Fenjan Summer 2020 Issue : simplebooklet.com

P C Fadel Itani via Getty Images Beirut Blast Cripples an Already Broken Lebanon tectonic collision Food shortage is preventable The crises that Lebanon faces today are the result of decades of normalized corruption and state ineptitude Ever since Lebanon emerged from the bloody civil war which ended in the early 90s political dynasties have controlled the country Today the leaders of the majority of Lebanon s political parties are products of these dynasties 4 The malpractice of the political ruling class goes beyond any one instance of corruption Corruption is rampant across almost every single sector from electricity to agriculture to public works Power is cut all over the country every single day A dense river of garbage meandered through Beirut s suburbs for years because the government refused to fund a waste management program 5 There were over 100 wildfires in 2019 alone and almost no government response 6 With traffic in the country already horrendous many politicians still find the need to travel in extravagant motorcades summoned by bodyguards who will shoot bystanders for expressing free speech 7 It is the political culture of the nation to take one s anguish into one s own hands while the government sits idly by The explosion led to new demonstrations Last October activists took to the streets in mass By Ali Osman and Blake Kernen The dust settled on an already broken city In a single moment 300 000 people were made homeless at least 200 died more are missing and over 6 000 are injured On the afternoon of August 4 an explosion rocked Lebanon s capital The source was 2 700 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored for nearly six years brought to Beirut on a ship bound for Mozambique which stayed put when the owner couldn t pay the port fees 1 Throughout the six years port officials repeatedly notified government leaders of the dangers of storing the explosive material within Beirut s densely populated city center However they did nothing The blast was initially registered as a magnitude 3 3 earthquake on the Richter scale its reverberations shattered windows 15 miles away being felt so far as 150 miles off the coast on the island of Cyprus 2 Plumes billowed into the sky fire engulfed the surrounding infrastructure and ash soaked into everything like dye The country was already on its knees dealing with one of the worst socioeconomic and political crises in its history In the 10 months preceding the explosion the Lebanese pound had lost almost 80 percent of its value retirement funds and life savings all devalued into pocket change Lebanon which relies heavily on imports now struggles to bring food and supply local markets after the country s main port was destroyed Lebanon was already stricken with food shortage a pandemic an economic crisis and now an explosion compared to nuclear warfare what could have been an avoidable disaster 3 How did Lebanon get here Explosions are not inevitable natural disasters Economic failure is not the result of 6 protests demanding government accountability better living conditions and an end to corruption Then and now they were met with rubber bullets teargas and BB guns The Lebanese economic refugee food waste and public health crises and most notably this explosion are symptoms of a corrupt political system Lebanon s government has been divided along sectarian lines since gaining independence from France in 1943 often hindering public appointments and limiting the pool of potential politicians On August 11 newly appointed Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced that he is resigning and dissolving his cabinet as a result of the explosion The resignation of his government adds another plunder to the many failed attempts of politicians trying to form govern and navigate a broken system Moreover there is no guarantee that a new administration would be less corrupt The only option left may be an upheaval of the entire system How many more people have to die How many more children must go hungry How many more hours must be spent in the darkness for a new system to emerge one that respects and serves the Lebanese people 7

Page 7

Page 8

When Pride is a Death Sentence By Marissa Ephron and electric shocks 6 From there she was taken overpowers the force of international law 12 In fact to a police station and charged with joining most MENA countries criminalize LGBTQIA a banned group aimed at interfering with the behavior 13 constitution and promoting sexual deviancy and Even though homosexuality is not debauchery 3 4 Hegazy said authorities at the police explicitly illegal in Egypt authorities have executed station encouraged other detainees to sexually an organized crusade against the LGBTQIA assault her 4 6 community since President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi After three months of solitary confinement took power in 2013 Police have used dating apps in a women s prison Hegazy was finally released and social media for monitoring and entrapment on bail 4 6 Shortly after her release she reported resulting in the arrest and imprisonment of suffering from hallucinations severe PTSD and hundreds of Egyptians for consensual samedepression sex conduct 2 14 They are typically charged with Prison killed me It destroyed me 4 habitual debauchery under a 1961 law intended to Fired from her job and fearful for her safety combat prostitution 14 Hegazy fled to Canada where she was later granted In September 2017 Egypt s Supreme asylum 6 But although she physically escaped from Council for Media Regulation issued a statement Egypt she was unable to escape the trauma of her prohibiting the promotion or dissemination of experience there homosexual slogans calling it a sickness and a While in Canada Hegazy detailed her disgrace 15 The state s Forensic Medicine Authority thoughts and feelings in her writing She discussed also subjects people to forced anal examinations her panic attacks nightmares which they believe can provide anxiety and multiple suicide evidence for homosexual attempts Life in exile was bleak conduct 2 Forced anal exams are and lonely A month after she considered torture and have been arrived in Canada Hegazy s mother widely condemned Egypt is one died of cancer She was unable to of the only countries in the MENA return to Egypt to grieve with her region that still uses this harmful Hegazy s mere siblings which only compounded practice 16 her already debilitating pain In addition to the existence was Home is not land and escalation of violence against a threat to the borders It s about people you love Egypt s LGBTQIA population state Here in Canada I haven t people I from 2013 to 2017 arrests trials haven t family I haven t friends So of civilians in military courts I m not happy here forced disappearances and death Hegazy also hoped to go sentences have also increased back to Egypt to continue fighting during this time 13 Regrettably against discrimination capitalism these circumstances have not and Western imperialism and to improved to this day Egypt help others being targeted for their political beliefs routinely subjects its people to these very same or sexual orientation things Anti government protests are rare as If I get the help and I can feel like I m political dissidents are often arrested and detained finally free from it I ll be able to not only help my Egypt is responsible for numerous human brother and sister but hundreds of people who I rights violations but it is particularly hostile towards know need it 7 girls women and the LGBTQIA community 17 She never got that chance At least 17 LGBTQIA people have been arrested Hegazy should not have been arrested this year 6 As an openly gay woman who actively tortured or imprisoned without due process of opposed the Egyptian government Hegazy s mere the law In fact Egypt s actions at every step of existence was a threat to the state the way were illegal under international law 8 9 In Egypt every person who is not male Importantly the United Nations has reaffirmed Muslim Sunni straight and a supporter of the that international human rights law protects system is rejected repressed stigmatized arrested people from discrimination based on their gender exiled or killed 3 identity and or sexual orientation 10 Egypt s own Hegazy s story is infuriating and constitution also outlaws torture and physical and excruciating but she was nowhere near the only mental abuse of detainees 11 one to suffer at the hands of Egyptian society It Still no one has been held accountable in is essential that we continue her work of resisting the case of Hegazy and many others 3 The prevailing oppression and advocating for human rights Only culture of repression and intolerance of LGBTQIA through this fight can we hope to prevent more people that exists within Egypt and the majority tragedies like hers of the Middle East and North Africa MENA P C Jane Arraf via NPR not only with the Mashrou Leila vocalist but for everyone who is oppressed We were proud to hold the flag We wouldn t have imagined the reaction of society and the Egyptian state For them I was a criminal someone who was seeking to destroy the moral structure of society 4 An outspoken gay and socialist activist Hegazy received death threats after photographs of her holding the flag went viral on social media 5 6 The Egyptian state and conservative media were enraged by what they viewed as a brazen act of defiance In the few weeks following the concert authorities intensified their anti LGBTQIA campaign arresting people on charges of debauchery 2 At least 75 people were arrested after the concert some of whom were given sentences ranging from one to six years in prison Hegazy was arrested just days after the concert and transported to a detention center where she was tortured with sensual deprivation To my siblings I tried to find redemption and failed forgive me To my friends the experience journey was harsh and I am too weak to resist it forgive me To the world you were cruel to a great extent but I forgive These were 30 year old Sarah Hegazy s final words written before she took her own life on June 14 1 Three years earlier on September 22 2017 Hegazy made one fatal move waving a rainbow flag at a Mashrou Leila concert in Cairo Egypt 2 3 In Hegazy s home country of Egypt public displays of LGBTQIA pride constitute a dangerous act of resistance The performance of Mashrou Leila a Lebanese band with an openly gay lead singer Hamed Sinno and a history of LGBTQIA advocacy was then dangerous in itself However Hegazy and several other concertgoers waving the pride flag created the perfect storm for the violent crackdown that would soon follow 2 It was an act of support and solidarity 8 9

