The smuggling industry is worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually, and few alternatives exist to earn a living in the area. Border guards are trigger-happy, and calls for change are ignored.
So far, the 100,000 people displaced into the country have helped some sectors grow, and there are hopes that the lack of a significant negative impact could last. Some foreign aid has helped.
Several universities have banned their Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace chapters, two anti-Zionist student clubs, as donors and Congress ramp up pressure
Algerian author Sara Al-Nams delves deep into the downside of literary awards, the place of women in literature, and why a thousand words can't measure up to a loaf of bread in times of war.
Engaged political participation needs voters to feel they can instil change and appoint governments capable of serving the national interest. Baghdad is some ways far from that.
Israel's commandeering of aid distribution in Gaza forces starving Palestinians to run the gauntlet at centres with biometric monitoring systems, armed security, and life-or-death hazards