Middle East

A Nation in Transition: Afghan Perspectives on Society, Politics, and Economics, 2004 and 2018, Part 1
- January 23, 2019
The survey of the Afghan people, undertaken by the Asia Foundation every year since 2004, is an important barometer, tracking opinions on social, political, economic, and security conditions in their country. The survey findings provide a longitudinal picture of how …
By Nipa Banerjee
Democracy, Fragile States, International Development, Middle East, Women
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A Nation in Transition: Afghan Perspectives on Society, Politics, and Economics, 2004 and 2018, Part 2
- January 23, 2019
In Part 1 of this blog, we looked at some results from the Asia Foundation’s annual survey of the Afghan people, comparing the results from 2004 and 2018 on such issues as national mood, fear for personal safety, and satisfaction …
By Nipa Banerjee
Democracy, Fragile States, International Development, Middle East, Women
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Canada Can’t Put Human Rights on the Back Burner in 2019
- December 19, 2018
By Stéphanie Bacher

Over the past year, Canada has taken some important steps to promote and protect human rights abroad. However, the picture is not as rosy as often presented by the government, and Canada still has a long way …
By CIPS
Canadian Foreign Policy, Gender, Human Rights, International Trade, Middle East, Women
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Time to Move Past the Errors of the War on Terror
- December 10, 2018
The aftermath of 9/11 produced many problems in many countries. Canadian police and security agencies made numerous mistakes as followers and participants in an ill-considered American-led War on Terror declared shortly after that tragedy. The evidence in two public inquiries …
By Daniel Livermore
Canadian Foreign Policy, Defence and Intelligence, Human Rights, International Security, Middle East
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Canada’s Afghanistan Aid Urgently Needs Review — But That Doesn’t Mean We Should Go It Alone
- November 28, 2018
The recent interaction of John Sopko — the American Special Inspector General of Afghanistan Reconstruction — with the Canadian media on billions of wasted aid dollars in Afghanistan has stirred Canadian public interest on the forgotten subject of Canada’s Afghanistan …
By Nipa Banerjee
Canadian Foreign Policy, Fragile States, International Development, Middle East
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Canada’s Lessons in Afghanistan Not Recorded and Not Learned: Part 1
- October 29, 2018
Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko’s assessment of American lessons learned in Afghanistan is similar to that of Canada, except that our findings are not based on systematic and independent review. Canada lacks appropriate monitoring and evaluation …
By Nipa Banerjee
Canadian Foreign Policy, Fragile States, International Development, Middle East
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Canada’s Lessons in Afghanistan Not Recorded and Not Learned: Part 2
- October 29, 2018
In terms of Afghanistan, Canada has clearly been afflicted with attention deficit disorder; in less than a decade, it changed program focus three times (as noted by a summative evaluation of Canada’s development program in 2015). The lessons that could …
By Nipa Banerjee
Canadian Foreign Policy, Fragile States, International Development, Middle East
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Khashoggi Murder Case a Test for Despots Everywhere
- October 18, 2018
The disappearance and possible murder of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi is an important test case for despots everywhere. Can they get away with interrogating, kidnapping, and even assassinating their critics in other countries?

Khashoggi, a resident of the United …
By Roland Paris
Democracy, Human Rights, International Law, Middle East
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Germany: Yet Another Migration Debate?
- August 1, 2018
Asli Ilgit, Cukurova University

Audie Klotz, Syracuse University

Once again, pundits predict the downfall of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Why? Her migration policies appear to fuel the rise of the nationalist …
By CIPS
Europe, Human Rights, Middle East, Refugees
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Why Canada Should NOT Move its Embassy to Jerusalem
- June 5, 2018
by Jon Allen and Alan Freeman

For President Donald Trump and many Israelis, the decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem is simply “a recognition of reality,” the fact that Jerusalem and not Tel Aviv is the functioning capital …
By Alan Freeman
Canadian Foreign Policy, International Relations, Middle East, USA
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Arms Exports and Feminist Foreign Policy
- April 11, 2018
In recent years, we’ve seen a number of depressing political shifts in the Euro-Atlantic area — but the rise of feminist foreign policies is not among them.

The trend was set in 2014 when Margot Wallström was named foreign minister …
By Srdjan Vucetic
Canadian Foreign Policy, Europe, International Trade, Middle East, Women
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Press for Progress for Afghan Women and Girls
- April 4, 2018
As the month of March passes, the 2018 Women’s Day theme, relentless Press for Progress, must continue if the gains in women’s status in Afghanistan since 2001 are to be sustained.

Eminent members of the international community — individuals, …
By Nipa Banerjee
Éducation, Middle East, Women
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