The Briefing – August 2015
August 2015The latest twist in the ever-turning Middle East has been Turkey’s sudden engagement in the war against Islamic State and an unexpected renewal of conflict with Kurdish separatists. Iran’s proposed renewal of relations with the West has also put the cat among the pigeons. News from the region The deal reached on Iran’s nuclear development programme continues to stir a […]
The Briefing – July 2015
July 2015While Middle East Muslims observed the Ramadan fast during the height of summer, a wave of terrorist attacks sent shockwaves across the world. News from the region Terrorist attacks in Tunisia, Egypt, and Kuwait this month shook the region and impacted many lives beyond it. ISIS-affiliated militants sought to do multiple things with these killings. Attacking Western holiday makers in […]
The Briefing – June 2015
June 2015While Turkey geared up for elections which could have long-term internal and regional ramifications, the war against ISIS and proxy battles in Yemen dominated elsewhere. Christians in Turkey had reason to celebrate but faced discrimination in Egypt, Israel and Iran. News from the region On 7 June, Turkish citizens will vote in what is seen as one of the most […]
The Briefing – May 2015
May 2015Increased interventions by Saudi Arabia impact Yemen and Syria, while descendants of Ottoman Armenians remember their “Great Catastrophe”. News from the region Changes in Saudi Arabia’s royal family structure are slowly but increasingly affecting the region. The appointments and foreign policy moves made by King Salman (crowned head of state in January) demonstrate a far more proactive Saudi Arabia in […]
The Briefing – April 2015
April 2015The whirlwind that is the Middle East never ends. Taking centre stage in this month’s developments have been Yemen, Iran and Tunisia. News from the region The most promising development – albeit still unclear – has been a provisional agreement reached with Iran over its nuclear enrichment. While the details are yet to be made public or clearly outlined, a […]
The Briefing – March 2015
March 20152015 continues to be a challenging year for the region and the church. But, faced with death, faithful Christians – and the communities they belonged to – have offered the region a radical lesson in forgiveness and human dignity. News from the Region While the brutalities of ISIS continued, there were growing preparations for military campaigns against its advances in […]
The Briefing – February 2015
February 2015Some words of Sir Winston Churchill, whose funeral 50 years ago was remembered last month, remain as relevant as ever: “To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war.” While brutality and war-war continued to dominate news from the MENA region, talks and common sense pulled others back from the brink. News from the Region The war in Syria continues in […]
The Briefing – January 2015
January 2015Last month we summarised the major developments in the MENA in 2014. In this Briefing we look at six key questions to highlight the issues and concerns we expect to play a major role in 2015. The year ahead The biggest question for 2015 is the ISIS/Islamic State, Syria, Iraq triangle. While analysts now forecast a decreasing reach for […]