It is no easy task to write about a wound that has yet to heal. In Nasiriyah and the Reed Hut, published by Al-Masar Publishing House, Ahmed Abdul Sattar reopens this wound
Founded in secularism, this strong republic faces further change. Religious groups are rising, it has joined NATO but not the EU, and has yet to resolve the Kurdish question. This is its story so far.
From the 1639 Shirin Palace Agreement to the Lausanne Treaty of 1923, Kurdish self-determination was ignored by the world's dominant powers who were looking out for their economic interests.
Signed on 24 July 1923, the treaty had profound consequences for the Middle East and beyond. On its centennial, an understanding of it rests on an appreciation of the complex factors that led to it.
Any disruption in the Hormuz has cascading knock-on effects that extend far beyond energy markets, impacting international trade. Al Majalla explores all this and more.
The current conflict is unlikely to go global for now, but the speed at which it has spread regionally is alarming. A look at history shows the geopolitical factors that led to world wars.