The Struggle for the Middle East

With the troubled region that is the Middle East constantly making the news, it may be difficult to keep up to date. For those interested in Politics, History, Middle Eastern, Oriental Studies, or world affairs. Here is a brief survey of some of the most recent developments in the region:

Just three years ago, the Arab Spring bloomed across North Africa and the Middle East. One-by-one, long established rulers and regimes fell in the wake of popular protests across much of the Arab world. Despite the initial thrust for change, counter-revolutions have swept the table, and new waves of radical violence have taken hold. The election of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Egypt came after months of violence following the deposition of the previously elected Muslim Brotherhood. In Syria Bashar al-Assad has seemingly held on to power despite the controversy and pressures for reform coming from both within Syria and the international community. Iraq’s recent history of conflict shows no sign of abating as the Islamic Sunni organisation ISIS have begun taking over large parts of Iraq and Syria in a bid to establish an Islamic Caliphate (Islamic State). Now the conflict in Palestine and Israel has again escalated, forcing widespread debate and protest among members of the international community (have a look at an animated overview of the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict ). For more information on the ever-changing state of affairs in the Middle East, try the Middle East Monitor and Muftah for a more diverse perspective on world events.