Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has invited representatives of the Taliban, Afghan government, and delegates from 11 countries bordering Afghanistan—including China, Iran, and Pakistan—to peace talks in early September. However, without both Afghan and U.S. government representatives attending the peace talks, the extent to which the conference makes progress in negotiating with the Taliban is uncertain.

Since his instatement as both crown prince and Minister of Defense in 2017, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has sought to modernize Saudi Arabia, with the lifting of a long-standing ban preventing women from driving being an early indicator of change within the kingdom. Despite this sign of modernization, however, the Saudi government has continued to violate international human rights.

By choosing to sideline human rights concerns in an effort to address national security interests, the Trump administration has effectively given Egypt’s government a green light to continue to abuse human rights in the same way they have for years

One day more. Another day, another destiny. This never-ending road to Calvary. When I first heard Jean Valjean’s lament, the main character of the acclaimed Broadway musical and Victor Hugo’s masterpiece, I was only a six-year old child that hardly understood what being a refugee implied. Seventeen years later and after having devoted my graduate studies to the analysis of International Relations, I do not only understand the depth of Jean Valjean’s claim, but I can’t help to identify it in every refugee that has arrived at the European coastline since 2011.

The United Nations Environment Programme believes that Lake Chad has lost 90% of its waters since 1960. A proposed canal may alleviate some of the economic and physical drain; yet this solution would also give rise to new security challenges and allow projections of Chinese power across Central Africa.

Confrontation, violence, and death have marked the "Great Return March", a series of protests in which residents of Gaza demand the right of return to ancestral family homes. Israel's violent response has earned international attention--and backlash.

The 2018 National Congress has cemented Xi Jinping as China’s leader into the foreseeable future. This is a huge blow for pro-democracy activists within China and around the world.

Current President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi came into the presidency promising to clamp down on extremism, especially in the Sinai Peninsula. To that end, the regime has engaged in a series of drastic human rights abuses that includes mass arrests, torture, restrictions on free speech, and media blackouts. The Egyptian elections that are due to be held later this month appear to be neither free nor fair, with the current regime doing everything in its power to stifle political opposition and maintain its grip on the country.

The new focus in entertainment reflects the mission of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, as he seeks to dramatically shift the country economically, socially and culturally. But while these changes are progressive and positive economic and social steps for a country that has often been criticized by the Western world, Salman’s actions are perceived by many in the Kingdom as naked power grabbing moves, and, as a result, may lead to instability in a country that has been an island of stability in a highly volatile Middle East.