Backgrounder – Siyasa

by Siyasa

Winston Churchill, T.E. Lawrence, and the Cairo Conference of 1921 | John Calvert

JOHN CALVERT, 3 MAY 2021 A century ago, in March 1921, the shape of the contemporary Middle East was decided at a conference held in Cairo, Egypt. In attendance were the movers and shakers of British imperial policy: Winston Churchill, T.E. Lawrence, and Gertrude Bell, among others. The decisions they made had lasting consequences for […]

by Siyasa

The Changing Landscape of Political Islam in Indonesia: A Backgrounder | Alexander R. Arifianto

ALEXANDER R. ARIFIANTO, 26 APRIL 2021 Indonesia, the largest Muslim majority country in the world, is considered a prime example of a successful democracy with a Muslim majority society. Leading Indonesian Muslim organizations and intellectuals have promoted its brand of moderate Islam. Recently, such a reputation had come under serious challenge. New and more theologically […]

by Siyasa

The Crisis in Xinjiang—A Historical Perspective on Muslims in China | Kelly Hammond

KELLY HAMMOND, 05 APRIL 2021 China’s Uyghurs have rightly been the center of news coverage recently. In China, the ongoing efforts to suppress Islam and Uyghur culture have led to the terrible and illegal incarceration of over one million Uyghurs and forced labor conditions. Recently governments in Canada, the United States and the EU have […]

by Siyasa

A Century of Western Meddling in the Middle East: A Backgrounder | Ramazan Kılınç

RAMAZAN KILINÇ 18 JANUARY 2019 Last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Egypt and gave a speech at American University in Cairo. Secretary Pompeo criticized President Obama’s foreign policy in the region by referring to his famous speech, “A New Beginning,” given in Cairo after he became the president in 2009. He blamed Obama of retreating American presence […]