New Launch: Practical Policies Goes Live
Tired of endless analysis with no path forward? So are we. That’s why we launched Practical Policies—a new section spotlighting ideas for real-world change, crafted by people with skin in the game.
Our first contributor: Ammar Abdulhamid—Syrian-American dissident, longtime democracy advocate, and political analyst. He doesn’t do wishful thinking. He maps the messy, the real, the possible.
His July contributions examined:
- The Trio Vying to Rule a Broken Syria — An ideologue, a patriarch, and a chameleon walk into a failed state. Ammar breaks down the dangerous dynamics.
- Sectarianism is Eating Syria’s Transition Alive — Why old divisions are threatening any hope of new beginnings.
- Playing the Tribal Card — How Syria’s power brokers are turning to tribal loyalties to reshape the battlefield.
Practical Policies is where real insight meets actionable thought. More voices will join the conversation soon.
Contributor Spotlight: Hamza Howidy
We’re thrilled to welcome Hamza Howidy, Palestinian dissident and IBB Fellow, whose writing cuts through both propaganda and polite pretense.
His debut series made waves for its fearless critique of both regional regimes and Western blind spots:
- The Resistance That Devours Its Own — Iran’s proxy wars and the Arab suffering buried beneath them.
- Palestinians Are Hostages of the Ayatollahs — Hamas’ allegiance to Tehran laid bare.
- How the Wall Street Journal Mistook Propaganda for Journalism — A sharp challenge to Western media narratives on Gaza.
From the Frontlines: Real Stories, Real People
Afghanistan
- The Relentless Rise of Afghan Entrepreneurs — Business is booming where everything else is broken.
- The Books the Taliban Doesn’t Want Read — One couple defies censorship to sell The Kite Runner, Sapiens, and more.
- Caught Between the Taliban and Tehran — An Afghan refugee’s life at the intersection of exile and erasure.
Lebanon
Wheelchair-Accessible Transport Finally Arrives in Lebanon — A car crash survivor launched Lebanon’s first accessible transport service, turning personal need into practical change.
Iraq
Can Baghdad’s Book Sellers Survive the Selfie Era? — A timeless tradition collides with the digital age.
The Artists of Sulaymaniyah Found a Home. Can They Keep It? — Kurdistan’s creatives reclaim a forgotten industrial space.
Iran
Fordow’s Craters: Tombs for Billions of Dollars and Millions of Dreams — The Islamic Republic poured billions into nuclear tunnels—while schools and hospitals crumbled.
Debates That Shook the Discourse: July’s Argument Highlights
In The Argument, July’s pieces challenged assumptions, demanded clarity, and refused to look away.
A Nation “United” by Force Is No Nation At All — How the Syrian interim government’s actions betray its own people.
Recognizing the Taliban Won’t Make Them Legitimate — What Russia’s embrace of the Taliban means for Afghan sovereignty.
American Feminism Needs a Reality Check: What Western activists can learn from Afghan women.
How to Make Human Rights Advocacy Credible Again — Holding Western institutions accountable for their own contradictions.
Human Stories, Big Ideas
- The Arab Media Startup Taking on Extremists — Satire and critique meet in the digital resistance.
- A Shabbat in Bahrain — Where Muslims and Jews now pray side by side.
- In Iraq, Mosul’s Women Find Freedom in Female-Only Transport — Once prisoners, now riding toward independence
Why Subscribe?
These stories offer context, not just headlines. They come from people who live the consequences of the choices others debate. If you want reporting that listens before it speaks, you’ll find it here.