Agapi Tis Sofias

The peoples that formed the mighty Assyrian Empire clings to their culture in northern Iraq, Syria, and Türkiye (formerly known as Turkey). “Assyrian” is a broad category of Aramaic-speaking Christians since the earliest days of Christianity with three main branches today that all have different identities, which have led to difficulties in presenting a unified effort like their neighbor and sometimes rival the Kurdish people in northern Iraq.

The Nestorians are the strongest advocates for Assyrian nationalism (Assyrianism) and claims the Assyrian Empire as heritage. Their cooperation with the British Mandate of Iraq had drawn animosity with other local ethnicities and faced numerous purges. In the face of these purges, many Nestorians fled, leaving another Assyrian branch, the Chaldeans, as the largest Christian group in Iraq. Nestorians viewed the Chaldeans as traitors for siding with Arabs and/or Catholics, while Chaldeans view Nestorians as blasphemous for having pagan elements in their interpretation of Christianity. Chaldeans tended to side with the Iraqi government throughout its history such as backing Saddam Hussein during the US invasion. Chaldeans seemed to escape some persecutions due to them self-identifying as ethnically Arab and cooperating with instead of resisting the various Iraqi regimes. (Boháč 70)

Chaldean Catholic Church in Baghdad

Wikimedia Commons contributors, “File:Assyrian Church.png,” Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Assyrian_Church.png&oldid=805606185 (accessed November 10, 2023).

The third branch, the Syriacs, are more dispersed, such as throughout Syria and Türkiye. Their ancestral language turoyo is slowing being replaced in usage, even in religious contexts, by Arabic in Iraq and Syria and Turkish in Türkiye. They were even banned from teaching their language in Türkiye. Syriacs are more divided over identity, with some supporting Assyrianism like Nestorians while others supporting a more inclusive concept of Arameanism. (Boháč 71)

Map of the Assyrian Genocide by the Ottoman Empire and some Kurkish forces that coincided with the Armenian Genocide as well as Ottoman killing of other ethnicities

Wikimedia Commons contributors, “File:Assyrian genocide map-pt.svg,” Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Assyrian_genocide_map-pt.svg&oldid=805612179 (accessed November 10, 2023)

The disunity among the different groups of Assyrians made them less able to confront the strife that’s torn across Iraq in the recent decades. According to minorityrights.org, official Iraqi statistics consider them to be Arabs, which already delegitimizes Assyrians, who by their sheer longevity in the region ought to at least be considered indigenous, as not a unique ethnic minority. First most of the Assyrian Churches were wiped out by the Mongol invasion, then when European colonists favored them due to their Christianity, Assyrians began to face persecution from local Muslims, which became regular occurrences in the twentieth century, notably by the Saddam Hussein regime. The ongoing conflicts in Iraq following the US invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein struck Assyrian communities even harder. In 2011, Assyrians represented more than half of new UNHCR-registered Iraqi refugees in both Türkiye and Lebanon, despite Assyrians representing only 3% of the pre-war Iraqi population. The rise of ISIS displaced many from traditional Assyrian regions such as Mosul. Many fled to areas held by the Kurdistan Regional Government, where despite not facing the threat of physical harm, Assyrian political activities continued to be suppressed by the Kurds.

Beyond physical persecution, Assyrians are also suffering from suppressions of their language. According to unpo.org, Saddam Hussein had revoked an earlier decree (Decree 251) granting cultural rights to Assyrians and as a result suppressed Assyrian schools from teaching Syriac, having Arabic be taught instead. Assyrian dialects continue to be under threat. UNESCO lists Assyrian or Aramaic as a “definitely endangered” language, with approximately only 240,000 speakers total.

 

 

Sources:

Artur Boháč. “Assyrian Ethnic Identity in a Globalizing World.” In Beyond Globalisation: Exploring the Limits of Globalisation in the Regional Context (conference proceedings), 67-72. Ostrava: University of Ostrava Czech Republic, 2010. http://conference.osu.eu/globalization/publ/08-bohac.pdf. 

https://minorityrights.org/minorities/assyrians-2/

https://unpo.org/members/7859

 

Ḥoṣn al-Akrād (حصن الأكراد), ‘Fort of the Kurds’, 2002.

