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MECRA RESEARCH BLOG
The MECRA research blog is composed of short articles and may include outside contributions. The views expressed in these blogs and articles are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis editorial stance.
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Exclusive photos: A look at the ongoing attempt to unearth Raqqa's mass graves
On his recent trip to Raqqa in eastern Syria Jonathan Spyer came across men delegated by the Raqqa Civil Council to help excavate and...
MECRA
Jul 31, 20182 min read
Jonathan Spyer: New photos from Raqqa
Jonathan Spyer's new photos from Raqqa in July 2018 show the city struggling to cope with reconstruction and cleaning up destruction...
MECRA
Jul 30, 20181 min read
New details of ISIS attack on Suwayda, the hundreds killed, 14 Druze women kidnapped
Details emerging from the July 25, 2018 ISIS attack on Suwayda now reveal the attack to have been more well orchestrated, deadly, and...
MECRA
Jul 27, 20183 min read
Bab al-Mandab crises: Interview with Ghanem Nuseibeh
In an interview with Ghanem Nuseibeh, Founder of Cornerstone Global Associates, the expert on Gulf issues provided insight into the...
MECRA
Jul 26, 20183 min read
'Basra will not remain silent': Inside the Iraq protests in July 2018
By MECRA Mass protests broke out in Iraq in July 2018, shutting down a border crossing with Kuwait, closing Najaf international airport...
MECRA
Jul 17, 20185 min read
New report: Rouhani's saber rattling and Hormuz amid Iran protests
A new article by Alex Grinberg looks at the recent Iran protests and Rouhani's threats about the Straits of Hormuz. He writes, "so is...
MECRA
Jul 15, 20181 min read
WHO concerned as Syrian rebel area near Golan cut off from Jordan
MECRA - The Syrian rebel area in southern Syria has been totally cut off from Jordan as the regime re-took the border area in the last...
MECRA
Jul 12, 20181 min read
Report: Two Filipino women kidnapped in Iraq
By MECRA Two Filipino women have been abducted on a road from Baghdad to Erbil according to reports today. The Philippine women were with...
MECRA
Jul 8, 20183 min read
Annual Jeanne D’Arc mission: French warships Dixmude and Surcouf in Haifa July 7-11, 2018
The French Mistral-class amphibious assault ship Dixmude and La Fayette-class frigate Surcouf will be in Haifa from July 7-11, 2018. As...
MECRA
Jul 4, 20182 min read
US Senator Lindsey Graham in Manbij and Syria
South Carolina US Senator Lindsey Graham visited Manbij in eastern Syria according to video and images posted online. There he met with...
MECRA
Jul 2, 20183 min read
A personal look at the Palestinian Authority and its crackdown on protests
By Ali Salim This article was also published in The Jerusalem Post In mid-June, the Palestinian Police Forces attacked hundreds of...
MECRA
Jun 29, 201811 min read
Understanding Turkey's election results, 2018
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN Was the 2018 election historic? How do Turkey's 2018 election results compare to the past?The 2018 election was...
MECRA
Jun 26, 20182 min read
Mosul report: Historic Latin Church damaged by ISIS, needs post-ISIS support
A report by Mosul Eye and a photo by Ali Y. Al-Baroodi notes that "Latin Church's Tower is about to collapse, it requires an immediate...
MECRA
Jun 19, 20182 min read
US Senate 85-10 moves to block F-35s for Turkey unless conditions met
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN On June 18 the US Senate sought to block the sale of F-35s to Turkey in a sign of growing pressure and concern over...
MECRA
Jun 19, 20182 min read
Situation in Iraq's Sinjar region remains combustible
By PAUL IDDON On June 1 a convoy of US military armoured vehicles passed through the Sinjar region in northern Iraq. The sight of the...
MECRA
Jun 10, 20181 min read
Assad tests negotiations with Kurds in eastern Syria
By SIRWAN KAJJO Two days after Syrian President Bashar Assad threatened to use force against Kurdish forces in the northeast if they...
MECRA
Jun 6, 20184 min read
Providing medical aid in Iraq and Syria to abandoned communities
Interview with Nemam Ghafouri by Seth J. Frantzman Frantzman: Tell me about your trip Ghafouri: I crossed the border over Tigris, from...
MECRA
May 30, 201810 min read
Interview: The Free Burma Rangers bring hope to Raqqa in May 2018
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN Interview with Paul Curtis Bradley, May 19, 2018 By Seth J. Frantzman Frantzman: Can you describe what you’ve been...
MECRA
May 30, 20187 min read
Iraqi elections: What it means for the Kurdistan region of Iraq
By DILIMAN ABDULKADER Iraq held its first elections since the defeat of the so called Islamic State (ISIS), the results surprised all...
MECRA
May 25, 20184 min read
Transcript of Pompeo's Iran speech with notes
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN On May 21 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave a speech about Iran at the Heritage Foundation titled 'After the Deal:...
MECRA
May 21, 201815 min read
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