Middle East and North Africa
This region, sometimes referred to as MENA, encompasses countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Taking a broad view, we focus our attention on the economic, social and environmental challenges its people experience.
Following the Arab Spring, our journalism highlights the dynamic changes experienced by many in the Middle East and North Africa, and the activist movements on the frontlines of the region’s political conflicts.
In Gaza, ‘Survival is the only objective’
Palestinian journalist Jamileh Tawfiq speaks to Hamza Ali Shah about working under Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
What if… We answered Isis with restorative justice?
Matt Broomfield spells out some better ways of dealing with captive extremists.
Yemen
Despite extreme suffering there are signs of hope on the horizon in Yemen, Sam Kimball reports.
‘How could the occupier have the right to self-defence?’
Conrad Landin speaks to Saga and Ahmed, two young Palestinians who have recently settled in Scotland.
Has Netanyahu misjudged tolerance for his actions?
As mass protests erupt worldwide over Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza, Andrew Feinstein asks if Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed his allies too far.
Settlers displace West Bank Bedouins amid Israel’s Gaza attack
Under the cover of Israel’s attack on Gaza, armed settlers and soldiers are erasing entire Bedouin villages in the West Bank. Tom Anderson reports.
How Palestine became Israel’s spyware test-bed
Antony Loewenstein examines spyware’s role in Israel’s occupation of Palestine, and why governments are failing to reign in its insidious spread.
‘This is the second Nakba. The time to act is now’
Sending a message from inside Gaza, Palestinian journalist and activist Ahmed Abu Artema calls for global protests to prevent a repeat of history.
Palestine: From accord to Apartheid
In the lead story from our May-June 2023 issue, Zoe Holman looks at how the so-called ‘peace process’ has allowed Israel to deepen its colonial project over Palestinian lives.
Egypt – at a glance
Tom Dale profiles one of the former hotspots of the 2011 Arab Spring, a nation now experiencing a counter-revolutionary moment.
The Interview: Leila Khaled
Marta Vidal speaks with the Palestinian militant about the role of violence in the struggle for a better world.
Sanctions Mark II
Andrew Feinstein argues that the strategy that helped end South Africa’s apartheid must also be mobilized against Israel.
Hall of infamy: Itamar Ben-Gvir
Spouting hate is a lark when you're in power – just ask Israel's National Security Minister.
Country Profile: United Arab Emirates
Ibtisaam Babikr profiles the wealthy Gulf state determined to rehabilitate its image.
Western folly and the continuous Nakba
Toufic Haddad argues that the West’s blinkered support for Israel can only escalate disaster.
‘Yemeni women must be given a seat at the table’
Historic peace talks are a glimmer of hope in the world’s worst humanitarian conflict. But the exclusion of Yemeni women’s voices in the peace process is deeply worrying, says Fatma Jaffar of Oxfam, in Sanaa.
‘We are the true voice of the people’: Sudan’s civilian resistance is still alive
Can Sudan’s pro-democracy camp still play a role in forging a democratic future for the military-controlled nation? Obiora Ikoku reports.
Before Iran, the Kurdish feminist revolution
Rahila Gupta examines the precursor to Iran’s ‘first feminist revolution in the world’: a Kurdish feminist revolution in Rojava.
The interview: Mohamad Hafez
The Syrian-American architect and artist about the power of nostalgia and his lifelong homesickness for Syria.
Turkey is running northern Syria dry
Gisella Ligios reports from Rojava on the threat of food and water insecurity, and its impact on farming livelihoods.
Free Alaa!
The activists of the Arab Spring have faced a devastating backlash. We must support them, writes Nanjala Nyabola.
Hall of Infamy: Naftali Bennett
The recently-departed Israeli PM was not so skilled in maneuvers as his supporters had hoped.
‘As long as the world keeps running, we’ll be here’
Branded as terrorists by President Erdoğan’s hardline regime, LGBTQI+ people in Turkey are finding ways to express themselves and build solidarity, writes Tuğçe Özbiçer.
Feel the fear and carry on
In Iraq a growing number of women are now doing the dangerous work of removing landmines – previously a male preserve. Adrian Margaret Brune reports.
The interview: Muhanned Qafesha
Human rights activist Muhanned Qafesha talks about the life-and-death battle to defend Palestine from illegal demolitions and settlements.
Iraq: at a glance
For so long subject to ‘the tyranny of strangers’, Zoe Holman explores the ongoing appetite for change in Iraq.
Prisoners of occupation
Palestinians continue to be brutalized in Israeli jails, despite international criticism. Kasturi Chakraborty speaks to prisoners’ families about their struggles.
‘This factory was killing our brothers and sisters in Palestine, we had to do something’
Bethany Rielly speaks to the campaigners who risked jail time to drive weapons manufacturer, Elbit Systems, out of their town.
Tunisia: at a glance
A decade on from the revolution, and after a succession of chaotic governments, is democracy teetering in Tunisia, asks Francesca Ebel?
Is my daughter’s pro-Palestine activism turning antisemitic?
Ethical and political dilemmas abound these days. Seems like we’re all in need of a New Internationalist perspective. Enter stage: Agony Uncle
Alternative combat
Louisa Waugh speaks to activists in Israel and Palestine working together in the name of peace.
The storm which Netanyahu unleashed
With mounting corruption charges to his name, Israel’s Prime Minister is benefiting from militarized, brutal distractions in Gaza. Adam Keller writes.
Yemen is not starving, Yemen is being starved
While the UN calls for international aid to avert famine in Yemen, the UK slashes its contribution. Sam Perlo-Freeman explains what’s at stake for ordinary Yemenis.
The search for Syria’s missing
The families of the disappeared are not giving up their search until they have answers. Jan-Peter Westad reports.
Mothers of the revolution
Lucy Provan and Alice Rowsome meet the women who helped bring down Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir, and discover a movement for change in full swing.
‘My best jokes come from moments that have angered me’
US-Palestinian comedian Maysoon Zayid talks to Subi Shah about acting, politics, race and breaking out as a disabled performer.