Shelled in the Syrian Civil War in August of 2012

Photographed by Gianfranco Gazzetti

 

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, better known as ISIS, is a well known terrorist group operating in the middle east. Their primary goal is to establish an Islamic nation state in the region. Part of this objective of course is to destroy or expel other religions and cultures from this ethnically rich area, including the Kurds.

Because of this, many sites of historical Kurdish significance were a target for demolition and looting, with artifacts being sold off to finance the IS’s interests. Kurds themselves are targets for ISIS violence as well because of their religious and political beliefs. ISIS desires Sunni Islamic monotheism and therefor targets all non-Sunni people and religious symbols.

The Kurdish people are under particular strife in this era, with their homeland being split between countries in the most volatile region on Earth, being targets of genocide by their neighbors, and having their cultural sites looted and destroyed. The preservation of their culture and history is of particular importance to us.

Nubians are an indigenous group native to Egypt and Sudan. They are believed to be the early inhabitants of the central Nile Valley and one of the world’s oldest civilizations. They appeared at around 5000 BC.

 

 

Nubians resided in what we know as “Old Nubia” a location in modern-day Egypt and Sudan.

In the early 1500s, many Nubian kingdoms collapsed, the final in 1504 as the land of Nubia became divided between the countries mentioned earlier Egypt and Sudan.

Unfortunately, this caused a large portion of the Nubian people to be converted to Islam during the Arabization of the geographic area.

According to a site, there are no exact statistics as to what number of Nubians live in Modern-day Egypt, however, there are estimates of 300k to 5 million still residing all over the country. Unfortunately, the land of Old Nubia was replaced with dam projects, which were designed to quickly develop the country of Egypt. The Nubians of course never received any compensation, as they remain displaced and angry over the destruction of their homeland.

Language too is a dying part of their culture, the original language Old Nobin or Old Nubian went extinct sometime during the 15th century. Now a new version of Nobiin is spoken among approximately 610,000 Nubians, although that number is estimated to go down.

What do you all think? Can the Nubian culture and language be saved? And what did you all know about this culture before reading this article?

 

• Benjamin Myers

 

 

 

 

Sources can be found HERE and HERE.

Language source – HERE

The Lawrence Livermore National Library has now achieved nuclear fusion ignition. Twice. Fusion isn’t likely to replace the world’s energy needs for at least a decade or more, but the writing is on the wall. Hydrocarbons WILL be phased out. Any economy still reliant on hydrocarbons, or fossil fuels, will be relegated to irrelevancy. Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, is doing whatever they can to not be left behind.

Being an Absolute Monarchy means that the royal family has tremendous command in the operation of the economy. This is why Saudi Arabia has a large public sector and the goals of the government can be worked towards directly instead of trying indirectly influence the economy that one may see in a more laissez-faire economy. 

The plan to divest from hydrocarbons is already yielding results. Hydrocarbons as a percentage of GDP were near 50% in the 2005-2010 five year average, on par with the average of the Gulf Cooperation Council, (GCC) of which Saudi Arabia is a key player. Yet in the 2017-2022 period, that percentage in Saudi Arabia had about halved, outpacing the GCC’s overall divestment away from hydrocarbons. 

Data on Oil Dependence of Saudi Arabia and the GCC, International Monetary Fund.

Under the broader umbrella of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, the de facto leader of the Kingdom, has been reaching out far and wide for economic partnerships to bring in investments from other nations and their industries of strength. The ink isn’t even dry for two such partnerships. With updates as recently as October 25th, Saudi Arabia forged a deal with Finland for deeper economic cooperation, especially in digital industries, estimated to be at $645 million annually. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia just secured South Korean investment, notably by Hyundai to make cars locally in Saudi Arabia, that is also expected to exceed half a billion dollars. 

