As I search for a blog topic to write about each week, my heart never fails to ache as I read endless articles on the people being effected by the Syrian conflicts. Two BBC news articles struck my attention this week; both having a common theme of Syrians being unable to have their old lives […]
Read more "Lives Lost, and Lost Lives"After reading and agreeing with one of my classmates, Jack McNenny, blog on the lack of foreign language in our schools, I became interested in how countries throughout the Middle East implement foreign language throughout their education, and how it differs from the United States. But They’re Just Children.. Americans tend to view the concept of […]
Read more "The Power of Foreign Language"In America, health care and health policies are becoming more and more of a debated issue. What is the right way to handle the issue? What stance should be taken? Well, for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions, they are gearing up for the same topic. I was intrigued on what was being […]
Read more "Public Health – What’s Everyone Talking About?"It always fascinates me when I look down from an airplanes window and see the Earth from a different point of view. From this perspective, one can see the ground in a different way, and perceive the land they stand on as patchy, colorful squares divided by trees, bodies of water, roads, homes, etc. The […]
Read more "Stone Rings Decorate The Middle East"“The President of the Republic is the head of the state and the symbol of the nation’s unity. He shall safeguard the constitution and Lebanon’s independence, unity, and territorial integrity.” -Article 49 of The Lebanese Constitution For the last five months the presidential seat in Lebanon has remained vacant. On October 29, 2014 the Lebanese […]
Read more "Lebanon: Divided Nation Remains United Without President"Turkey- Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) History According to Songun, ever since the Turkey Kurdistan Worker’s Party was established in the 1920’s they have had ongoing conflict with the Turkish Government. The formation of the PKK was due to the establishment of the Turkish Republic. Problems arose because of the Turkish Republic’s secular changes, where they […]
Read more "The Fight For Kobane"As HallOUween (Ohio University’s Halloween Block Party) is quickly approaching, I’ve been wondering what Halloween is like in the Middle East and if it is even allowed. Halloween started out as a pagan holiday in Ireland, known as the Celtic Festival of Samhain, which was observed on October 31st. It was said that, “the souls […]
Read more "Halloween in the Middle East"Recently reports came out suggesting that the Syrian military plans to use chemical weapons against the Syrian people. While a person can recover from small quantities of the gas, in larger quantities it can cause lasting health effects or death. An organization that I am part off , STAND, is launching a campaign to […]
Read more "Urgency and Response: Trying to Save Lives"Since a big influx in the mid 1970’s Lebanon has housed thousands of refugees, mainly of Palestinian descent. These people sought shelter after Israel eradicated them and since, many have still found themselves living as refugees in camps throughout Lebanon. The life for these people is usually tough, as the Lebanese government has made many […]
Read more "Since Lebanon Seems to be a Gathering Place for Refugees, Are More Camps a Good Idea?"Fires have been started across the Middle East from Tehran to Tunis, Aleppo to Benghazi to Cairo, and now Gaza and Tel Aviv. The Middle East is up in flames and we probably wont see them put out in our time. No one can predict where the violence will spread, or get it under control. […]
Read more "Who can help Syria?"Egypt may be the unlikely winner of another round of conflict between Israel and Gaza that killed more than 100 people and caused major destruction. A speculative ceasefire was announced in Cairo where the Egyptian government played a major role. President Mohammad Mursi was a key player in brokering the ceasefire last week, even after […]
Read more "Egypt Leaving a Mark"As seen this past week, Israel’s impressive ability to shoot down hundreds of rockets is being revised. Israel’s leaders have turned to engineers within Raytheon Co. based in Waltham, Massachusetts to stay a step ahead in developing a new interceptor missile. Meanwhile Hezbollah is storing thousands of sophisticated missiles with greater ranges and payloads in […]
Read more "The missile defense fad is one-upped by Israel"As of Wednesday Britain announced that they would be working with the rebel military leaders and Turkey NATO members to remove the Syrian President Assad from office. They plan on using Patriot missiles to form a safe zone inside Syria. This announcement and the recent re-election of President Barack Obama have lead to all eyes on the […]
Read more "What Will He Do Next"To give a quick back history Syria has been falling into a civil war for the last nineteen months. On March 2011 there was an offshoot of the Arab Spring in Syria, which demanded for freedom and reform this sparked the continuing conflict. The “rebels” of Syria had decided at this point President Assad had […]
Read more "Syria…the best solution"Water supply issues have been a long-standing issue for Israel. In recent years Israel has faced an unceasing water shortage. Their current water deficit is equivalent to the country’s water consumption and has contributed to the decay of many important aquifers. A four-year drought, population growth, and increased standards of living are some contributing causes […]
Read more "Water War?"Last Wednesday, members of the Global Leadership Center along with Doctor Walid Raad and his students from Lebanese International University meet with Ohio University’s chapter of STAND, the student-led division of the United to End Genocide (formerly Genocide Intervention Network) in order to discuss the unrest taking place in Syria. At that time , the role of […]
Read more "Syrian Overspill"For most nations, shared borders pose a myriad of threats and problems ranging from illegal immigration to weapon smuggling. The United States and Lebanon are no different when it comes to these sorts of issues. The primary threat for the United States on its shared border with Mexico is drug smuggling. The United States has […]
Read more "Caution: Porous Borders Ahead"From civil war to the latest Syrian uprisings, Lebanon has surely had its fair share of turmoil. Over the countries history, it has dealt with being controlled by foreigners, as well as many internal struggles. More recently, Syrian instability is looking to have negative impacts throughout many aspects of the country, including business, politics, and […]
Read more "Religion and Turmoil in Lebanon"As the Syrian civil war continues to bring chaos and instability to the Middle East region, many global states and individuals remain threatened by the on-going violent and illegal activities occurring there. According to the U.S. and other official reports, Hezbollah, in close association with Iran, is supplying the Syrian government with the resources and […]
Read more "Covert Transactions: Money Laundering Through Lebanese Banks"
Across Cultures 