Category: Middle East

Left on Delivered: How Iran’s Protestors Fight in Darkness

Since gaining power in 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran has spent nearly 50 years methodically impeding in the lives of 90 million people, enforcing compulsory headscarf laws, discrimination against ethnic minorities and engaging in torture, executions and arbitrary detention against political dissidents. As Iranians navigated the start of 2026 in total darkness, it is important to understand the real-world impact historic protests have had on Iranian society, and to not relegate them to the abyss of internet obscurity. … Continue readingLeft on Delivered: How Iran’s Protestors Fight in Darkness

Evolve or Die: How drones are reshaping conventional assessments of military power

Recent reports of drone warfare in Ukraine and Iran have illuminated the unprecedented humanitarian disconnect in modern conflict. Images and videos of operators conducting fatal drone strikes with nothing but VR goggles and video game controllers have been particularly shocking to global audiences, inspiring discussion about the gamification of warfare. However, drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have arguably been in use in conflict since the 1950s. Why has it taken until now to see this drastic change?
… Continue readingEvolve or Die: How drones are reshaping conventional assessments of military power

When strategy turns toxic: the ecological and civilian price of state power

From the toxic waste sweeping into rivers to the carbon footprint of global armed forces rivalling that of entire nations, states involved in conflict are not just some of the largest disruptors of global supply chains, but they are also some of the planet’s most destructive polluters. The question is no longer whether global conflicts harm the environment, but whether the world can survive the ecological cost of conflict.  … Continue readingWhen strategy turns toxic: the ecological and civilian price of state power

Blowing the whistle: The beautiful game’s ugly underbelly

Two competing narratives exist alongside one another: the World Cup as a space for unity, in which multiculturalism and cosmopolitanism are celebrated, and the World Cup as a spectacle for nations to promote nationalism and sportswash. From the inception of the Association Football rules in 1863 to the 2026 World Cup, the World Cup and football more broadly are inherently interlinked with the histories of empire, nationalism and conflict. … Continue readingBlowing the whistle: The beautiful game’s ugly underbelly

Quantum Politics and the Iran Conflict: Rethinking Non-Linear Warfare

What began as a regional confrontation is evolving into a conflict affecting global markets, supply chains, and energy flows. The conflict reshapes the strategies, vulnerabilities and alignments of other states, from Europe and the Gulf to China, within an interconnected global system. This expansion highlights the limits of conventional, linear thinking in explaining contemporary conflicts. Instead, it points toward a shift to “quantum geopolitics,” where uncertainty, interdependence, and non-linear dynamics shape outcomes. … Continue readingQuantum Politics and the Iran Conflict: Rethinking Non-Linear Warfare

“There may not even be a special relationship depending on how things develop”: Ben Wellings on the UK-US Special relationship and the Anglosphere

In an exclusive interview with Pivot, Ben Wellings discusses the historical significance of the “special relationship” between the United States and the United Kingdom, and its connection to the Anglosphere, as further conflict looms in the Middle East … Continue reading“There may not even be a special relationship depending on how things develop”: Ben Wellings on the UK-US Special relationship and the Anglosphere

Intervention vs Isolation: Paradoxical Logic in Trumpian Foreign Policy?

Predicted to be an isolationist president, Trump has since demonstrated the unpredictability of his foreign policy directions. Is Trump pivoting to a more interventionist approach from what was promised, or has he always been aiming to retain a large military presence? If so, how can we identify a pattern in this seemingly abstract picture? … Continue readingIntervention vs Isolation: Paradoxical Logic in Trumpian Foreign Policy?

“Habibi, don’t come to Dubai”: Investigating Modern Day Slavery in the UAE

From Dubai Bling to Dubai Chocolate, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has dominated entertainment media and tourism since the discovery of oil in the late 1960s, launching them as a key player in the global trade hierarchy due to soft power influences. However, the UAE’s ‘elite’ status is one upheld by modern slavery systems under the guise of cheap labour. For as tall as the buildings are, equally as long are the shadows they cast; ones of oppressiveness, human rights abuses and exploitation. … Continue reading“Habibi, don’t come to Dubai”: Investigating Modern Day Slavery in the UAE

Saving Women, Selling War: Feminist Foreign Policy as a Tool of Imperial Power

When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invoked the rights of Iranian women to rally international support for military action against Tehran, it brought people a sense of deja vu. The language was familiar — the appeal to women’s dignity, the implicit promise of liberation — but so was the source: a long tradition of Western imperialism that historically used the rhetoric of saving women to legitimise war.  … Continue readingSaving Women, Selling War: Feminist Foreign Policy as a Tool of Imperial Power

The Limits of International Law: from Srebrenica to Gaza

With every major human rights violation, war, or humanitarian catastrophe, we see the invocation of international law. From Rwanda to Bosnia and Herzegovina, to Iraq and, most recently, Gaza, the language is familiar and repeats itself.
The question, then, is not whether international law exists, but whether its failure lies in inherent weakness or in its selective implementation. … Continue readingThe Limits of International Law: from Srebrenica to Gaza