Page 9

Page 10

COVID 19 in Religion Gender Conflict physical presence to facilitate faith and unity but they are now on the back burner as our social distancing is essential to combat the virus Hajj and the Muslim World How Coronavirus has Brought Devastation to this Billion Member Community By Iman Syed The delicate white cloth worn by hundreds of thousands juxtaposes the black veiled Kaaba under the imposing Mecca sun Masjid Al Haram engulfs these Muslim pilgrims their clothes are an equalizing force breaking down economic racial and gender barriers Moving as one community around the cubed Kaaba seven times the worshippers complete the first of their shared five day spiritual journey the Hajj Due to the COVID 19 pandemic Mecca was largely vacant this July with only around 1 000 worshippers instead of the two million pilgrims who typically flocked to the holy city in years past The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced in June that the annual ritual will be closed to foreigners only allowing Saudi Arabian residents to participate This is the only cancellation in Saudi Arabian history since the country s establishment in 1932 The fallout of the decision is a symbol of the shared grief within the Muslim world The most vital aspects of Islam are dependent on History of the Hajj The Hajj established in 628 A D by the Prophet Muhammad is a five to six day journey that begins and ends at the Kaaba in Mecca As one of the five Pillars of Islam the pilgrimage involves several rituals meant to emphasize the worship of one God to pray for forgiveness and to remember the plight of past prophets These practices also illustrate the closeness of the Muslim diaspora regardless of background all pilgrims wear modest clothes men and women pray beside one another and everyone moves through the processions as one community The once in a lifetime pilgrimage draws millions to Mecca annually with some saving money for years to pay for the journey It is a profoundly spiritual experience for individuals across the Muslim world Health and Hajj Massive gatherings like those the size of the Hajj are breeding grounds for gastronomical and respiratory diseases Within the Sacred Mosque in Mecca there can be six pilgrims per square meter and a single tent accommodation fits anywhere from 50 to 100 people This environment is a critical part of the Hajj s shared and individual experience the sense of being physically close to fellow brothers and sisters from around the world However when combined with excessive heat and gross overcrowding this closeness becomes a cradle for disease To prevent the potential spread of diseases the Hajj Visa Application already requires proof that applicants receive vaccinations for yellow fever oral polio inactivated poliovirus meningococcal meningitis and the seasonal influenza The Ministry also implements electronic surveillance systems to track the spread of diseases and provide mobile isolation units on the ground for social distancing measures To combat previous outbreaks of infectious diseases like SARS or MERS Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome the Saudi government enforced more cautious policies During the SARs outbreak 2002 2003 they limited immigration from some affected areas in East Asia During the MERs outbreak in 2012 and 2013 the Saudi Arabian government discouraged pilgrims considered high risk including those who were over 65 from participating in the Hajj In this case however regulatory policies used to contain previous infectious diseases would not suffice With the lack of understanding around the novel virus the Saudi Arabian government was forced to take the most cautious of all options cancellation Although the decision was necessary the disruption of spiritual collaboration among Muslims brings immense pain to the community The Self and Hajj Imam Mokhi Turk sits in sorrow on his farm in the Kunduz Province of Afghanistan Four years have gone by and he is the only member of his family who has made registry to participate in the 2020 Hajj His neighbors even sold their land to afford to pay for the voyage to see Mecca for themselves His dreams are shattered This makes me very sad because every Muslim hopes to go to Hajj once in his whole life and when it was my turn it was cancelled I m very upset because I m not sure if I ll be alive in the next few days let alone next year A Gendered Look at COVID 19 in the MENA Region By Donya Zarrinnegar In the Middle East COVID 19 is shedding light on gender inequality and shattering illusions of progress in women s rights P C Khaled Abdullah via Reuters 10 Imam Turk s pain is shared worldwide School administrator Zeinab Ibrahim of Egypt unable to contain her pain speaks through her tears It was my only wish Ms Ibrahim said To cancel it completely is such a shame May God relieve us of this burden Many Muslims spend years saving before embarking on the milestone journey with pilgrimage packages costing anywhere from 3 000 to 10 000 dollars United in pain Yashir Qadhi the Dean of the Islamic Seminary of America set to lead a group of pilgrims emulated the religious implications of the cancellation to the individual The Hajj is a transformative emotional and spiritually moving experience the spiritual pinnacle of a devout Muslim s life Core aspects of Islam have continually faced disruption because of the pandemic To prevent gatherings during Ramadan earlier this year countries across the MENA region implemented curfews and closed mosques 3 10 Now the Hajj the climax of spiritual awakening for the individual within Islam follows the trend of physical upheaval in Muslim life Praying alongside fellow followers all equal in the eyes of Allah Seeking forgiveness and atonement while gazing at the Kaaba Collecting rocks on the fourth night for the fifth day s pebble throwing ritual and climbing Mount Arafat These have become broken promises of spiritual enlightenment Physical presence and social gatherings are fundamental to the function of Islam The cancelation of Islam s most critical example of physical space and faith the Hajj is the epitome of the devastation weighing on Muslims everywhere The pilgrimage to Mecca a transitory departure from this world is a much needed respite from today s current state Without it hope declines and devastation and grief triumph Economic Instability Economic evaluations predict that COVID 19 will cause a loss of 42 billion dollars in the GDP of the Middle East and North Africa MENA 1 These losses will impact most citizens however compared to men women are more likely to suffer long term effects Women s labor participation rates in the region hover around 20 percent among the world s lowest rates Although the labor participation gap has been steadily closing in the past few years this progress may be set back by the estimated 700 000 jobs that women will lose due to the pandemic 1 11

Page 11

Page 12

The economic slowdown disadvantages women inside and outside the workforce Peaking unemployment rates among women cause financial hardship on families and the economy but could also lead to gender stratification and disrupt the global economy In a region where women already comprise a minor percentage of the workforce any sizable loss of the female workforce could reverse years of progress Men and women face different occupational exposures to COVID 19 men have greater exposure outside of the home while women have greater exposure through caregiver roles in the workplace and at home Public sectors in the region particularly health and social services are heavily powered by women in Egypt for instance female nurses outnumber male nurses by 10 1 2 In these front line health occupations women are at a higher risk of infection and face harsh working conditions This has been witnessed in Lebanon where the pandemic has aggravated already long working hours and reduced salaries for nursing staff 1 At a time when female participation in the job market was on the rise this is a significant step back in advancing women s roles in the economy The Middle East is home to the secondlargest gender gap in unpaid care and domestic work with women working in unpaid domestic jobs 4 7 times more often than men a figure that the pandemic is likely to exacerbate 2 The closure of schools and childcare facilities further compels women to engage in unpaid work such as homeschooling performing routine household chores and caring for the sick and elderly 1 The increase in unpaid work and the simultaneous decrease in female participation in the labor force restricts women s financial independence and strengthens the homogeneity of labor divisions between men and women However the increased burden on women does not end at physical labor taking care of the ill can also have high costs on women s mental health In the Middle East where discussions of mental health are highly stigmatized the pandemic only further barricades access to mental health resources The emotional and mental fatigue that women face by caring for the sick at home can affect their physiology by compromising their immune systems thereby increasing their risk of infection 2 Paradoxically historically enforced gender roles which are traditionally justified on the presumption that they protect women harm them in this pandemic The heightened effect of infectious disease on women is not unique to COVID 19 and has been corroborated by past data For example the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2013 hindered improvement in closing the educational gender The Pandemic in Syria and Yemen How Coronavirus is Rewriting the Violence gap Girls with infected mothers often inherited domestic responsibilities like caregiving and household chores 1 Their increased domestic responsibilities came at the expense of their education risking their ability to return to school and jeopardizing their future financial independence Social and Mental Consequences for Women COVID 19 s economic effects on the family such as financial pressure or food insecurity cause psychosocial stress and maladaptive coping mechanisms Women often suffer the consequences of conflict by becoming victims of violent outbreaks which are only magnified in current situations of confinement Since the start of lockdown governments throughout the MENA region have reported a rise in hotline calls for domestic violence In just the first month of lockdown the Family Protection Department in Jordan reported a 33 percent increase in domestic violence cases 1 At the same time gender based violence in the Middle East is gaining exposure in the media particularly in Turkey With soaring rates of domestic violence and the horrific murder of 27 year old Pinar G ltekin women have made Women Supporting Women a viral trend by challenging each other to post a black and white selfie Although the media may highlight stories of domestic violence the current overload on the healthcare system in the Middle East jeopardizes women s access to reproductive and sexual health resources leaving survivors of abuse to cope with health concerns alone 2 Services including safe spaces shelters and medical care which are already limited in the MENA region are likely to be suspended or reduced 3 Even as online services and hotlines continue to operate women s ability to seek help is limited nearly half of the women in the Arab region do not have access to a mobile phone or Internet connection 2 Inaction on behalf of the police government and state officials not only permits men to control and abuse women but also normalizes treating women as second class citizens So where do we go from here Can we use COVID 19 to dismantle gender norms in the Middle East Women s financial empowerment should be at the forefront of the pandemic response Financial independence allows women to leave toxic relationships to say no in potentially harmful situations and to advocate for their own health Investing in women will make systematic change more likely and strengthen economic growth This would also require legislative action in recovery measures from including women in the governmental decision making body to designating sexual and reproductive health services as essential and granting working women paid leave 3 By tackling economic disparities between men and women the Middle East will be much closer to achieving gender equity 12 By Maryanne Koussa Across the world the coronavirus pandemic has proven that the only solution is collective action however in Syria and Yemen the rampant spread of the virus only further reveals the fragility of their governments Currently only 014 percent of confirmed global coronavirus cases come from Syria and Yemen but the external actors involved in these civil conflicts including the United States Russia and Iran lead the world in the number of cases The pandemic is playing a role in removing international intervening powers who face domestic battles against COVID 19 thus re centering these civil wars to address internal issues and reduce violence created by external proxies Millions of Syrians remain internally displaced by the actions of a brutal government and non state offensives In Yemen hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed and millions are starving Medical facilities in both countries are not equipped for COVID 19 testing or prepared to treat infected patients The spread of the pandemic would prove disastrous To curb the spread of the novel coronavirus intervening nations such as Russia and Turkey in Syria and Saudi Arabia in Yemen have called for ceasefires Although these are temporary agreements to stop the violence these ceasefires can potentially mark the beginning of long term peace processes By removing international actors from these regions these countries can focus on rebuilding their nations and working towards achieving peace without external intervention P C Yassine Gaidi via Getty Images The Syrian Conflict International Nuance and Regaining Hopes of Peace On March 5 Turkey and Russia agreed to stop hostilities in Idlib after escalating violence displaced nearly one million people Peace agreements such as the RussianTurkish ceasefire in Idlib have led to decreased violence compared to previous years The withdrawal of Russia and Turkey in n o r t h e r n Syria has also allowed other nations to halt their hostilities around the rest of the country which has in turn allowed international actors in Syria to focus on the pandemic For example instead of supporting the Assad regime within Syria Shia Islamist political and militant groups more commonly known as Hezbollah have shifted their resources to help Lebanese civilians Similarly Iranian attention has shifted to battling its massive outbreak focusing on procuring medical supplies from China instead of sending weapons to Syria The pandemic is diverting international attention from Syria allowing the country to focus on rebuilding its internal stability which has taken a drastic hit as a result of the Assad regime political alienation of non Alawite sects and severe economic inequality Without the full military support of Iran Hezbollah and Russia the Ba athist regime is more vulnerable to change and could be forced into concessions with other political parties In the case of the Syrian civil war the role of external actors places too much power and influence in the hands of the US Russia and Iran ignoring the vital interests of domestic actors Because Syrian medical facilities are not equipped for COVID 19 testing the full impact of the virus remains unknown though it is suspected to be low Although coronavirus has not spread as rampantly in Syria as it has in other nations the pandemic s long term effects may deter global superpowers from exacerbating this nearly decade long conflict 13

