On the Cover

The Arab world was beset by political turmoil and violence in 2015 and, unless contained, the region could spiral into chaos BY RAMI G. KHOURI Political conditions have evolved so rapidly across the Middle East over the past few years, dominated by events and conflicts that are expected to govern the foreseeable future—that is until

TIME FLIES: Texan teenager Ahmed Mohamed, 14, was arrested after bringing a homemade electronic clock to school. In solidarity, he was invited to the White House. REUTERS   Social Streams

Faced with an uncertain future, refugees in camps and shelters need laughter to remind them of hope By Mostapha Raad They say laughter is the best medicine. It may not be a medicinal cure for those suffering from certain psychological ailments, but it alleviates the pain of those who have endured the trauma of war.

Saudi Arabia’s women participated in landmark municipal elections, as candidates and voters. But what impact will their involvement have? By Khadeeja Balkhi On the surface of it, the suffrage of Saudi women hits all the right notes: Gender, votes, power, emancipation. But given a closer look, the nation’s third municipal elections—the first in the Kingdom’s

Sometimes, love isn’t enough By Sami Abu Salem Pablo Neruda once wrote: “You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep spring from coming.” And so it was, that 21-year-old Rami Qedra, a Muslim Palestinian MAN from Beit Lahia, a town north of Gaza, fell in love with Galit Popok, a 17-year-old Jewish Israeli

A diplomatic confrontation between Turkey’s President Erdogan and Russia’s President Putin may unleash a conflict which may impact the world By NOUR SAMAHA It was as though it was clipped from the sky: a single satellite image that has set the region agog. Across a tiny area on the map, over the opposition-held Jabal Turkman

The next U.S. president will have to take on the Middle East. But do contenders know their Baghdad from their Basra? BY Roshanak Taghavi, Safa Joudeh, Ammar Abdullah, Suadad Al Salhy and Maher Abu Khater It is a truth universally acknowledged that when it comes to the Middle East, pragmatism trumps idealism for U.S. presidents.

Muslims must unite to defeat Daesh BY Sunny Hundal “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured,” the writer Mark Twain wrote. The Republic of France would do well to heed that warning after the horrific attacks in Paris,

Extremist groups resort to brainwashing and bribery to gain followers  By Rami G. Khouri  The brutal nature and wide geographic scope of the terror attacks by Daesh in recent weeks that killed over 400 innocent people in Sinai, Beirut, Baghdad and Paris have once again sparked a frantic quest by befuddled intelligence agencies and analysts

The Rapid Rise of Daesh Has Come to A Head in Paris BY Kareem Shaheen “A man that flies from his fear may find that he has only taken a short cut to meet it.” This was the sage advice of the author, J. R. R. Tolkein in his work, The Children of Húrin. It