Saudi Communications and Information Technology Minister Abdullah Al-Sawah and Finnish Foreign Trade and Development Minister Phil Tavio, Saudi Press Agency

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong on the Oct 2023 visit to Saudi Arabia. Published in The Korea Herald, image credit Yonhap News Agency

Sources:

Fusion: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-repeat-nuclear-fusion-breakthrough-in-a-step-toward-more-clean-energy-180982683/

Largest oil export:

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/company-insights/082316/worlds-top-10-oil-exporters.asp

Hydrocarbon reliance:

https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2023/09/28/cf-saudi-arabias-economy-grows-as-it-diversifies

Finland Deal:

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2397321/business-economy

Korean Deal:

https://fortune.com/2023/10/23/saudi-arabia-mohammed-bin-salman-economy-reforms-cars-automotive-hyundai-lucid/

Korea Herald:

https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20231024000543

Tel Aviv financial business district

Shutterstock, eskystudio

   Israel’s economy is complex and highly developed free-market, especially compared to neighboring countries. The country focuses mainly on industrial development because of its lack of natural resources. It has a strong technology sector that has given rise to many start-ups, second only in number to the US. Israel is also a hub of international investment with many large foreign companies setting up in the country as well. These sectors are also supported by the nations large venture capital industry, which has developed rapidly since the 1980’s. All of this economic growth and technological developement is due to Israel’s well educated population. The nation is also a member of the OECD, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and boasts a nominal GDP of $564.15 billion USD.

 

   The small country has no significant natural resources, and not much land for cultivation of crops. Therefore, the nation depends on imports for its energy, food, and resources necessary for industry and the production of goods.

Sources:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-ranked-4th-best-performing-economy-among-oecd-countries-in-2022/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Israel

https://www.britannica.com/place/Israel/Economy

 

Americans deploy forces in the Middle East due to ongoing Israeli conflicts with Middle Eastern neighbors, most notably Lebanon. According to this source, American militants in Lebanon could be facing serious consequences. There are still 2,500 troops deployed in Iraq and 900 more in Syria that could become involved in armed conflict wherever they are located. Suicide drones have hit several bases with US troops inside them in both Syria and Iraq. The attacks have been blamed on Iranian-backed forces.

A quote found on CNN can summarize the issue – “We see a prospect for much more significant escalation against US forces and personnel in the near term,” the official said. “And let’s be clear about it. The road leads back to Iran. Iran funds, arms, equips and trains militias and proxy forces all across the region. … We are preparing for this escalation, both in terms of defending our forces and being prepared to respond decisively.” -A senior defense official.

Instead of leaving the Middle East, the USA will double down on defense and prepare for war once again. This though, goes much past just the Israel-Palestine conflict.

“If crimes against humanity do not stop immediately, there is the possibility at any moment that the region will go out of control.” – Iranian foreign minister. “Any miscalculation in continuing genocide and forced displacement can have serious and bitter consequences, both in the region and for the warmongers,” – Abdollahian (speaking to the USA and Israel) 

“if crimes against humanity do not stop immediately, there is the possibility at any moment that the region will go out of control.” – Iranian foreign minister

As we can see, the end of conflict is nowhere in sight for the Middle Eastern region of our globe. What else is sad to see is global superpowers only fueling the fire (USA, UK, many countries in Europe).

The source can be found HERE

• Benjamin Myers

Since the creation of the state of Israel, relations between it and Lebanon have been rocky at the best of times and involved war and occupation at the worst. So far, their biggest conflict in the 21^st century was the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, a Shia political organization backed by Iran with a well-armed militant wing that has been designated a terrorist group by the Western world and its allies. After the war, relations have slowly improved, and in 2022 they reached a “historic” agreement on their disputed maritime border. Just one year later, the ongoing Israel-Hamas war has eroded progress and has many fearful of another Israel-Hezbollah war, especially given Hezbollah’s deputy chief saying they were “fully ready” and “when the time comes for any action, we will carry it out”.

Image by Lisi Niesner from Reuters

Sources:
https://nowlebanon.com/lebanese-fear-escalation-of-israel-hamas-war
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/11/israel-lebanon-agree-on-draft-deal-on-maritime-borders
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/13/world/israel-lebanon-journalists-attacked-intl/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/12/middleeast/israel-lebanon-border-fighters-quiet-intl/index.html
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hezbollah-says-when-time-comes-any-action-we-will-carry-it-out-2023-10-13

Early morning on Saturday October 7th, Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, launched an invasion directly into Israel through the Gaza strip. This event reignited the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine that has been raging since 1947. The attack targeted both military and civilian personnel and infrastructure, taking the lives of at least 1300 Israelis, and allowing the capture of numerous hostages. Since the attack, Israel has responded with a counter attack killing 1900 Palestinians, and displacing hundreds of thousands. Civilians have been injured and killed on both sides, including the targeting and/or disabling of infrastructure and destruction of housing. Unmentionable war crimes are being committed on both sides of the conflict.