Page 13

Page 14

Yemen Behind the Headlines By Nadia Mokhallalati and Alex Norris P C Amr Nabil via Associated Press P C Sami Jassar via Save the Children The Yemeni Conflict Proxy War and the Start of Saudi Withdrawal The Fine Line Between Proxy Wars and Civil Conflict On April 9 Yemen witnessed the first cessation of hostilities since 2016 establishing a de escalation period that could end the five year war between the Saudi backed Hadi government and the southern separatist forces The original ceasefire a unilateral decision made by the Saudi government was due to the possible spread of coronavirus across Yemen The global pandemic has created an opportunity for the Saudis to end their costly involvement While several internationally supported factions are fighting this conflict including the Saudi backed government the Iranian backed Houthis and the UAE backed Southern Transitional Council STC the beginning of a ceasefire by the Saudis in the North paves the way for a long term peace agreement This is because Saudi Arabia s invasion changed the internal dynamics of the conflict further exacerbating the violence The civil war began as a conflict between the Yemeni government and the Houthis who received modest support from Iran To combat Iranian influence in the region Saudi Arabia launched military campaigns into Yemen shifting the conflict to a proxy war The original issues that led to war including ethnic inequality severe economic poverty and oppressive regimes only worsened The global pandemic has given Saudi Arabia a reason to withdraw its forces from Yemen without appearing to concede to Iran The removal of the Saudi military force a key aggressor in this civil conflict allows for increased domestic control and paves the way for other actors such as the United Nations to end humanitarian suffering While the spread of COVID 19 in Yemen and Syria remains a critical threat the pandemic may pave the way for peace by refocusing these conflicts on internal struggles of oppression Referring to the Syrian and Yemeni conflicts as proxy wars draws focus away from domestic disputes Ignoring decades of domestic alienation and discrimination by the authoritarian regimes in power the Syrian and Yemeni civil wars have forgotten their roots in the Arab Spring By focusing on the role of external actors such as Iran and Saudi Arabia in Yemen and Russia Turkey and the US in Syria these multifaceted conflicts are incorrectly reduced to proxy wars Understanding the conflict through external proxies complicates the peace process because the disputes are perceived solely as a war between Shiites and Sunnis in Yemen and as an extension of the US Cold War in Syria By ignoring the years of oppression marginalized communities have faced in Syria and Yemen in favor of international interests the prospect of finding long term peace within these conflicts is lost The long term effects of the coronavirus pandemic in the Middle East are unpredictable however the withdrawal of international powers from the region helps bring domestic issues to the forefront The pandemic may help shift focus to reestablishing peace and protecting vulnerable civilian populations a silver lining amid chaos 14 Amidst the coronavirus pandemic Yemen continues to suffer from a humanitarian crisis that has been described as the worst in the world Twenty four million Yemenis almost 80 percent of the population are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance with 50 percent of children under the age of five suffering from acute malnutrition A non international armed conflict an acute water shortage a widespread famine and other factors indicate that the crisis is far from resolution In light of the pandemic the country needs a robust humanitarian response political unrest between the Houthi movement and the Yemeni government During the Arab Spring in 2011 a coalition of opposition groups pressured President Saleh to step down 2 After failed attempts to appease the protestors Saleh finally agreed to resign in 2012 What seemed like a political achievement History of the Crisis While the current conflict began in 2015 tensions in Yemen can be traced back to 1967 when British forces withdrew from the South leaving the country divided as two separate entities the Yemeni Arab Republic in the North and the People s Democratic Republic of Yemen in the South For over 30 years the country remained divided even today the modern republic of Yemen continues to face sectarian divisions that play a role in the current crisis After the unification of the two entities in 1990 Ali Abdullah Saleh the ruler of the Yemeni Arab Republic since 1978 became the first President of Yemen Shortly after the Houthi movement formed a group founded by Zaydi Shiites in Yemen who have continuously challenged Saleh s authority 1 The past decade has seen a climax in then only marked the beginning of further conflict in the region the country broke into civil war in 2015 Today Yemen remains fractured between the influences of the Saudi supported Yemeni government Iranian backed Houthi forces and AlQaeda in the Arabian Peninsula As a result of this political turmoil innocent civilians face devastating conditions including widespread displacement a blockade preventing access to food and medicine and a famine 1 As one Yemeni woman from a rural village outside Sana a reported anonymously Before 2011 the situation was excellent after 2011 all safety was gone 3 15

Page 15

Page 16

Annexation Perspectives of Peace and Conflict Yemen is Running Out of Food and Water The ongoing drought has undercut access to potable water In rural areas where 70 percent of Yemenis currently reside access to clean piped water is virtually nonexistent 4 The same Yemeni woman noted The water is unsafe to drink and this has infected people with cholera and it has caused so many deaths 5 With a recent history of epidemics an insufficient healthcare system and a huge population of internally displaced citizens Yemen is at a high risk for a COVID 19 outbreak cases threatening their lives the famine is the main contributor to the deaths of 30 000 Yemeni children each year Not only has the famine affected the current population but it also has implications on Yemen s future generations As a result of malnutrition over one million pregnant and lactating women are anemic and their newborns are often underweight or in poor health The weakness of future generations perpetuates a vicious cycle of poor physical and mental development 7 The conflict has also resulted in heightened drug abuse dependence on which has drained much of Yemen s already limited income water and land supply The drug in question is known as Qat or Khat a plant that when chewed produces amphetamine like effects 8 Qat is used as an appetite suppressant but in Yemen it has become a normalized method of escaping reality 9 Many Yemeni adults use the plant daily The Israeli Palestinian conflict is one of the greatest geopolitical conflicts in human history The land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea is the region both Israelis and Palestinians recognize as their homeland thus creating religious cultural and political strife In January President Trump devised a peace plan aiming to put the decades long conflict to an end a plan that allows Israel to annex nearly 30 percent of the West Bank including the Jordan Valley 1 The Trump Plan follows years of diplomatic initiatives most notably the 1995 Oslo Accords in which Israel retained control of nearly 60 percent of the West Bank in Area C The other 40 percent was divided into two Palestinian areas Area A which is under Palestinian governance and military rule and Area B which is under Palestinian governance but Israeli military rule Many Israelis and Palestinians have rejected the Trump Plan for fear of instability and illegitimacy However a deeper investigation into the hearts and minds of Israelis and Palestinians as well as a consideration of the historical context of this issue reveals insights about the conflict that are crucial for progress toward peace Humanitarian Aid During a Global Pandemic The water shortage increases the possibility of disease outbreaks such as cholera and Acute Watery Diarrhea AWD Since 2017 one of the largest outbreaks of cholera in recorded history has plagued large portions of Yemen infecting over two million people and killing thousands each year 6 Furthermore with a compromised healthcare system Yemen remains a breeding ground for emerging diseases Aside from the lack of clean water food scarcity and malnutrition are also alarmingly widespread As a Yemeni woman described The issue of providing minimal daily food is a huge problem especially after the government salaries stopped and the war zones have expanded 3 With 1 8 million children suffering from acute malnutrition every year and 400 000 cholera With a recent history of epidemics an insufficient healthcare system and a huge population of internally displaced citizens Yemen is at a high risk for a COVID 19 outbreak Nationwide only 500 ventilators and 700 ICU beds exist to serve a population of 30 million people half of whom the WHO projects will be infected The COVID 19 pandemic poses new challenges to humanitarian aid efforts in Yemen The nation cannot afford any cuts in their humanitarian support but it seems humanitarian aid could face a steep decline with organizations and donors redirecting funding toward domestic coronavirus responses International aid has significantly waned In early June for example a Saudi led fundraiser for Yemen fell short of its goal by over one billion dollars 10 Humanitarian responses are a lifeline for millions of Yemeni civilians As the coronavirus pandemic creates new and unprecedented challenges for the nation the need for a sizable humanitarian response is more necessary than ever before 16 17 P C Liam McGarry via Unsplash

