U.S.-Saudi Relations Entering a New, More Complex Phase

Since the presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the United States and Saudi Arabia have engaged in a complicated relationship of protection, support, and need despite stark differences in cultural values and norms of behavior. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has presented its share of challenges for American leaders of both parties, from Nixon to Obama, … Continued

The Children of Yemen: The World’s Mass Atrocity

As thousands of children starve in Yemen, it seems as if the world has selected to ignore their suffering. (Photo credit: The Guardian) Visiting Yemen in late November,  World Food Program’s Managing Director David Beasley came away with the following summary of what he saw: “Yemen is the stuff of nightmares, of horror, of deprivation, … Continued

Hate Crimes: More Than Acts of Violence, Acts of Ignorance

These tombstone was desecrated with pro-Nazi graffiti outside of Eastern France . (Photo credit: Haaretz.com)   After years in education without a specific path in mind, I found myself compelled to devote my life to the Holocaust and genocide studies in an effort to celebrate resistance over submission, courage over cowardice, and humanity over barbarity. … Continued

The Qatar Conundrum

If one expects President Donald J. Trump to work to alleviate global tensions, one will undoubtedly be routinely disappointed.  Perhaps the largest international challenge facing the American leader and former reality star, outside of the Korean peninsula, is the tiny Gulf state of Qatar. In early summer, a collection of regional powers, spearheaded by Saudi … Continued

The Dichotomy of Tunisia

For those looking to study the impact and the challenges of revolution, one should perhaps begin to pay greater attention to Tunisia. The nation that spawned the Arab Awakening in 2011 has become a complex experiment about the expansion of liberty, highlighting the duality of personal autonomy and the risks associated with it. While the … Continued

Interview with Sarah Glidden, Author of Rolling Blackouts

Boston-born Seattle resident Sarah Glidden is celebrating the release of Rolling Blackouts, her most recent work in the bourgeoning field of cartoon journalism.  The 2008 Ignatz Award winner for “Best New Talent”, Glidden travelled through Turkey, Iraq, and Syria with a pair of journalists and captured poignant, sometimes painful, moments with residents of these pivotal … Continued

The US Election as a referendum on Islamophobia

The United States currently finds itself embroiled in one of the most ugly and derogatory campaigns in recent political history, and one again finds the Middle East at the centre of the most inflammatory rhetoric, particularly a fear of Islam. Tweets about political opponents’ wives, threats of massive border walls, and the dismantling of NATO … Continued

Freedom Cannot Cloak Hatred

As an American there are few ideals to which I cling more tightly than the right to freedom of speech. However, this ability to theoretically say whatever I may feel and believe has raised difficult questions in recent months, through the actions of groups organising events in Texas and Arizona at which participants drew cartoons … Continued

All writers' views in articles are their own and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Asfar team.

Published by Asfar in London, UK - ISSN 2055-7957 (Online)