The Caravan

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The Caravan is envisaged as a periodic symposium on the contemporary dilemmas of the Greater Middle East. It will be a free and candid exchange of opinions. We shall not lack for topics of debate, for that arc of geography has contentions aplenty. It is our intention to come back with urgent topics that engage us. Caravans are full of life and animated companionship. Hence the name we chose for this endeavor.

Issue 2246

After the Assad Regime

The sudden collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024, brought an end to a family dictatorship that had lasted for half a century. Syria had been a brutal police state with extensive surveillance, notorious prisons and egregious human rights violations. The regime’s war against its restive population had led to extensive internal displacement and waves of refugees that have destabilized Europe. In terms of the geopolitics of the region, Syria had provided Russia with a reentry into the Middle East, just as it facilitated arms transfers from Iran to Lebanon in support of the "axis of resistance." But now Islamist forces have overthrown Assad. What is in store for Syria and its neighbors?

Mar 11, 2025

Issue 2245

After October 7: A Transformed Middle East?

The essays collected in this issue of the Caravan were all written prior to the dramatic developments in Syria.

Dec 10, 2024

Issue 2244

Islamism and Immigration in Europe

Many European societies are facing large-scale immigration especially from Muslim-majority countries. Meanwhile some left-wing parties have undermined their own historical commitment to progressive values by endorsing the misogyny and antisemitism imported from the Muslim world. These developments are producing conflicts within the European Union as well as nascent tensions in the trans-Atlantic partnership with the US.

Sep 17, 2024

Issue 2243

The Hamas Attack of October 7 and its Aftermath

The Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7and the Israeli response have upended regional politics in the Middle East, U.S. foreign policy, and even the race for the White House. The brutality of Hamas violence shocked the world, while the scope of the Israeli campaign in Gaza continues to have political reverberations, in international politics and in Washington, let alone in the demonstrations on campuses of American universities. Calls for establishing a Palestinian state abound, although with little attention given to the character such a state may have. The contributors to this Caravan ponder the confusion and chaos.

Jun 5, 2024

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Issue 2246: After the Assad Regime