Page 17

Page 18

Israeli and Diaspora Jewish Views on Annexation Since 1967 two opposing realities for Israeli and Diaspora Jews have largely been the source of gridlock stagnation and conflict on the issue of annexation As famous Israeli journalist Micah Goodman puts simply The political right no longer believes that settling the territories will bring redemption instead it fears that withdrawing from them will bring disaster The political left no longer believes that withdrawing from the territories will bring redemption instead it fears that staying there will bring disaster The Israeli left and right have undergone an identical change moving from dreams to fears 2 Goodman further highlights this dualism in which Israel is threatened regardless of whether it withdraws from or settles the West Bank Israel s continued presence in the West Bank and an ultimate political enfranchisement of millions of Palestinians would threaten the demography of a Jewish state thereby diminishing the very essence of the country However a withdrawal from the West Bank would jeopardize the security interests of Israel as Palestinian extremist organizations could use the region as a launchpad for rocket attacks and tunnel incursions similar to those that have occurred in Gaza in the past decade When it comes to annexation the ultimate question in the minds of Jews and Israelis which has been pressing since 1948 is determining the balance between Israel s democratic and Jewish nature On one side Israel remains one of the freest countries in the Middle East where all citizens have equal voting religious and civil rights Yet national holidays Shabbat laws and established institutions like the Rabbanut which mandate religious cultural laws about marriage and immigration allow the country to remain inherently Jewish Annexation of the West Bank would force Israel to choose between these principles either granting its new Arab citizens equal rights and potentially diminishing the Jewish essence of the state or excluding large segments of the Palestinian population to preserve the country s initial purpose Beyond the ideological impediments to peace a lack of understanding of the motives of Jews living in the West Bank presents challenges to this conflict When diplomatic solutions are proposed by political chess players who believe that compromise and sacrifice are successful bargaining tactics this has often led to an estrangement of the very people who are immediately affected Among the nearly half a million Israelis living in the West Bank 3 religious Jews in cities like Gush Etzion Beit El and Maale Adumim are fueled by a divine conviction that the land between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea was gifted from God to Abraham to the Jewish people for eternity and that any attempt to remove them is a malign attack on a collective identity that has survived for millennia Many of these residents have travelled from across the globe to live in these areas as a statement of purpose and identity To these people any sacrifice or compromise that does not guarantee Jewish sovereignty will be deemed unworthy of merit Unless the Israeli government is willing to forcibly remove West Bank Jews which did occur in 2005 when the military relinquished control of Gush Katif in Gaza those Jews will continue to live there Even if a future Palestinian state is willing to incorporate Jews living within the West Bank these residents pose a significant obstacle to establishing a two state solution Until then there is little incentive for either side to budge Israel enjoys military presence and security capabilities in the West Bank and the Palestinian political elite benefit from remaining in power despite the suffering of the people they represent Long term until Israeli political leaders feel they have a viable partner for peace the conflict will remain as it has for decades stagnant and gridlocked There is a reason this conflict has existed since its inception and no single action will result in a solution Ultimately the topic of annexation is only one in a series of countless other grievances and problems that fuel the conflict While annexation and geographic disputes can manifest themselves as the most significant aspects of this issue social and cultural tensions between Jews and Arabs typically constitute the biggest inhibitors to peace 18 By Ece Yildrim The decades long Israeli Palestinian conflict is at an unsustainable deadlock which feeds the extremist approaches of both sides while playing with the fates of civilians For the past few years however the situation in Palestine has not only been a political dispute but an issue of human rights For instance Area C contains the majority of the West Bank s agricultural land water and mineral resources keeping the Palestinians economically dependent on Israel 4 The government further encourages settler movement by allocating one third of subsidized housing to settlements despite only 5 percent of Israelis living there 5 After annexation the Israeli government does not plan to grant Palestinians citizenship in that territory and requires exceptional conditions to maintain residency In 2018 Israel approved a law that gave the interior ministry the authority to revoke Palestinians permanent residency in annexed land on the grounds of a breach of allegiance to Israel without elaborating on what that might entail 6 For those residents who still continue to live under Israeli military rule the government makes life extremely difficult by imposing frequent curfews banning meetings and granting Israeli settlers permission to carry arms and be involved P C Haley Black via Pexels in maintaining law and order in these Palestinian cities and neighborhoods 7 Because of Palestinians inability to vote due to Israel s denial of citizenship politicians don t invest in Palestinian neighborhoods Almost 90 percent of all sewage pipes roads and sidewalks in Jerusalem are found in the West where Israelis live leaving only 10 percent of that infrastructure to the East where Palestinians live The same inequity is observed in distribution of resources For every 1 000 parks in West Jerusalem there are only 45 in the East for every 25 libraries in the West there are 2 in the East the list goes on 8 This disparity is leveraged by Israel as demonstrated in 2016 when the government decided to only provide funds to renovate schools that adopted the Israeli curriculum 9 However Palestinians have no interest in Israeli citizenship Currently there are two camps onthe rise moderates who believe that an equal division of land can be reached through dialogue and fundamentalists who view negotiations as pointless However the actions of the NetanyahuTrump alliance are anticipated to jeopardize the rising trend of non violent moderates pushing Palestinians towards the fundamentalist extreme 19 P C Snowscat via Unsplash By Ben Winer The Palestinian Perspective

Page 19

Page 20

Page 21

Page 22

By Yasmine Mezoury and Anika Prakash The Middle East in Solidarity with Black Lives A look at BLM Protests in Palestine Turkey Syria Iraq and Lebanon From the War on Terror to the Arab Spring the Middle East and North Africa MENA has been a hotspot for political and civil turmoil in the 21st century 1 More recently the Middle East became home to many of the international solidarity protests following the murder of George Floyd on May 25 From Palestine to Lebanon to Iraq each MENA nation holds its own unique history of power imbalances and human rights infringements that fortify the bond between its citizens and the Black struggle in the United States US The Black Lives Matter BLM protests in the MENA region began almost immediately after those in the US and continue to this day Palestine Black American activist Angela Davis once said For those everywhere struggling against racism and for freedom the Palestinian people continue to serve as an inspiration because they have endured and remained steadfast for so long refusing to give up and accept permanent subjugation and injustice 2 Many Palestinian activists see their struggle mirrored by the struggle of Black Americans and vice versa especially in the case of AfroPalestinians Now with the widespread resurgence of the BLM movement this tie persists Protesters at BLM rallies across the world held up signs reading Palestine for Black Lives and many community leaders have stressed this mutual support In Al Jazeera Israeli American doctor Yoav Litvin connected the Palestinian struggle with BLM Leaders of the current uprisings in the US can engage in a fruitful exchange of knowledge with the Palestinian resistance in line with past efforts of groups such as the Black Panther Party he wrote Adhering to revolutionary principles while refraining from alliances with counterrevolutionaries can deliver a chance to abolish capitalist racist oppression 3 Palestinians also organized BLM protests where many raised flags with the words Palestinian Lives Matter One article in Arab News explained that the BLM movement has become an indictment of all forms of racism injustice and discrimination around the world But with Palestine there is a special kinship P C Lauren Lewis via Middle East Monitor For example On May 30 Eyad Hallaq a 32 year old autistic Palestinian was gunned down in cold blood by Israeli soldiers as he walked to his school in the Old City of Jerusalem Black Americans dying at the hands of American police officers often mirrors the experience of many Palestinians who have seen friends and family murdered at the hands of Israeli forces 4 This is not the first time Palestinians and Black Americans have advocated for each other In 2014 after Michael Brown was shot and 22 killed by a police officer in Ferguson Missouri many Palestinian Americans participated in protests some marching with banners stating Palestine Stands with Ferguson 5 In 2015 over 1 100 Black activists artists scholars students and organizations including prominent figures like Angela Davis and Cornel West signed a statement of solidarity with Palestine Israel s widespread use of detention and imprisonment against Palestinians evokes the mass incarceration of Black people in the US including the political imprisonment of our own revolutionaries US and Israeli officials and media criminalize our existence portray violence against us as isolated incidents and call our resistance illegitimate or terrorism These narratives ignore decades and centuries of anti Palestinian and antiBlack violence that have always been at the core of Israel and the US 6 In the same year many leaders of the BLM movement took a trip to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories to strengthen solidarity and learn more about the struggle of their Palestinian counterparts This is not to say there aren t vast differences and nuances that need to always be named community organizer Cherrell Brown said But our oppressors are literally collaborating together learning from one another and as oppressed people we have to do the same 7 Kurdish names ban traditional dress restrict native language and classify Kurds as Mountain Turks an attempt to erase Kurdish ethnic identity 11 Similarly The Tignon Law 1786 forced Black Creole women in Louisiana to retire their traditional hair beads head wraps and feather adornments to exhibit their role as the slave class 12 This legislation persisted across the US robbing Black women of their own culture Moreover the longstanding effects of cultural restriction permeate present day dress codes and professional standards What was once codified by law remains as covert discrimination through which many Black Americans are routinely reprimanded for braids dreadlocks and other cultural signifiers 13 Evidently the consequences of slavery prevail in the US P C Murad Sezer via Reuters Turkey While donning masks and cardboard signs touting the phrase I can t breathe an internationally recognized plea for justice protesters surrounded Istanbul s Trump Towers in an appeal to the American BLM movement nearly ten days after Floyd s murder 8 Istanbul the primary location of Turkish protests also houses the world s largest population of Kurds almost three million There are over a quarter billion Kurds living in the Middle East yet they remain stateless 9 In 1920 after the fall of the Ottoman Empire the Treaty of Sevres called for the creation of a Kurdish state The Treaty of Lausanne however created the modern Turkish border without Kurdish input Today Kurds live across the region as a minority community Though the plight of Black Americans does not directly correspond with that of the Kurds in Turkey and surrounding regions protesters and academics have drawn parallels between the two minority groups since the resurgence of the BLM movement Historically both groups have been persecuted Kurds make up 15 to 20 percent of Turkey s population similar to the 13 4 percent of Black people in the US population 10 After uprisings from the 1920s to the 30s the Turkish government passed a law to eliminate Similarly Asli Ceren Aslan editor of the Turkish publication Ozgur Gelecek reported on Turkish war crimes in Kurdish regions from 2015 and 2016 14 As a result the journalist was jailed for seven years on charges of terrorism for openly criticizing the state The connection between Kurdish and Black oppression was made even clearer when on June 8 President Recep Tayyip Erdogan informed President Donald Trump of a perceived affiliation between the violent lootings during the BLM protests and the PKK Kurdistan Workers Party 15 Erdogan made this claim shortly after Trump announced plans to designate Antifa as a terrorist organization in hopes to link the group to the PKK The general distaste for the widely classified terrorist organization PKK has also led to a greater distrust of Kurds in Turkey Kurdish oppression once came in the form of banning the language and the colors of the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government KRG 16 Turkey now has Kurdology Institutes and specialized Kurdish news channels such as TRT Kurdi much like the US has Historically Black Colleges and Universities HBCUs and Black news outlets Regardless of this progress both nations must work to reverse centuries old oppression and conflict 23

