The Middle East's Refugee Crisis
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The UNHCR's Global Trends 2013 Report highlights Middle Eastern crises and their impact on the world's rapidly rising number of displaced persons
Photo credit: United Nations Photo
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These articles represent the views of the authors only, and do not constitute the positions of UCLA, the International Institute, or the Center for Middle East Development. Articles are primarily written by UCLA undergraduate students.
Dictators Change, Things Stay the Same
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The latest sentences are a continuation of the repressive crackdown on opposition to the current Egyptian government, and demonstrate the state’s dangerous expansion of control.
Image from Khaled Desouki / AFP / Getty Images
Read MoreIn Iraq Crisis, a Chance for Iranian and Western Rapprochement?
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As the situation in Iraq further crumbles, unlikely bedfellows look to stabilize the country and halt the advance of the terrorist organization ISIS. Is there a role for Iran and the West to work together?
(Photo: http://www.futureatlas.com/blog)
Read MoreHow to Save Iraq: Weighing the Options
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As violence continues to escalate within Iraq, the US and its allies, as well as regional powers, are facing the pressure to take action in order to de-escalate and stabilize the troubled country. The news is inundated with policy experts advocating every degree of intervention from boots on the ground to complete passivity.
Read MoreFraudulent Elections in the Middle East: A History
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Until governments are able to hold elections that honor political diversity and freedom of expression, many groups within these societies will remain frustrated, disenfranchised and disempowered, which poses a threat to the economic and social development of these nations. In light of recent "democratic" elections in Egypt, Algeria, and Syria, let’s take a look at the Middle East’s long history of fraudulent elections.
(Image from WikiMedia)
Read MoreIn Palestinian Union, Deep Divisions Arise
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On June 2nd, 2014, a new Palestinian unity government was sworn into office. This step in the recent Hamas-Fatah reconciliation process has many Israelis worried about the role of Hamas in future Palestinian leadership. While the US State Department has formally agreed to work with this new unity government, there are important challenges and concerns that need to be addressed.
Photo by CC BY-SA HonestReporting.com
Read MoreCMED Lecture Series: Is Peace Possible?
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On May 22, 2014 former Congressman Robert Wexler, president of the S. Daniel Abraham Center, visited UCLA for his talk on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, "Is Peace Possible?" All too often, the American public is presented with mixed or biased narratives that result in an incomplete or misinformed understanding of Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In order to bolster popular support for the peace negotiations, there needs to be a common understanding of the actual factors that shape the conflict and tenable solutions.
Read More5 Social Entrepreneurship Projects with a Vision (and a Cash Prize)
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Dozens of project proposals were submitted for the first ever Doha Prize for Economic Innovation. Out of almost fifty applications from across the region, a group of twelve finalists were chosen to present their ideas and projects to a group of seven judges at the 9th Enriching the Middle East's Economic Future Conference. All twelve finalists showed outstanding commitment to addressing key social and economic problems within the MENA region, but five stood out for their depth of impact and the long-term sustainability of their projects.
Read MoreEconomic Innovation in Qatar
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At the 9th annual "Enriching the Middle East's Economic Future" conference in Doha, Qatar, the Center for Middle East Development, the Doha Forum, and the Middle East Investment Initiative will name the winners of a new competition to support emerging start-ups and entrepreneurs in the MENA region.
Read MoreCycle of Violence: Abused Egyptian Conscripts Become Abusers
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The CSF serves as first line of defense when Egyptian authorities seek to quell demonstrations quickly, often using excessive, and at times deadly, force to suppress protests. Even though this paramilitary organization acts as an instrument of oppression and abuse against citizens, its conscripts are regularly subjected to severe mistreatment from their commanding officers and superiors.
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