 

This matter is important because it is the site of many horrific crimes against humanity, and is a part of the ongoing conflict between Israel and the state (autonomous entity, its not agreed upon) of Palestine. It also concerns horrific the treatment of Palestinians in the region historically, and the opinion of many that they deserve better than this.

The al-Rimal Neighborhood in Gaza, bombed out by Israeli forces

Image from Atia Darwish

 

Sources:

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-10-07/ty-article/.premium/october-7-2023-a-date-that-will-live-in-infamy-in-israel/0000018b-0bbf-dc5d-a39f-9fff47680000

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-october-7-2023/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Israel%E2%80%93Hamas_war

A million deaths is a statistic. From Riyad, deaths and casualties in the Gaza strip and throughout Israel seems so small. Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) isn’t worried about blood on the streets, he’s probably thinking about the tightrope he now has to walk to preserve Saudi Arabia’s status as the leader of the Arab world and the “deal of the century”: normalization of relations with Israel.

The normalization has been years in the making. Emad Mekay wrote for the International Bar Association back in the early days of the Trump presidency about how Saudi and Israeli geopolitical interests have aligned in recent years. Both share a common enemy, Iran, and a common ally, the United States. Saudi Arabia, as well as several other Arab nations like Syria, Iraq, and Iran, do not diplomatically recognize Israel, which hamstrings any cooperation between them against Iran. MBS is eyeing a double win as extracting Israeli concessions for Palestine in exchange for Saudi recognition of Israel affirms Saudi soft power as the preeminent Arab power, a spot they currently hold, but also a potential defense agreement with the United States. Should such a Deal of the Century, as coined by former Egyptian leader Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, would secure Saudi Arabia militarily with American partnership, diversify the oil-reliant Saudi economy with Israeli investment, promote peace in the region with Saudi-Israeli cooperation, as well as isolate Iran. In other words, the biggest win Saudi Arabia can ask for.

Everything changed when Hamas attacked. In the face of the a massive Israeli retaliation, Saudi Arabia cannot stand behind Israel without alienating the Arab world Riyad leads. Depending on the severity of the Israeli response and whether atrocities will be committed in retaliation, Hamas, backed by Iran, could turn from the aggressor to the victim even among western media, additionally hamstringing Riyad. This MBS did the obvious choice and halted the negotiations. The coverages of the halt is interesting, as the different perspectives’ word choice in their English coverage highlights attitudes. The Times of Israel simply says that Saudis told the United States that they are halting talks with Israel. Halt conveys a sense of definitiveness, and also “told the United States” implies a circumvention of Israel, and places Israel in a passive position, which is curious because it could help portray Israel as the helpless victim, acted upon rather than the one acting, in this conflict. Al Jazeera, a Qatari state-funded news outlet, as well as Reuters, a western media outlet, uses the phrase “on ice”, which is much less final than “halt”, and focuses on Saudi Arabia’s pivot to dialogue with Iran. Saudi-Qatari relations has a rocky history, and both Al Jazeera and Reuters’ focus on Saudi-Iranian dialogue indicate Saudi intentions to keep their options open. They haven’t closed the door on Israeli normalization but also don’t want to be alienated should the situation spiral out of control into a conflict defined by cultural differences.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia.

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Sources:

https://www.ibanet.org/article/D2659617-4CAB-4FE9-8B60-A971485EC3D6

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/14/saudi-arabia-puts-israel-deal-on-ice-amid-war-engages-with-iran-report

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/saudis-said-to-tell-us-they-are-halting-normalization-talks-with-israel/

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-puts-israel-deal-ice-amid-war-engages-with-iran-sources-say-2023-10-13/

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prince_Muhammad_of_Saudia.png

“Egypt initially predicted a strike like the Hamas attack and warned the Israeli officials. Israelis denied this was true, and are now trying to gain support from the Egyptians. The Gaza attack has resulted in Egyptians blocking the border from Gaza and beyond. Now that war has officially broken out in the area, Egypt has been skeptical about becoming involved.

This is crucial because Egypt and Israel are neighbors, and have remained as peaceful partners. However, it’s important now this conflict has escalated how Israel’s neighbors will continue to treat them.”

• Benjamin Myers