Page 23

Page 24

Page 25

Page 26

P C Mohamad Jamalo via Reuters Activist Amina Shareef explained how the phrase I Can t Breathe reminded her of the Syrian living dead civilians who have not died but live in social death due to the conflict The living dead live unemployed uneducated deprived impoverished dispersed broken down Shareef wrote 19 In a similar vein activist Frieda Afary connected BLM and the Syrian Lives Matter movements Despite the differences in the historical experiences of African American freedom fighters and Syrian revolutionaries both have something in common Afary said Being treated as the dehumanized other and suffering from the ways in which prejudice and discrimination have been used to impede their struggles for social justice She also noted that In Syria the Assad regime has used not only military force but ethnic and religious divisions to promote hatred and sectarianism among those who supported the 2011 revolution Similarly she continued In the US racism has been used to sow hatred between the white working class and African Americans this Iraq The BLM movement resonated with many Iraqi citizens especially African Iraqis in a region plagued by anti Black discrimination The African Iraqi community consists of around 400 000 people many of whom live in the Basra province they are often subjected to prejudice and commonly referred to as abd the Arabic word for a slave Just as Black Americans suffer disproportionately from economic injustice The majority of African Iraqis live in slums in the Al Zubair area in Basra and most of their children are deprived of access to education For African Iraqi women the situation is even worse Not only do African Iraqis experience social discrimination but they face political marginalization as well In 2008 the Free Iraqis Movement was launched in order to represent Iraqis of African descent by expressing their aspirations defending their causes and seeking to revive their identity however they were never able to gain any official representation even in the local council elections 22 Furthermore in 2013 a prominent African Iraqi activist named Jalal Dhiyab Thijeel was assassinated because of his race dashing the hopes of and scaring many other activists working alongside him 23 However support for the BLM movement was not limited to the African Iraqi community non Black Iraqi citizens organized and participated in protests as well Muntadhar Al Zaidi the Iraqi journalist famous for throwing his shoe at George W Bush during a press conference expressed support for BLM over social media and participated in one of the Iraqi protests 24 Many Iraqi citizens expressed their solidarity because they too were subject to US violence and control during the Iraqi invasion of 2003 Iraqis have also called out the hypocrisy of the US government s violent response to BLM protests by citing the Bush Administration s exDefense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld Lawlessness and looting is a natural consequence of the transition from dictatorship to a free country Rumsfeld said in response to a 26 journalist s question on widespread looting and chaos in Baghdad following the 2003 US led invasion 25 During the 2019 2020 October Revolution Iraqis protested against widespread corruption and other government failures For those camped out in Tahrir Square US police force retaliation against protesters was especially striking Iraqis themselves just months ago saw security forces fire tear gas and live bullets at demonstrators who shot back with rocks or occasionally Molotov cocktails 26 Many Iraqi people especially AfricanIraqis feel closely tied to the BLM movement and as their struggles persist so will their solidarity Lebanon Frequent water shortages and economic crises escalated tension between the Lebanese public and its government coming to a head with the announcement of new and unjust tax measures on October 17 2019 Thousands of peaceful protesters across Lebanon gathered to protest against said tax measures however underlying pleas aimed to topple the detested regime 27 After thirteen days of protests Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned on January 21 Several months later the US would face similar demonstrations Though the two countries face different conflicts both groups of civilian protestors advocate for change on a fundamental level According to Amnesty International Lebanese protests called for An end to government corruption an end to the sectarian political system the recovery of stolen funds and holding the corrupt accountable and fair tax and financial procedures 27 The US BLM movement echoes a similar goal of fundamental change in elimination of systemic oppression by police brutality P C sa0un via Twitter Syria The remnants of a bombed building in opposition held Idlib Syria show the face of George Floyd a face recognized worldwide as a symbol of the BLM movement Syrian artists Aziz Asmar and Anis Hamdoun painted this mural in a city ravaged by conflict as recognition of the plight Syrian civilians and Black Americans similarly face at the hands of their governments 17 According to TIME Magazine To Asmar the handcuffed unarmed Black man pleading that he couldn t breathe as a white police officer knelt on his neck resurfaced painful memories of what he and other Syrians witnessed three years ago after dictator Bashar al Assad attacked civilians with sarin gas in the suburb of Eastern Ghouta Asmar himself said that In those hospitals the victims were crying and they were asking to breathe I saw George Floyd pleading with the officer to let him breathe and it reminded me of the way they were killed 18 slaveholder mentality is what Donald Trump uses to prevent whites African Americans and Latinos who suffer from the injustices of capitalism to come together in a multiracial alliance for social justice 20 This is not the first time the BLM movement has intersected with the Syrian cause In 2017 following the American bombing of a Syrian air base the BLM Facebook page posted a statement opposing the United States decision The people of Syria are carrying the weight of American fascism 21 During Lebanese protests police forces committed human rights violations as detailed by Amnesty International Failure to protect peaceful protestors arbitrary detention torture and other illtreatment use of excessive force forcibly dispersing protestors and unblocking roads by force The latter United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association commented The free flow of traffic should not automatically take precedence over freedom of peaceful assembly 27 American protestors faced similar obstacles On June 5 authorities trapped Philadelphians on Interstate 676 with tear gas mace and no escape 28 Lebanese allies created a guide with demonstration tips for BLM protesters in the event of policeinflicted violence and media blackouts 29 Among various tips and tricks activists advised using soda and raw onions to reduce the effects of tear gas and messaging through WhatsApp to ensure safe calling and texting Furthermore Lebanese supporters suggested turning off face and touch ID features wearing unremarkable clothing avoiding jewelry and lotion and bringing helmets Though the first round of Lebanese protests began in October 2019 recent economic collapse fueled by the COVID 19 pandemic led to a second wave of protests 30 Lebanon s experience with the October Revolution bolstered solidarity between the Lebanese people and Black Americans Similarly American demands for reform helped rekindle a similar revolutionary fervor in Lebanon resuming the October demonstrations In solidarity Lebanese influencers used the hashtag America rises echoing the Lebanon rises hashtag from October 31 The exchange between Lebanon and the US demonstrates a need for solidarity to fuel demands for change Solidarity The Black Lives Matter movement has taken the world by storm especially in the Middle East where its message resonates with countries that are affected by war or in revolution against oppressive governments and external forces The phrase Black Lives Matter has resonated with activists in Palestine Turkey Syria Iraq and Lebanon who co opted this phrase to not only show solidarity with BLM but also to fight injustice and empower the persecuted within their own nations Middle Eastern and American battles for change are not over their mutual solidarity is helping strengthen their causes 27

