The anniversary of the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas and other militant Palestinian factions on southern Israel from Gaza finds the Middle East in a state of generalized warfare, which threatens to spill over globally. The horrendous murders and hostage taking of the initial event were followed by massive killing and destruction, first in…
With the Israel-Hamas conflict still possibly having months to run and with even the outlines of an end state still far from clear, trying to chart a course for the UN at this juncture is challenging. It is nevertheless possible to identify certain lines of action and rule out others. No role for peacekeepers Let’s…
International finger-pointing exacerbates rising tensions. Only a thorough investigation can reveal those responsible for the chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoum.
by Evangelos Areteos
We spent six days following refugees from Turkey to Idomeni, northern Greece, through Lesvos, Piraeus and Athens. What we lived and what we saw was a great lesson of humanity and strength but also a painful experience of suffering
The final weeks of 2015 saw remarkable activity at the global level producing concrete results, for a change. The UN climate change conference in Paris (COP 21) ended in mid-December with the adoption of an ambitious Paris Agreement that will guide climate action starting in 2020 and carrying on for many years thereafter. A few days later the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on the way forward in Syria, while an agreement among the Libyan factions was endorsed by the UN Security Council…
Geography and history, modern and older, internal fault lines as well as external interventions, have given rise to a perfect storm in the Eastern Mediterranean. In an arc of fire that stretches from Libya to Syria and can be extrapolated further North, all the way to Russia and Ukraine, a series of conflicts have made this an area of particular instability, for the world as a whole and more immediately for nearby Europe…
Remarks by the EU High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini following the Syria talks Vienna, 30 October 2015 Good evening, It was a long, very long, and very substantial meeting. We tackled the major issues that were on the table. You will see the common statement, we have found common ground to continue the talks. I would…
By Deniz Torcu
When I was working for a UNESCO Commission in Turkey a couple of years ago, we had started receiving dozens of phone calls from the Southern Turkish border with Syria, from refugees desperately trying to get in touch with some authority that could help them get settled in a camp or help them get to the EU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvOnXh3NN9w&feature=share
The refugee crisis has revealed rifts among EU member states trying to cope with the influx of asylum seekers who hope to make their way to the wealthier parts of Europe. EU leaders are acting in very different ways: some, albeit very few, are taking the humanitarian high ground, while others are either cherry-picking which refugees are permitted to enter their countries or closing their borders altogether.
