Blogs

September 1st, 2021, was a historic moment for Indian women as Justice Hima Kohli, Justice Bela M Trivedi and Justice B.V. Nagarathna were sworn into the Supreme Court, marking the highest number of women the 34 member court has held since its inception in 1950. Many saw the event as a turning point for women, […]

Georgia, alongside other small states in the Middle East, operate within a consistent pattern of attempting to maintain stability whilst residing in regions of conflict. Although belonging to different regions of the world, Georgia shares a connection with Jordan and Lebanon in the Middle East through a shared mission of ensuring the security of their […]

President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania’s ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), took office for a second term on October 29, 2025 (Al Jazeera I). Upon the death of her predecessor, former President John Magufuli of the CCM, Hassan assumed her first presidential term in 2021 (Reuters I). Originally commended for easing government repression, she […]

On September 3, 2025, about 300 women marched to parliament demanding an end to state violence in Indonesia (Al Jazeera). Wearing neon pink clothing dubbed “brave pink” and carrying broomsticks, the women represented the Indonesian Women’s Alliance (IWA), or Aliansi Perempuan Indonesia (API). The IWA, which unites more than 90 women’s organizations, labor unions, rights […]

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has issued a ban on petrol-powered motorbikes in Hanoi, effective July 1, 2026 (AP). Pursuant to the adoption of the Paris Agreement and Vitenam’s pledge of net-zero emissions by 2050, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are tackling air emissions and the worsening pollution of fossil-fuel motorbikes (MAE II). Major […]

Recent news reports flooding from Sudan, the North African country torn apart by civil war for three years, have surfaced, displaying razed, blood-stained villages in and around the final SAF stronghold and city, El Fasher (ABC) (Yale 1,2). Since the start of the conflict, an estimated 150,000 people have been killed, and 14 million have […]

As of mid-July 2025, “the most intensive” heatwave to-date in Spain resulted in 1,180 fatalities, according to the Carlos III Health Institute (Reuters). In Türkiye, ten firefighters and rescue workers lost their lives fighting flames and evacuating 50,000 individuals (WWA). The Greek islands, have been plagued by fire, burning half the island of Kythera, the […]

The collapse of Lebanon’s banking system, ongoing since October 2019, is one of the “worst economic crises globally since the mid-nineteenth century” (World Bank Group). It resulted in people losing access to their money overnight, the currency losing practically all of its value, and hardship spreading throughout the country (UPI). According to the Barcelona Centre […]

Last Spring, UCF GPII MENA fellow, Farah Shah, and Terrorism intern, Noah Mohammedelamien hosted an interview with non-resident fellow, Owen Kirby. Mr. Kirby has served as Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa region at the International Republican Institute, as well as the former Director of Office of Transition Initiatives at USAID. Beyond […]

Within the past 5 years, the rate at which Presidents have declared National Emergencies has significantly increased. Since the passing of the National Emergency Act in 1976, an act which established the procedures for declaring a National Emergency, there have been 89 declarations of a National Emergency in the United States (Brennan Center for Justice). […]