Page 27

Page 28

The 2020 US Election Why it Matters for the Middle East By Zeynep Karadeniz and Ali Osman The upcoming US election will be consequential for Middle East foreign policy The candidates Donald Trump incumbent and Joe Biden have conflicting attitudes on some of the most contentious issues in the region such as US Iran relations the Israeli Palestinian conflict and Saudi Arabian diplomacy P C via Associated Press US Iran Relations Trump has orchestrated the shift in US foreign policy towards a firm stance against Iran US Iran relations deteriorated in 2018 when Trump haphazardly pulled the US from the Iran nuclear deal a landmark agreement that helped stabilize decades old bilateral tension between the nations Since then Washington has placed economic sanctions on Iran through a maximum pressure campaign to persuade Iranian officials to negotiate an agreement that would also limit the country s ballistic missiles 1 The sanctions have crippled Iran s economy causing record inflation rates and nationwide protests in 2019 and 2020 2 US Iran relations have only been further complicated by the US assassination of the popular Iranian General Soleimani in January As a result of the economic damage from the maximum pressure campaign Iran found support in the East Iranian officials drafted an extensive economic and security partnership with China undercutting Trump s efforts to isolate the Iranian government 3 The agreement threatens the US by potentially giving China a foothold in the region that the US strategically held for decades A Trump reelection and thus a continuation of his maximum pressure campaign would encourage the new China Iran alliance creating 28 greater instability in the Middle East as China and the US compete for regional influence While Trump s maximum pressure approach involves great coercion and little diplomacy Biden would like to approach Iran with less aggression and more diplomacy Biden s expertise in negotiating with foreign leaders and his willingness to participate in diplomatic negotiations with Iran could repair and stabilize US Iran relations A key negotiator of the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal Biden will likely face pressure from NATO countries who supported the deal and opposed the US decision to withdraw from it in 2018 4 This pressure combined with Biden s distaste for Trump s approach could likely result in the resurgence and reinstitution of the previous Obama backed program Biden s support for this less aggressive more diplomatic deal makes him an attractive option for both the people and government of Iran Israeli Palestinian Conflict While Trump continues to feud with Iran he is strengthening the US alliance with Israel With Israeli Palestinian tensions still at a high the outcome of the US election will undoubtedly shape the future and determine the feasibility of a Palestinian state Trump has consistently shown camaraderie with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and support for Israel primarily by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel s capital In January Trump issued his deal of the century a proposal for Israeli Palestinian peace 5 The plan negotiated without Palestinian representation was skewed heavily in support of Israel and gave Palestinians an archipelago state surrounded by Israeli territory 5 Opponents of a two state solution praised the plan as the conclusive end to a possibility of an autonomous Palestinian state The Palestine Liberation Organization PLO and other advocates of a two state solution denounced the plan for the same reasons seeing it as the demise of a two state solution In the wake of Israel s plan to annex up to 30 percent of the West Bank a move condemned by many global powers 6 Biden reiterated his appeal for a two state solution between Israel and Palestine 7 He publicly announced that annexation efforts undercut the prospects for peace 7 and that his administration would oppose them This stance mirrors the Obama administration s criticism of PM Netanyahu s expansion of settlements in the West Bank in 2016 However Biden has long been an ardent supporter of Israel and is uniquely equipped with the knowledge and skills from his time as the Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to shape policy within the region 4 With this experience Biden hopes to aid in rejuvenating the once promising US Palestinian financial and diplomatic relationship while at the same time emphasizing his support for the existence of the Jewish State Unlike Trump however Biden looks to more heavily involve the Palestinian Authority in his efforts to establish peace in the region Saudi Arabian Diplomacy Since the beginning of his presidency Trump firmly defended Saudi allyship to ensure the interests of our country Israel and all other partners in the region 8 Yet Trump faced sweeping criticism over his cultivation of US Saudi ties as he failed to hold the Saudi government accountable for their inhumane air war in Yemen and the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi Throughout his political career Biden has faced criticism for his relatively hawkish stances like his support for the Iraq war and failure to help end the war in Afghanistan an ardent promise of the Obama Biden campaign Although the former vice president often praises Barack Obama s foreign policy Biden emphasized that he is no longer in support of the Saudi led Yemen conflict that the Obama Biden administration once backed 9 In a 2019 debate Biden publicly expressed his goal to make the Saudi government the pariah that they are 10 Overall Biden would take a less friendly approach compared to how the US has recently conducted its diplomatic relations with the Saudi Kingdom The Israeli Palestinian conflict US Iran relations and Saudi diplomacy are only a few of the controversial issues in Middle East foreign policy that the upcoming president will face Neither a Trump nor a Biden victory can resolve any of the complicated matters within the region but the outcome of the election will profoundly shape core affairs in the Middle East 29

