Category Archives: Middle East

ISIS recruitment in Turkey

Posted on September 15, 2014 by nervana111

Originally posted on turkeyetc:
Şahin Aktan keeps a file to help him in his hunt for his ex-wife Svetlana, who took their three-year-old son Destan to live under ISIS rule in Syria’s Raqqa province in July. (Photograph by Fatih Pinar).…

Posted in Middle East, Politics, Turkey | Leave a comment

Power outage in Egypt, a burning memory from the past

Posted on September 9, 2014 by nervana111

  The pain was excruciating, the darkness daunting. The combination was too much for an 11-year-old girl. I cannot remember exactly how that night started, but I will always remember how it ended. The nightmare began when I accidentally dropped … Continue reading →

Posted in Diary of Aak, Egypt, Middle East | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Gaza cease-fire might lead to indirect Egypt involvement

Posted on August 30, 2014 by nervana111

  ( Kids in Gaza celebrate the ceasefire agreement, via Twitter)   I wrote this piece for Al-Monitor, warning that in the future a failed Gaza can easily end its existence as an autonomous entity, and snooker Egypt into a … Continue reading →

Posted in Egypt, Gaza, Hamas, Middle East | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Sisi, Islamic Jihad, and Gaza

Posted on August 10, 2014 by nervana111

(Islamic Jihad and Hamas delegation in Cairo, via Twitter) The war in Gaza has highlighted the tense relationship between Egypt and the Palestinian factions, mainly Hamas, in Gaza. However, it seems Cairo does not view all factions with one lens, … Continue reading →

Posted in Egypt, Gaza, Middle East, Palestine | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

There is nothing funny about the declaration of the ‘Caliphate’

Posted on July 4, 2014 by nervana111

Photo via Reuters Initially published in Turkish Hurriyet Daily It may be amusing to some, but there is nothing funny about the declaration of the “Caliphate”  by the militant group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The rise of … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, Islam, Middle East, Politics, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey | 1 Comment

Before converting Hagia Sophia, look at the mosque-cathedral of Cordoba

Posted on June 9, 2014 by nervana111

( Inside Hagia Sophia during my last visit to Istanbul) Initially published in Hurriyet News Daily The mosque-cathedral of Cordoba and the Hagia Sophia of Istanbul – both magnificent buildings – were victims of the geopolitical standoff of medieval times … Continue reading →

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Lebanon’s Presidential Elections

Posted on April 22, 2014 by nervana111

On the eve of the presidential election in Lebanon, this is a insightful Q&A with the Middle East Institute’s Paul Salem. Hope you find it worth reading. Lebanon is facing presidential elections in the coming days. What are the main elements … Continue reading →

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Neither Erdoğan’s victory, nor the Muslim Brotherhood’s protests are an Ottoman slap

Posted on April 15, 2014 by nervana111

Published in Hurriyet Daily News Following a trail of setbacks, Islamists in the Arab world have something to celebrate. Their hero, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has won in Turkey’s local elections, a victory Islamists in the Arab world are selling to their … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Read, Egypt, Middle East, Turkey | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

ReBlog- Option Three: To Hell in A Handbasket

Posted on March 13, 2014 by nervana111

In here blog Kamil Pasha, Jenny White aptly explains the polarizing situation in Turkey, and a potential nightmare scenario..    Things are going to hell in a handbasket. So much has happened in the past month, much of it reported in detail by … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle East, Turkey | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The three phases of Egypt’s popular protests

Posted on March 12, 2014 by nervana111

The trends of Egypt’s crowd politics since Tahrir Square can also be seen in Ukraine, Syria and Libya. Published in  Al-Monitor Behind every uprising are chronic frustrations from citizens betrayed by corrupt leaders, their repression, poor governance and a loss of … Continue reading →

Posted in Egypt, Libya, Middle East, Syria | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment