The Casbah of Algiers, a Museum in Ruins

Despite years of neglect and marginalization, the crumbling Casbah is still the beating heart of Algiers.

Apr 12

2

An Elegy for My Cairo

The chaotic inclusiveness of downtown Cairo, imperfect but vital, is being replaced by curated order. Downtown used to be ours—crowded, yes, but not…

Apr 4 • Yasser Elsheshtawy

4

2

March 2026

Uncanny Echoes of Iraq

My new essay for New Lines Magazine on Trump channeling Bush in Iraq, while desperately insisting his war with Iran "is not Iraq."

Mar 13 • Frederick Deknatel

2

1

The Iran War Has Exposed the Gulf's Bet on U.S. Protection

Voices across the Gulf express fear and anguish over a war that has turned supposed U.S. security guarantees into liabilities.

Mar 9 • The Conversation U.S.

3

1

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February 2026

Agrarian Annihilation and the Fight for Land Justice in Palestine

How state violence and market coercion have devastated the social, ecological, and economic fabric of rural life in the West Bank.

Feb 26

1

Why the Struggle for Palestine Is a Struggle Against ‘Fossil Capitalism’

By Adam Hanieh, Robert Knox, and Rafeef Ziadah

Feb 9

1

2

Who Will Rebuild Syria?

My appearance on Order From Ashes, Century International's podcast.

Feb 6 • Frederick Deknatel

1

January 2026

An Elegy for the Iran I Knew

Iran’s metamorphosis is that of a country estranged from its identity, deluded about its present, confused about its future, and detached from its past.

Jan 30

8

2

'The World Will Know the True Face of MBS.' One Migrant Worker’s Fight for Justice in Saudi Arabia

How the 'new' Saudi Arabia still runs on 'modern-day slavery.'

Jan 18 • Frederick Deknatel

2

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Who Will Syria Be Rebuilt For?

Although free from the Assad regime, Syrians still don't have enough say in plans for their country's reconstruction.

Jan 16 • Frederick Deknatel

3

2

‘Neither Gaza nor Lebanon!’ Iran's Protests Are About More Than the Economy

A popular protest slogan in Iran signals that the unrest is really about who decides what Iran stands for.

Jan 12 • The Conversation U.S.

4

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December 2025

Why Tiny Jordan Is a Microcosm for Understanding the Entire Middle East

However accidental its historical genesis, Jordan has become a crucible of knowledge about how power and geopolitics operate in the region.

Dec 17, 2025

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