU perspective, they are likely to try and use their potential involvement in the reconstruction of Syria as a card to set some conditions on the post-war Assad regime. But the odds of all agendas (Russian and European, in addition to American and UN) being reconciled in the reconstruction process are very low. Moreover, the inability to reconstruct in a way that addresses the original causes of the war are likely to lead to a recurrence of violence. Read more

Egypt

The Egyptian Presidential Election in March Raises Concerns about the Future of Egypt’s Democracy and about the Church’s Decisions about Its Loyalties

The Egyptian Presidential election will take place this month (26-28 Mar 2018) and Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi, the incumbent, though not the only candidate on the ballot, is the presumed winner. Unfortunately, other candidates have not fared well.
Former army chief of staff Sami Anan was arrested on 23 January, taken from his car by armed police. He is the fourth potential candidate to be arrested after announcing plans to oppose President al-Sisi in the elections. Mr. Anan was criticized in a public statement of the army for presenting his candidacy without obtaining formal permission from the military. Read more

Algeria

In Light of the Economic Challenges in Algeria, We Look to the Church for Creativity in Its Contribution to the Common Good

Algeria began 2018 with economic indicators and projections warning it of a more difficult year than 2017. The Algerian government is facing enormous economic challenges as the country enters its fourth consecutive year of financial crisis resulting from the decline of oil revenues. This has intensified fear among Algerian citizens with regard to a forthcoming increase in prices on products.
The World Bank reports that the Algerian economy is expected to slow down and the real GDP growth is expected to average 1.2% in 2017-2019. The economic slow-down will be accompanied by an increase in the unemployment rate, which is expected to reach up to 13.2% at the end of 2018. Last year, the unemployment rate reached 11.7%, while in 2016 it was 10.5%. Read more