After just a few days of rapid advances, the rebels appeared to control Syria’s capital. Rebels declared that they would work with a top official in President Bashar al-Assad’s government. Mr. al-Assad’s location was unclear. Rebel fighters stormed into Syria’s capital, Damascus, on Sunday, taking them to the brink of a stunning victory as evidence mounted that Syrian forces and their leader, President Bashar al-Assad, had fled. In just two weeks, a bitter stalemate that had held for years in Syria has been snapped.
Tag: Israel-Hamas War
Israel-Hamas War: A Year of Bloodshed and Stalemate
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has a long history and is a complicated topic. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced when the State of Israel was established in 1948. Since then, the region has been defined by decades of violence, including revolutions and wars. The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas first appeared in the 1980s and took over the Gaza Strip in 2007. The organisation has played a significant role in the war, frequently confronting Israel with weapons.
Mossad’s Strategic Gambles in the Middle East
Two years after the US struck the Al-Qaeda chief in Afghanistan, Israel has allegedly carried out an offensive covert operation in Iran, killing its most wanted Hamas chief, Ismail Haniyeh, in a mysterious, sophisticated bomb blast, one of the critical successes in the global terror landscape after the US. However, Intelligence work in complicated situations has always led to playing a zero-sum game where conflict can go in two ways: either all hell breaks loose, or it can be strategically controlled and minimise escalation.
How Far Have University Student Protests Influenced Solidarity with Gaza?
Student protests in solidarity with Palestine have surged at universities worldwide following the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. Protesters are demanding that their institutions sever ties with Israel and divest from companies supporting the conflict. The protests, largely organised by coalitions of student groups, have spread across the United States, Canada, Europe, and even Australia. Students have set up encampments on campuses to pressure universities into taking action. Protesters argue that universities should not maintain relationships with entities linked to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute and that such ties are inappropriate.
Impact of Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine Conflicts on Stock Markets
Geopolitical conflicts have the potential to impact global stock markets through various economic and financial channels. Disruptions to energy and commodity supplies, increased market volatility, and heightened economic uncertainty can all weigh on investor sentiment and stock prices. Additionally, the potential for these conflicts to escalate and draw in other regional or global powers could further exacerbate their impact on the financial markets.
Integrating Oman and Egypt into the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor
As the Israel-Palestine conflict persists, the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), announced in the backdrop of the G20 summit held in Delhi in September, 2023, remains a non-starter. The resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict is nowhere in sight. As opposed to delaying the implementation of IMEC until the crisis is resolved, the participating nations could look at additional routes that would connect India to Europe bypassing Israel. One such route can connect India to Europe via Oman, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, while the rest of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries can be connected to the corridor via branch routes.
North Korea fires Ballistic Missile, Heightening Tensions with Japan
The West claims that Moscow’s support for North Korea’s missile programme has been crucial to its defence posture in the region vis-a-vis American presence in the region. Pyongyang openly defies a ban imposed by the United Nations Security Council on developing ballistic missiles. North Korea asserts international objections against its missile programs as infringement of its sovereign right to defend itself.
Israel Conducts Airstrikes on Iran Despite US Implorements to not Retaliate
According to a US official, Israeli Defense Force carried out an air strike on Iran on Friday, April 19, in retaliation to an Iranian attack last Sunday, April 14. The Iranian defense force has blocked three drones near the air base in Isfahan province. However Iran did not make any comment on who could be behind the attack and nor did Israel claim responsibility over the strike. The No large scale damage was caused by the attack, reported CNN. Sources said that Netanyahu government’s war cabinet has been planning for an attack since Monday which was hold back due to international pressure coming from allies like the United States and Gulf.
Examining Allegations of Apartheid in the Israel-Palestine Conflict
I noticed that many people who refer to Israel as an apartheid state use the term to describe all of Palestine, including the State of Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, instead of addressing each part separately. I believe that focusing on each part individually is the best strategy, as the West Bank and Gaza have their own respective authorities and government institutions. It would be unfair to lump them together with Israel. When we consider Israel, there are no signs or indications of apartheid aside from the inflammatory language used by some Knesset members. All citizens, whether Arab or Jewish, are free to do as they please. Similarly, in Gaza, in the absence of any Israelis, it is impossible to speak about apartheid.
UN-finished? Peace, Promises and Growing Disappointments
The result? A crescendo of global disappointment and a serious need for rethinking of the UN’s relevance in a world that has moved beyond its post-1945 landscape. Also, a legitimate question to ask is that as a common individual living in a fairly small country, why should one trust and rely on the UN to protect them in times of humanitarian crises and hold the perpetrators accountable, given the litany list of failures before us? A more casual way of asking the same question would be, ‘is the UN still relevant?’