Op-Ed by Albert Geokgeuzian, Staff Writer and Johnny Achkar, Featured Writer

Ever since the ancient Athenians, certain societies have chosen democracy as their preferred political system. It’s meant to ensure that citizens are the driving force of government, but over the past decade or so we have seen a decline in people’s trust in the democratic system and it is now time to tweak the system a little to make sure it remains suitable to modern times.

Opinion Analysis by Sara Nasser, Featured Writer

While some believe that the only gem of the Middle East is oil, I tried to prove them wrong through the American-israeli model. Major powers are active players in the region seeking for dominance and gains. Most of them are fans of Arabic oil and others like the US manage to get more “national” advantages.

Analysis by Naif Al Rogi, Featured Writer

With the virus and economic woes taking up headlines and energy, and with Kuwait’s fraught domestic political situation rendering its National Assembly in a comatic state, the plight of some half a million Bidoon goes on much as it always has, the state malignantly indifferent. 

Opinion Analysis by Georges Haydar, Contributor

Risk is a very intriguing concept. While most people look at risk as the cyanide of tomorrow’s certainty, fearing the uncertainty and unpredictability it brings, some see it as the drug that prolongs yesterday’s stability. And there is no better way to observe this duality in all its might than the cryptocurrencies stock market. Once hailed as the future of digital transactions, these stocks’ surprising surge have made them the star of 2021. But as the honeymoon is coming to an end and the stocks are going up, down, and sideways, a very worrying yet interesting pattern is unraveling. With far reaching consequences, it is redefining the boundaries between the virtual and the real. But at what cost?

Opinion Analysis by Roa Daher, Featured Writer

Before climate activism became centered around the climate crisis, it was centered solely around the pollution of the Earth, and even before mainstream environmental activism, there was an age-old see of environmental awareness and a spiritual connection to the Earth and its land. In fact, evidence of the first inklings of ecological awareness appeared close to 5,000 years ago with the philosophy of Taoism that preached how human life should reflect the patterns of nature while Buddhists reflected on Buddha’s all-encompassing compassion. The respect and care held for the environment of which we are a part of has always been a spiritual, and at times religious, affair, and indigenous populations can be the first to testify to that. Even though that care is not included in the popular definition of environmental activism, which in itself has changed greatly over the past 50 years, it is in fact the essence and root of modern climate activism in that it is not unique to the Global North.

Analysis by Johnny Achkar, Featured Writer

Piracy is described as "any unlawful acts of violence or imprisonment, or any act of depredation, committed for private ends by the crew or passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft," according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Piracy, in simple terms, is a type of theft or criminal violence committed at sea by the unlawful use of force by non-state actors known as "pirates." It is important to note that piracy may have waned over the centuries, yet it perseveres in the 21st century and poses a grave threat to numerous ships in various parts of the world.