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This article delves into the question, "What factors and events in US-Iranian relations over the past four, nearly five, decades have prevented diplomacy from taking hold?"
Part I of this…
The following organizations have upcoming deadlines for their conferences, fellowships, and additional language resources:
The Middle East Studies…
More than a year after the events of October 7th, public university administrations have struggled to make progress on the Israel-Palestine question. Not only has the general American public been…
By Melinda McClimans and Krishna Kewale
For decades, the Israel-Palestine conflict has been an important topic in news media. However, it remains one Americans are not comfortable discussing…
Civil rights form an important part of U.S. citizenship that shapes our identity and informs American attitudes and cultural norms. We value democracy and equal treatment of all citizens…
As members of an academic community with deep interest in the Middle East and North Africa region, we extend our sympathy and concern for all impacted by the violence in Israel…
As the people of Derna cope with the deadliest flood in Africa since 1900, Libyans are on an ongoing search for missing persons. Furthermore, people fear the lasting consequences of such a…
On the third national day of mourning in Morocco, as declared by King Mohammad VI, we at Ohio State join communities all over the nation, as the world gathers to show support for the victims of…
The Middle East Studies Center at The Ohio State University condemns the tragic and brutal death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman who died in the custody of the Iranian Morality Police…
By: Thorayah Abdelqader, Lead Intern
Saudi Arabia’s decision to lift the ban on women driving came with great surprise and joy to the international world. This change in policy was so…
By Cheyenne l'Auclair (Hall)
Last week, I met with Dr. Alam Payind, Director of the Middle East Studies Center at Ohio State to discuss al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula…
By Alex Rand
For the past four decades the United States has found itself increasingly committed to developments in the Middle East. Its involvement has made it one of the region’s major…
By: Thorayah Abdelqader
The crisis in Yemen is still getting worse as starvation, disease and destruction spreads. The country is battling a civil war and facing interference from outside…
By Alex Rand
Background
‘Rojava’ can be a nebulous term. Rojava references West Kurdistan, a series of Kurdish majority cantons spread throughout Syria’s northeast, north, and…
By: Thorayah Abdelqader
There have been multiple outbreaks of Cholera worldwide, with one of the biggest outbreaks occurring in the aftermath of the natural disasters that hit…
By Cierra Carafice
The ongoing civil war in Syria has been a very visible and heavily discussed conflict. However, one of the more obscure facets of this war is the toll it has taken on…
By Alex Rand
Part 4: Implications of the Referendum
The referendum itself is not exactly a close vote by any stretch of the imagination. The ultimate result will be…
By Alex Rand
Part 1: Historical Context
For as long as the Kurds have existed they have been subject to non-Kurdish rule, whether it be Arab, Persian, Ottoman,…
By Alex Rand
Part 2: Natural Resources Dilemma
One of the several hurdles facing Kurdish efforts for independence comes in the form of natural resources. The…
By Alex Rand
Part 3: Political, Diplomatic, and Military Realities
Should Iraqi Kurdistan’s referendum succeed the next set of hurdles facing the KRG center around…
By Alex Rand
To most readers, the idea of cracking open a book on Central Asian history sounds unpleasant. Unfamiliar places and strange names tend to throw off most western readers, since…
By Tophie Fisher
On Monday October 17, 2017,the battle to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from the hands of the so-called Islamic State (IS) began. The offensive, which is a joint operation…
By Natalie Hettle
Yemen’s water crisis is the worst in the Middle East. Yemen is located on a dry, semi-arid portion of the Arabian Peninsula. Yemen has no rivers unlike Syria, Egypt, Iraq…
By Alex Rand
The age-old adage goes “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”. However, the United States now finds itself in a situation of “the enemy of my friend is still my friend”. In the…
By Tophie FIsher
As one of the most iconic and perpetual conflicts in the past century, Israeli-Palestinian relations in 2016 remain mired in the same caustic struggle that characterized…
By: Taylor Giordullo
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the nationalization of the Suez Canal, a landmark feat for Egypt that defined it as an independent nation. On July 26, 1956,…
by Gabriel Giddens
In March we held a symposium that addressed the complex issues associated with extremist jihadi groups in the Middle East. The entire symposium can be viewed here. This…
by Gabriel Giddens
The following gives updates on the Kurds in Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran.
Iraq
Late last year, the Peshmerga forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government …
by Gabriel Giddens, MESC Academic Intern
After consulting with Yemeni authorities in December 2015, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) issued a statement warning the international…
The US Embassy in Baghdad issues a statement [1], including a fact sheet of the major concerns. Residents in the threatened areas are encouraged to move a minimum of 6 kilometers away from their…
By Gabriel Giddens
We posted on Syrian migration back in September, and hosted a conversation online. According to the UN, 50% of Syrians are now either internally displaced, have become…
Today the director of the Middle East Studies Center was interviewed along with Nathan Lean of Georgetown University's Bridge Initiative to discuss Islamophobia. You can listen to the entire…
Although US and Russia both are supposedly working toward the same goal of destroying ISIL, they have many divergent goals as well. If indeed targeting Da’esh/ISIL is what both of them are working…