Craig Mokhiber stepped down from his position as director of the New York Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, posting a letter to his boss accusing Israel of carrying out “a textbook case of genocide” in Gaza and the West Bank.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has reportedly lobbied the government of Qatar to crack down on free expression in the Arabic news media.
US President Joe Biden, already facing what increasingly appears to be an uphill battle to win reelection in November 2024, has further alienated much of the progressive wing of his Democratic Party with his extreme pro-Israel stance since the offensive launched by Hamas on October 7.
Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has publicly rejected the notion that the continuing Israeli military attacks on Gaza represent a legitimate response to the threat of the Islamist Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Haiti is currently facing its highest levels of gang violence in recent years, prompting the country’s self-proclaimed prime minister to seek foreign intervention. Despite the complications and failures of previous interventions, recent surveys indicate that both citizens and local charities might be open to this approach.
The Houthi movement in Yemen is pressuring the internationally-recognized government in Aden to fulfill promises which were tentatively agreed in ceasefire negotiations. Laying in the background, however, are the movement’s long-standing demands for economic and social justice which will provide equitable treatment to those who live in the mountainous northern areas of the nation.
Activists supporting the Amhara people of Ethiopia are warning that their ethnic group is facing a “hidden genocide” due to the historical and territorial grievances of rival political factions.
A long-lasting peace deal could finally be in the works for Yemen after delegations from Saudi Arabia visited the rebel capital of Sanaa for talks with Houthi rebels. These discussions quickly led to prisoner swaps, helping to increase the level of trust.
Now that Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations following their talks in Beijing earlier this month, hopes have emerged that the eight-year civil war in Yemen may finally be coming to an end. However, there is yet to be any specific plan to include the troubled South Arabian nation within bilateral peace negotiations.
Thousands gathered in Berlin late last month to demand Germany pursue peace talks with Russia over Ukraine. Reaction to the “Revolt for Peace” rally, organized by outspoken leftwing politician Sahra Wagenknecht, has exposed deep divisions within the German left on diplomatic policies.