Page 29

Page 30

Works Cited Beirut Blast Cripples an Already Broken Lebanon 1 Anger Rises After Beirut Blast and Evidence Officials Knew of Risks The New York Times The New York Times 5 Aug 2020 www nytimes com 2020 08 05 world middleeast beirut lebanon explosion html 2 John Tara et al Beirut Explosion Rocks Lebanon s Capital City CNN Cable News Network 6 Aug 2020 www cnn com middleeast live news lebanon beirut explosionlive updates dle intl h_3891a1125d747fc58e9ae75892122257 3 Pickrell Ryan The Deadly Explosion That Devastated Beirut Appears to Have Been Far More Powerful than the Mother of All Bombs Business Insider Business Insider 5 Aug 2020 www businessinsider com how big was the explosion that devastated beirutmoab 2020 8 4 Tran Edwin The Political Dynasties of Lebanon An Introduction Encyclopedia Geopolitica 14 May 2019 encyclopediageopolitica com 2019 05 14 the politicaldynasties of lebanon an introduction 5 Hume Tim and Mohammed Tawfeeq Lebanon River of Trash Chokes Beirut Suburb as City s Garbage Crisis Continues CNN Cable News Network 25 Feb 2016 www cnn com 2016 02 24 middleeast lebanon garbage crisis river index html 6 Azhari Timour Lebanon Wildfires Hellish Scenes in Mountains South of Beirut News Al Jazeera Al Jazeera 16 Oct 2019 www aljazeera com news 2019 10 hellish sceneswildfires engulf lebanon 191015191252866 html 7 Cachia Alice Lebanon Denies Claims Bodyguard of Top Politician Fired Live Rounds at Protesters as Fury over Explosion That Killed 160 Threatens to Spark a Revolution Daily Mail Online DMG Media 10 Aug 2020 www dailymail co uk news article 8611055 TopLebanese officials bodyguard spotted firing live rounds protesters html When Pride is a Death Sentence 1 Rahman Nadia A Rainbow Coloured Thread Amnesty International 26 June 2020 www amnesty org en latest news 2020 06 a rainbow coloured thread 2 Egypt Stop Anti LGBT Crackdown Intimidation Human Rights Watch 30 Sept 2017 www hrw org news 2017 09 30 egypt stop anti lgbt crackdown intimidation 3 Younes Rasha For Sarah Hegazy In Rage in Grief in Exhaustion Human Rights Watch 16 June 2020 www hrw org news 2020 06 16 sarah hegazy rage griefexhaustion 4 Arraf Jane After Crackdown Egypt s LGBT Community Contemplates Dark Future NPR NPR 18 June 2018 www npr org 2018 06 18 620110576 aftercrackdown egypts lgbt community contemplates dark future 5 Lannon Valerie Our Tribute to Comrade Rafeqa Sarah Hegazi Spring 14 June 2020 springmag ca our tribute to comrade rafeqa sarah hegazi 6 Walsh Declan Arrested for Waving Rainbow Flag a Gay Egyptian Takes Her Life The New York Times The New York Times 15 June 2020 www nytimes com 2020 06 15 world middleeast egypt gay suicide sarah hegazi html 7 Boisvert Nick LGBTQ Activist Sarah Hegazi Exiled in Canada after Torture in Egypt Dead at 30 CBC News CBC CBC News 17 June 2020 www cbc ca news canada toronto sarah hegazi death 1 5614698 8 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights OHCHR www ohchr org en professionalinterest pages ccpr aspx 9 Convention against Torture OHCHR www ohchr org en professionalinterest pages cat aspx 10 Combating Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity OHCHR www ohchr org en issues discrimination pages lgbt aspx 11 We Do Unreasonable Things Here Human Rights Watch 5 Sept 2017 www hrw org report 2017 09 05 we do unreasonable things here torture and national securityal sisis egypt 12 L A How Homosexuality Became a Crime in the Middle East The Economist The Economist Newspaper 6 June 2018 www economist com open future 2018 06 06 howhomosexuality became a crime in the middle east 13 Map of Countries That Criminalise LGBT People Human Dignity Trust www humandignitytrst org lgbt the law map of criminalisation 14 Stack Liam Gay and Transgender Egyptians Harassed and Entrapped Are Driven Underground The New York Times The New York Times 10 Aug 2016 www nytimes com 2016 08 11 world africa gay egyptians surveilled and entrapped are drivenunderground html _r 0 15 Unofficial Translation of Statement by Egypt s Supreme Council for Media Regulation Human Rights Watch 6 Oct 2017 www hrw org news 2017 10 06 unofficial translation statement egypts supreme council media regulation 16 Ban Forced Anal Exams Around World Human Rights Watch 16 July 2016 www hrw org news 2016 07 12 ban forced anal exams around world 17 World Report 2020 Rights Trends in Egypt Human Rights Watch 14 Jan 2020 www hrw org world report 2020 country chapters egypt d1a21e COVID 19 in Religion Gender Conflict Hajj and the Muslim World How Coronavirus has Brought Devastation to this Billion Member Community 1 Al Jazeera Hajj 2020 What You Need to Know about This Year s Pilgrimage Hajj News Al Jazeera Al Jazeera July 6 2020 https www aljazeera com news 2020 06 hajj 2020 year pilgrimage 200623085733669 html Benkouiten Samir Jaffar A Al Tawfiq Ziad A 2 Treisman Rachel Saudi Arabia Announces This Year s Hajj Will Be Very Limited NPR NPR June 22 2020 https www npr org sections coronavirus liveupdates 2020 06 22 881876215 saudi arabia announces this years hajj will be very limited 3 Renaldi Erin and Max Walden How Coronavirus Will Affect 1 8 Billion Muslims Observing the Fasting Month ABC News April 19 2020 https www abc net au news 2020 04 19 ramadan during coronavirus how it will be differentin 2020 12150946 4 The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Hajj Encyclop dia Britannica Encyclop dia Britannica inc April 9 2020 https www britannica com topic hajj 5 Memish Ziad A Alimuddin Zumla Rafat F Alhakeem Abdullah Assiri Abdulhafeez Turkestani Khalid D Al Harby Mohamed Alyemni et al Hajj Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control Lancet London England Elsevier Ltd June 14 2014 https www ncbi nlm nih gov pmc articles PMC7137990 6 Meyer Diane Outbreak Prevention and Response at the Hajj Outbreak Observatory Outbreak Observatory July 20 2017 https www outbreakobservatory org outbreakthursday 1 7 20 2017 outbreak prevention and response at the hajj 7 Niu Song and Mindan Xu Impact of Hajj on Global Health Security Journal of Religion and Health Springer US February 2019 https www ncbi nlm nih gov pmc articles PMC7088024 8 Hubbard Ben and Declan Walsh The Hajj Pilgrimage Is Canceled and Grief Rocks the Muslim World The New York Times The New York Times June 23 2020 https www nytimes com 2020 06 23 world middleeast hajj pilgrimage canceled html 9 Maher Ahmed The Economics of Hajj Money and Pilgrimage BBC News BBC October 25 2012 https www bbc com news world middle east 20067809 10 Osman Nadda Coronavirus and Ramadan How the Muslim Month of Fasting Will Differ This Year Middle East Eye April 6 2020 https www middleeasteye net discover coronavirus ramadan affect update fasting eid covid 19 11 Qiblawi Tamara and Kara Fox A Journey through Hajj Islam s Special Pilgrimage CNN Cable News Network August 20 2018 https www cnn com 2017 08 30 middleeast hajj journey by the numbers 2017 index html 12 Memish Ali Albarrak and Philippe Gautret Clinical Respiratory Infections and Pneumonia during the Hajj Pilgrimage A Systematic Review Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease 28 2019 15 26 https doi org 10 1016 j tmaid 2018 12 002 A Gendered Look at COVID 19 in the MENA Region 1 COVID 19 Crisis in the MENA Region Impact on Gender Equality and Policy Responses OECD OECD 10 June 2020 www oecd org coronavirus policy responses covid 19 crisis in the mena region impact on gender equality and policy responsesee4cd4f4 2 UN Women and UN ESCWA The Impact of COVID 19 on Gender Equality in the Arab Region UN Women Arab States UN Women 2020 www2 unwomen org media field 20office 20arab 20states attachments publications 2020 04 impact 20of 20 covid 20on 20gender 20equality 20 20policy 20brief pdf la en vs 4414 3 Phelps Courtney Rapid Gender Analysis Middle East and North Africa Region Care Evaluations 5 Apr 2020 careevaluations org wp content uploads Regional RapidGender Analysis_MENA_10 April 2020_FINAL pdf The Pandemic in Syria and Yemen How Coronavirus is Rewriting the Violence 1 COVID 19 CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC Worldometer 23 Aug 2020 www worldometers info coronavirus 2 El Yaakoubi Aziz Yemen s Government Separatists Agree on Ceasefire Saudi Led Coalition Says Reuters Thomson Reuters 22 June 2020 www reuters com article usyemen security separatists yemens government separatists agree on ceasefire saudi ledcoalition says idUSKBN23T2BD 3 Nagi Ahmed Yemen and Coronavirus Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 14 Apr 2020 carnegieendowment org 2020 04 14 yemen and coronavirus pub 81534 4 Gumrukcu Tuvan Turkey Says Agreed with Russia on Details of Idlib Ceasefire Edited by Mark Heinrich and Daren Butler Reuters Thomson Reuters 13 Mar 2020 www reuters com article us syria security turkey russia turkey says agreed with russia ondetails of idlib ceasefire idUSKBN2101H2 5 Weber David A Idlib Ceasefire Is Holding and Could Open Door to Long Term Syria Solution US Envoy Says Atlantic Council 30 Apr 2020 www atlanticcouncil org blogs new atlanticist idlib ceasefire is holding and could open door to long term syriasolution us envoy says 6 Yacoubian Mona Can COVID 19 Open the Door to Peace Building in Syria The Hill The Hill 23 Apr 2020 thehill com opinion international 493205 can covid 19 open thedoor to peace building in syria 7 DeLozier Elana The Coronavirus Pandemic Could Be the Key to Peace in Yemen Foreign Policy 9 Apr 2020 foreignpolicy com 2020 04 09 coronavirus pandemic peace talksyemen houthi saudi arabia Yemen Behind the Headlines 1 Yemen in Crisis Council on Foreign Relations Council on Foreign Relations 2020 2 Robert Burrowes and Manfred W Wenner Arab Spring and Civil War Encyclop dia Britannica April 15 2020 3 Interview with anonymous civilian translated from arabic 4 Water Sanitation and Hygiene UNICEF Yemen 2020 pg 1 5 Interview with Author 2020 6 Yemen Cholera Epidemic World Health Organization 2 July 2020 pg 1 7 Geert Cappelaere Conflict in Yemen A Living Hell for Children UNICEF Middle East and North Africa November 4 2018 8 Sam Kiley Starving Yemen s Drug Problem CNN Cable News Network May 21 2019 9 Ian Black Yemenis Fondness for Chewing Qat Is Doing Real Damage to the Country 30 The Guardian Guardian News and Media August 11 2008 10 Stone Richard Yemen Was Facing the World s Worst Humanitarian Crisis Then the Coronavirus Hit Science 3 June 2020 Annexation Perspectives of Peace and Conflict 1 Peace to Prosperity A Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People The