ΚΕΝΤΡΟ ΜΕΣΟΓΕΙΑΚΩΝ, ΜΕΣΑΝΑΤΟΛΙΚΩΝ & ΙΣΛΑΜΙΚΩΝ ΣΠΟΥΔΩΝ

Nowadays, Islam is gaining popularity in everyday life in North Caucasus. The Islamic revival that started with the collapse of the Soviet Union has led to a rapid Islamization of the society and has provided a fertile ground for political Islam as well. The language of political Islam is used extensively and in various forms, with local authorities and the religious opposition both deriving their arguments from Islam. Hence, in North Caucasus Islamic discourse unfolds on various levels, from Ramzan Kadyrov’s “official state” Islam in Chechnya up to the radical salafi-jihadi Islamism espoused first by the Caucasus Emirate and, more recently, by ISIS affiliates.

Qaboos bin Said al Said is the absolute monarch of the Sultanate of Oman reigning the small Gulf state for more than forty years. Most recent rumor has it that Qaboos has been suffering from terminal cancer and thus a succession speculation crisis has been looming for some time. Oman holds one of the most bizarre ways of passing down the reign. The crisis that may occur in the royal family, as well as in the Majlis al Shura (local parliament), might exacerbate the already obscure—according to economic estimations and figures—future of the citizens of the heretofore powerful Sultanate.  

Nowadays, the Palestinian protests are mainly another reaction to the long-standing oppressive Israeli policies implemented against the Palestinian people. Although one cannot tell yet, whether this unrest will evolve into a third Intifada, several similarities to the first Intifada (1987-1993) are being noticed, as well as some differences. Specifically, the similarities are the Israeli government coalition’s synthesis and its objectives on the eve of the revolts: namely, the economic circumstances of the Israeli economy and its influence on Palestine, due to the interconnection of the two economies; the social, educational and economic status of the Palestinian youth and its role in the revolts; and finally, the stance of the Palestinian leadership. As for the differences, the most noteworthy is the Israeli settlers’ influence on the policy making and its execution.

While the United States revise their troop withdrawal plans from Afghanistan, the future of the country remains precarious. Violence still flourishes on the ground, the Afghan government seems unstable in contrast with the Taliban movement which looks stronger than ever, and, at the same time, al Qaeda tries to rebuild its presence in the region by opening the way for young Islamic extremists to join. In the meantime, thousands of Afghan refugees leave their country and enter Europe, while others, living in Pakistan, are being forced to return to their homeland.