Douglas Christensen

2 months ago | timep.org | Noura Aljizawi |Douglas Christensen |Hamid Khalafallah

December 8, 2024, is a date Syrians will never forget—a day of liberation, marking the end of Bashar al-Assad’s decades-long reign. For the first time since the 2011 uprising, Syrians have begun to imagine a future free from the shadow of authoritarianism. Yet, as the delight of this historic moment fades, a darker reality emerges. Disinformation, a tool the Assad regime had wielded to control narratives and manipulate public opinion, did not disappear with his departure.

Jan 22, 2025 | timep.org | Douglas Christensen |Timothy E. Kaldas |Hamid Khalafallah |Haid Haid

President Trump takes office as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) faces a critical crossroads. The war in Sudan will span into its second US administration and Gaza’s ceasefire has just begun, with worrying indications that it may soon collapse. Lebanon, in the midst of a delicate ceasefire with Israel, faces a difficult political transition following the end of a two-year presidential vacuum.

Nov 14, 2024 | timep.org | Zeead Yaghi |Drew Mikhael |Douglas Christensen

In light of the recent and alarming escalation of indiscriminate and widespread Israeli attacks across Lebanon, we, the undersigned organizations, call on the international community to unequivocally press for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon. Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging cross-border fire since October 2023. For nearly a year, the fighting between the two parties was mostly contained to the border regions of Lebanon and Israel.

Oct 30, 2024 | timep.org | Drew Mikhael |Douglas Christensen |Salma Daoudi

Since Israel expanded its assault on Lebanon last month, the Middle East stands on the edge of a wider regional conflict, the sparks of which we have seen amid the rocket exchanges between Israel and Iraq, Syria, Iran, and Yemen. For the past year, Western states have offered tepid responses to the horrors inflicted on Gaza, despite the very high civilian toll and the Strip’s untold destruction.

Oct 18, 2024 | timep.org | Douglas Christensen |Salma Daoudi

On October 9, 2024, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time in nearly two months. In the weeks since they had last spoken, Israel had continued its assault on Gaza, expanded its attacks in the West Bank, and escalated to a full on war on Lebanon. Following the Israeli escalation in Lebanon, Iran launched missiles at Israel, edging dangerously closer to a regional conflict which many had warned about.