White House The White House 2020 www whitehouse gov wpcontent uploads 2020 01 Peace to Prosperity 0120 pdf 2 Goodman Micah Eight Steps to Shrink the Israeli Palestinian Conflict The Atlantic Atlantic Media Company 1 Apr 2019 www theatlantic com ideas archive 2019 04 eight steps shrink israeli palestinian conflict 585964 3 Bard Mitchell G Facts About Jewish Settlements in the West Bank Jewish Virtual Library American Israeli Cooperative Enterprise Jan 2020 www jewishvirtuallibrary org facts about jewish settlements in the west bank 4 Israeli Settlements Explained Settlements Part I YouTube Vox 19 Sept 2016 www youtube com watch v E0uLbeQlwjw 5 Why Israeli Settlements Don t Feel like a Conflict Zone Settlements Part II YouTube Vox 26 Sept 2016 www youtube com watch v B6L9mS9ti6o t 169s 6 MEE Staff Israel Approves Loyalty Law to Revoke Residency of Jerusalem s Palestinians Middle East Eye Middle East Eye 7 Mar 2018 www middleeasteye net news israel approves loyalty law revoke residency jerusalems palestinians 7 Living Conditions of the Palestinian People in the Occupied Territories United Nations United Nations 1 Jan 1985 www un org unispal document autoinsert 199702 8 Settlers Are Taking over East Jerusalem One House at a Time YouTube Vox 6 Oct 2016 www youtube com watch v _Tlnk0RL5VM 9 Lubell Maayan and Suheir Sheikh Carrot Not Stick Israel Pushes Its Curriculum in Palestinian Schools Reuters Thomson Reuters 29 June 2017 www reuters com article us israel palestinians jerusalem schools carrot not stick israel pushes itscurriculum in palestinian schools idUSKBN19K2BE 10 Shadeed Adel The Deal of the Century a Palestinian Perspective The Forum for Regional Thinking 25 Feb 2020 www regthink org en articles he deal of thecentury a palestinian perspective 11 Shulman David Palestine The Madness of Netanyahu s Annexation Plan The Wire 7 July 2020 thewire in world palestine israel netanyahu annexation plan 12 Global Protests against Israel s Annexation Plan Peoples Dispatch 1 July 2020 peoplesdispatch org 2020 07 01 global protests against israels annexation plan 13 Tibon Amir Bernie Sanders Signs AOC s Anti Annexation Letter Threatening to Cut U S Military Aid to Israel Haaretz Haaretz 30 June 2020 www haaretz com us news premium sanders signs aoc s anti annexation letter threatening to cutmilitary aid to israel 1 8959299 14 How Is BDS Affecting Israel Boycott Divestment and Sanctions Movement YouTube Al Jazeera English 27 Mar 2018 www youtube com watch v ohrkhZnG4Ww 15 Hanna Megan BDS Movement Lessons from the South Africa Boycott Human Rights Al Jazeera Al Jazeera 23 Feb 2016 www aljazeera com indepth features 2016 02 bds movement lessons south africa boycott 160223072813078 html The Middle East in Solidarity with Black Lives 1 Kam Ephraim et al The Turmoil in the Middle East The Institute for National Security Studies Tel Aviv Institute for National Security Studies 2015 www inss org il wp content uploads systemfiles INSS2014 15Balance_ENG 20 2 _Kam 20 et 20al pdf 2 Davis Angela Angela Davis Calls to Unite Anti Racist Struggles for Israeli Apartheid Week 2020 BDS Movement 16 Mar 2020 bdsmovement net news angela davis calls unite anti racist struggles for israeli apartheid week 2020 3 Litvin Yoav Black Lives Matter and Lessons from Palestine US Canada Al Jazeera Al Jazeera 24 June 2020 www aljazeera com indepth opinion black livesmatter lessons palestine 200621152130884 html 4 Al Sharif Osama Palestinians Unbreakable Link with Black Lives Matter Arab News 16 June 2020 www arabnews com node 1690701 5 Black Palestinian Solidarity US Campaign for Palestinian Rights 27 Jan 2020 uscpr org blackpalestiniansolidarity 6 2015 Black Statement of Solidarity with Palestine BLACK FOR PALESTINE www blackforpalestine com read the statement html 7 Bailey Kristian Davis Dream Defenders Black Lives Matter Ferguson Reps Take Historic Trip to Palestine EBONY 1 Aug 2016 www ebony com news dreamdefenders black lives matter ferguson reps take historic trip to palestine 8 Turks Protest in Istanbul against Police Killing of Unarmed U S Black Man Xinhua Net 6 June 2020 www xinhuanet com english 2020 06 06 c_139117518 htm 9 Leduc Sarah The Kurds The World s Largest Stateless Nation France 24 France 24 30 July 2015 www france24 com en 20150730 who are kurds turkey syria iraqpkk divided 10 U S Census Bureau QuickFacts United States Census Bureau QuickFacts US Census Bureau www census gov quickfacts fact table US IPE120218 11 Who Are the Kurds BBC News BBC 15 Oct 2019 www bbc com news worldmiddle east 29702440 12 NPS Ethnography African American Heritage Ethnography National Parks Service U S Department of the Interior www nps gov ethnography aah aaheritage FrenchAmA htm 13 Arefin D Sharmin Is Hair Discrimination Race Discrimination American Bar Association 17 Apr 2020 www americanbar org groups business_law publications blt 2020 05 hair discrimination 14 Sweeney Steve Journalist Jailed for 7 Years on Terror Charges after Criticising Turkish State Morning Star 13 July 2020 morningstaronline co uk article w journalist jailed 7 years terror charges after criticising turkish state 15 The New Arab Staff Turkey s Erdogan Tells Trump That Black Lives Matter Protesters Working with PKK The New Arab 9 June 2020 english alaraby co uk english news 2020 6 9 turkeys erdogan claims blm protesters working with pkk 16 Aydin Serkan Do All Lives Matter in Turkey Daily Sabah Daily Sabah 2 July 2020 www dailysabah com opinion columns do all lives matter in turkey 17 In Pictures Anti Racism Solidarity Protests Held across World Al Jazeera Al Jazeera 1 June 2020 www aljazeera com indepth inpictures pictures anti racismsolidarity protests held world 200601082708809 html 18 Hincks Joseph How George Floyd s Death Spoke to a Syrian Artist in Idlib Time Time 6 June 2020 time com 5849444 george floyd mural idlib syria 19 Sharif Amina OUR LIVES MATTER I Can t Breathe the Syrian Living Dead Byline Times 17 June 2020 bylinetimes com 2020 06 17 our lives matteri cant breathe the syrian living dead 20 Afary Frieda Connecting Black Lives Matter and Syrian Lives Matter Alliance of Middle Eastern and North African Socialists 2 Aug 2016 allianceofmesocialists org connecting black lives matter syrian lives matter 21 Black Lives Matter Syria and American Fascism Facebook 17 Apr 2017 1 57 a m https www facebook com BlackLivesMatter posts the people of syria arecarrying the weight of american fascism 206500 pounds of 747360102101904 22 Salloum Saad African Iraqis Also Need the Black Lives Matter Movement AlFanar Media 30 June 2020 www al fanarmedia org 2020 06 african iraqis alsoneed the black lives matter movement 23 Salloum Saad Will Iraqi Blacks Win Justice The New York Times The New York Times 22 July 2014 www nytimes com 2014 07 23 opinion will iraqi blackswin justice html 24 Iraqi Journalist Who Threw Shoe at George W Bush Is Now Part of Black Lives Matter Protest News18 News18 5 June 2020 www news18 com news buzz iraqijournalist who threw shoe at george w bush is now protesting for black livesmatter 2654533 html 25 Hess Pamela Rumsfeld Looting Is Transition to Freedom UPI UPI 11 Apr 2003 www upi com Defense News 2003 04 11 Rumsfeld Looting is transition tofreedom 63821050097983 26 We Want to Breathe Too Solidarity from Iraq Egypt Independent 6 June 2020 egyptindependent com we want to breathe too solidarity from iraq 27 The Unprecedented Mass Protests in Lebanon Explained Amnesty International 16 July 2020 www amnesty org en latest news 2019 11 lebanon protestsexplained 28 Silverman Hollie and Theresa Waldrop Philadelphia Highway Shut down as Protesters Enter Roadway CNN Cable News Network 5 July 2020 www cnn com 2020 07 05 us philadelphia protests highway shut index html 29 From Beirut to Minneapolis GitHub 5 June 2020 github com frombeirutwithlove ProtestTips blob master WhatToDo md 30 Fitt Elizabeth In Pictures Lebanon Protests Resurge as Economy Collapses Middle East Eye 4 May 2020 www middleeasteye net news lebanonprotests in pictures coronavirus tripoli beirut 31 Osman Nadda BlackLivesMatter Lebanon Activists Share Protest Tips with US Demonstrators Middle East Eye 2 June 2020 www middleeasteye net news lebanon george floyd black lives matter protest tips us The 2020 US Election Why it Matters for the Middle East 1 Einhorn Robert Averting a New Iranian Nuclear Crisis Brookings The Brookings Institution 17 Jan 2020 www brookings edu policy2020 bigideas averting a newiranian nuclear crisis 2 Iran Gasoline Rationing Price Hikes Draw Street Protests Edited by Lisa Shumaker and Steve Orlofsky Reuters Thomson Reuters 15 Nov 2019 uk reuters com article us iran gasoline rationing iran gasoline rationing price hikes drawstreet protests idUKKBN1XO2ZE 3 Fassihi Farnaz and Steven Lee Myers Defying U S China and Iran Near Trade and Military Partnership The New York Times The New York Times 11 July 2020 www nytimes com 2020 07 11 world asia china iran trade military deal html 4 Sudetic Brett and Giorgio Cafiero What Biden s Presidency Means for Iran Middle East Monitor 23 July 2020 www middleeastmonitor com 20200723what bidens presidency means for iran 5 Thrall Nathan Trump s Middle East Peace Plan Exposes the Ugly Truth The New York Times The New York Times 29 Jan 2020 www nytimes com 2020 01 29 opinion trump peace plan html 6 Tibon Amir Joe Biden Israeli Threat of Annexation Settlement Activity Will Choke off Hope of Peace Haaretz Haaretz 19 May 2020 www haaretz com usnews premium biden israeli annexation settlement activity will choke off hope ofpeace 1 8858803 7 Kampeas Ron As Israel Considers Annexation Biden Calls to Keep the TwoState Solution Alive The Times of Israel The Times of Israel 6 May 2020 www timesofisrael com as israel considers annexation biden calls to keep the two statesolution alive 8 Statement from President Donald J Trump on Standing with Saudi Arabia The White House The United States Government 20 Nov 2018 www whitehouse gov briefings statements statement president donald j trump standing saudi arabia 9 Harb Ali US Election 2020 Where Does Joe Biden Stand on Middle East Issues Middle East Eye Middle East Eye 31 Jan 2020 www middleeasteye net news us election 2020 where does joe biden stand middle east issues 10 Emmons Alex et al At Debate Joe Biden Says He Would Make Saudi Arabia a Pariah The Intercept The Intercept 21 Nov 2019 theintercept com 2019 11 21 democratic debate joe biden saudi arabia 31

Page 31

Fenjan Summer 2020 Issue

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

Page 5

Page 6