Tawakkol Karman is a Yemeni journalist, human rights activist, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. On Monday 25 September, the Lafayette Club hosted Karman at Hotel du Vin, where she addressed the origins of the ongoing crisis in Yemen. Some quotations have been edited for clarity. Photography by Maddy Bazil for Lightbox, provided courtesy of theContinue reading ““The Mother of the Revolution” Visits St Andrews”
Category Archives: The Middle East
"The Mother of the Revolution" Visits St Andrews
Tawakkol Karman is a Yemeni journalist, human rights activist, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. On Monday 25 September, the Lafayette Club hosted Karman at Hotel du Vin, where she addressed the origins of the ongoing crisis in Yemen. Some quotations have been edited for clarity. Photography by Maddy Bazil for Lightbox, provided courtesy of theContinue reading “"The Mother of the Revolution" Visits St Andrews”
The “Quality Vandalism” of Banksy’s Walled Off Hotel
There is something subversive and secretive about graffiti—even when its artist is world-renowned. Banksy, an anti-authoritarian graffiti artist, understands this phenomenon. He skyrocketed to international fame in the early 2000s for his cutting edge masterpieces in spray paint, which led TIME magazine to name him one of the 100 most influential people in the worldContinue reading “The “Quality Vandalism” of Banksy’s Walled Off Hotel”
50 Years of Fear: The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
On Wednesday, June 8, 2016, two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a popular market and restaurant area in central Tel Aviv, killing four people and injuring six. On Sunday, January 8, 2017, a Palestinian driver rammed a truck into a crowd of Israeli soldiers, resulting in the deaths of four people, while 17 others wereContinue reading “50 Years of Fear: The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict”
Rediscovering the Art of Proxy War
The Cold War is often described as a ‘competition’ between the USA and the Soviet Union that existed in many different fields, from technology to diplomacy to sports. However, the opponents were limited from direct military confrontation by both sides’ terror of Mutually Assured Destruction through nuclear war. Yet, very quickly the Cold War turnedContinue reading “Rediscovering the Art of Proxy War”
Facing Demolition: The Khan al Ahmar Bedouin Community
In the early morning of Sunday the 19 February, 2017, Israeli forces raided Khan al Ahmar, a Bedouin community located northeast of Jerusalem. Civil defense personnel cordoned off the area surrounding the primary school and a nearby mosque before declaring it a closed military zone. Thirty-nine stop-work orders were served to homes and community buildingsContinue reading “Facing Demolition: The Khan al Ahmar Bedouin Community”
The Expulsion of Afghan Refugees From Pakistan
“No matter who you are, your heart will turn black with so much abuse.” – Afghan refugee, 25, returning to Afghanistan, November 2016. For the past 40 years, over 1.5 million registered Afghan refugees, and an estimated one million unregistered persons, have made Pakistan their home. In the last two years, however, tensions between PakistanContinue reading “The Expulsion of Afghan Refugees From Pakistan”
Terrified of Trump? Imagine Being Iranian Right Now
Donald Trump’s victory in the US elections has terrified many within the United States; economists fear his business incompetence and cavalier attitude to borrowing and debt obligations; Hispanic-Americans fear stigmatisation and deportation; the African-American and Muslim communities have already experienced vicious attacks against them; LGBT suicide hotlines have seen a huge spike in calls; andContinue reading “Terrified of Trump? Imagine Being Iranian Right Now”
Erasing the Past: Daesh and Iconoclasm
In August 2015, the Temple of Baal in Palmyra was reduced to rubble. Completed in AD 32, it has served as a Mesopotamian temple, a Christian church, and an Islamic mosque, but now the iconic ruins stand as a reminder of the physical impact of Daesh, also known as Islamic State or ISIS. Worldwide outrageContinue reading “Erasing the Past: Daesh and Iconoclasm”
The Mosul Offensive: Trading in Human Rights for the Restoration of a Nation
Under a cloak of relative anonymity and overshadowed by the scope of Al-Qaeda in the Middle East, the Islamic State – also commonly referred to as ISIS or Daesh – shocked the global community as they gained control of Mosul during the summer of 2014. The second largest city in Iraq and home to aContinue reading “The Mosul Offensive: Trading in Human Rights for the Restoration of a Nation”
Protocol Magazine 