Modern Middle East History

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43616270

Egyptian president al-Asisi has won re-election. He won this second four-year term with 97% of the national vote. This unprecedented landslide comes after an election cycle filled with the withdrawals of most opposition leaders. The only other candidate, Mousa Mostafa Mousa, got less than 4% of the vote. Overall turnout was at 41%. The significant disparity between the final poll numbers indicate the corruption of the Al-Asis administration. Considering Egypt’s past with the Arab spring, it would be interesting to see if Egyptian citizens see this “election” as significant.

Original Title: Iran, Russian and Turkey team up to hold sway in Syria.

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Iran, Russia and Turkey are teaming up in Syria. Turkey and Iran, as regional neighbors are using their location to further their own motives. For Iran, it is to help support Shia Muslims and to connect Syria, and Lebanon to Iran. For Turkey, it is to combat the YPG militia in the northern part of Syria in order to further de-legitimize the creation of  a Kurdish autonomous state.  For Russia, it is to put a “bow” on their interactions in Syria. Not wanting a repeat of Afghanistan. However the complications come in when realizing that this now allies, are in fact being pragmatic. Ankara and Moscow are not the closest of friends, and Iran and Ankara also do not have the warmest relationship. It will be interesting to see what happens to their relationship in the 10 years. One thing is clear: the United States is nowhere to be seen in Syria.

Orignal Title: Democracy’s faint pulse in the Middle East

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This article which was orginally found in the Financial Times, depicts the middle east as falling into complete totalitarian chaos. The author, a Mr. Gideon Rachman, mentions first the elections in Egypt, which he claims to be ” more repressive than that of the Mubarak regime that was overthrown by the Egyptian revolution.” He mentions Syria’s destruction, and then he mentions Tunisia. Rachman believes that the only hope for a stable and bright democracy in the Middle East now lies with Tunisia. The country, he says, has been luckier than most of their neighbors because Tunisia does not have to deal with historically aggressive tribal parties, each fighting for control. Rachman also mentions that the leader of the countries main political muslim majority the “Nahda”, a Mr.Rachid Ghannouchi has called himself a Muslim Democrat, a advocate for Women’s rights in issues to inheritance and marriage to non-Muslims. Rachman believes that with the upcoming municipal elections, Tunisian democracy will be closer to actualization.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/25/middleeast/saudi-arabia-intercepts-missile/index.html

Saudi Arabia says one person was killed after seven missiles were fired from Yemen by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on Sunday. It’s the first death on Saudi soil since the Saudi-led coalition began a military intervention in Yemen three years ago.
The missiles were fired at four targets, including the capital city of Riyadh, and all were intercepted and destroyed, said Saudi coalition forces spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki in a statement. Fragments from the intercepted missiles killed an Egyptian resident, the statement added.
“These hostile acts continue to pose a direct threat to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and threaten regional, as well as international, security,” the statement said.

-Curran

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/03/israel-moves-strip-12-palestinians-jerusalem-residency-180321063116345.html

According to a relatively new law, Interior Minister Aryeh Deri now has the power to strip the residency documents of Palestinians who have shown “a breach of loyalty” to Israel, if they obtained residency using false information, or if they have committed a crime. The 12 Palestinians involved are accused of “being involved in terror,” and 4 of them are associated with the Hamas political group. Rights groups are calling this new law racist and illegal under international humanitarian law.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/19/saudi-arabias-crown-prince-mbs-is-coming-to-america.html

Saudi Arabia’s 32 year old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is visiting the U.S. this week. The prince is seeking to bring Saudi Arabia outside its oil export dependency as demands for alternative fuel sources rise globally. For decades Saudi Arabia has been a rentier state relying almost exclusively on exporting oil. But as oil prices drop and the demand for alternative fuels rise the prince is scrambling to find new ways to bring in outside investors. Mohammed bin Salman is hoping to bring in western investments in Saudi oilfield services, chemicals and renewable energy, the tech industry as well as in entertainment. The prince visited the UK earlier this year with interest in buying 48 typhoon combat jets but the deal has yet to be concluded. Many are protesting any western investment in the Saudi government because they are responsible for citing the now three year long civil war in Yemen. The Saudis and Iran have no love lost between them (and are on opposite sides of the Yemeni conflict) and Saudi Arabia is outspoken in declaring they will seek nuclear weapons should Iran become a nuclear state.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/rebel-group-vows-fight-leave-syrias-ghouta-53701810

Yesterday, Turkish troops and Syrian opposition fighters began a siege in the town of Afrin. This town has previously been held by Syrian Kurds, who are seen as terrorists i the eyes of the Turkish military and rebel groups in charge of the siege. Thousands are now fleeing Afrin as the siege begins, and evacuations are also occurring in the heavily contested Eastern Ghouta. Several air strikes have also been reported from this morning (3/13) in several other cities.

Here is a link to a fairly recent map of the conflict in Syria and which groups hold what areas (including a map of contested Ghouta: https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2015/05/syria-country-divided-150529144229467.html

https://www.nature.com/news/genghis-khan-s-genetic-legacy-has-competition-1.16767   

Genghis Khan has reputation for having a lot of modern descendants, but he may not be the only one. Researchers have found other Y- chromosome lineages that originated in China and other areas throughout Asia and the Middle East.

This article discusses the life of a relative of Genghis Khan. In this article they discuss how they passed on the leadership of the Changatai Khanate. The great-great-granddaughter, Khutulun, was a princess and a fierce warrior. This discusses the period between Genghis Khan and Tamerlane in Central Asia. We also get the stories of her life from Rashid al-Din, the writer of the first attempt of a world history.

http://allthatsinteresting.com/khutulun?utm_source=history.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pubx_history

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/02/saudi-arabia-fires-top-army-chiefs-military-shake-180227054218368.html

According to Al-Jazeera.com, King Salman fired many of his top military generals overnight. This group of firings comes on the heels of  a power overhaul in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The anti-corruption campaign has been lead by the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, and targeted members of the royal family and Saudi government in November 2017.  Several analysts, such as James Dorsey and Professor Mahjoob Zweiri, agree that this firing could simply be an effort by the Saudi government to present a reformed image of the government to the public. James Dorsey, a senior fellow at the S Raja Ratnam School of International Studies, made the point that these transitions could be a move from a government based on the consensus of multiple people to a one-man rule.