News
The Tragic and Brutal Death of Mahsa Amini
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…
Media Buzz Over Saudi Women Driving May Be Misleading (opinion)
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…
Interview with the Director: Weakened government, corruption helps extremism flourish
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…
A Bear in the Desert: Russia’s Increasing Involvement in the Middle East
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…
Yemen Update
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…
From Kobane to Raqqa
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…
Yemen's Cholera Outbreak
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 Haiti in…
Where Do We Go From Here? The Story of Syria's Public Health System
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…
Birth of a Nation? Analysis of the Kurdish Independence Referendum
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, British or a myriad…