Israel’s next election will decide far more than who governs. It will help determine whether the country can reclaim its democratic foundations, restore its international standing, and fulfill its founding promise—or continue down a path that endangers the very future its leaders claim to defend Hardly any election in Israel’s history has carried such profound…
When a president confuses personal loyalty with public duty and self-glorification with leadership, democracy pays the price. Trump’s conduct reveals a disgusting and disturbing pattern: he put the presidency in service of his ego rather than the nation The damage Trump has inflicted on this country and the world is incalculable. The irony is staggering:…
A people are being erased not in a single cataclysm, but through daily terror: bulldozers, armed settlers, night raids, demolished homes, and stolen water. The West Bank’s suffering is not a security policy—it is a warning of Israel’s own moral collapse There are crimes that arrive with explosions, and crimes that advance quietly—through a bulldozer…
Israel’s claim that the IDF is “the most moral army in the world” did not survive Gaza. What emerged was not moral exceptionalism, but a machinery of devastation so vast that the slogan now stands as an indictment—of power without restraint and conscience without consequences One of the most consistent claims Israel has made over…
Today’s podcast guest is Kelsey P. Norman, a fellow for the Middle East at Rice University’s Baker Institute and director of the Women’s Rights, Human Rights, and Refugees Program. Her book with Dr. Nicholas Micinski, titled Aiding Autocrats: Migration Management, Governance, and Repression in Africa, offers the first global account of how wealthy countries use money and influence to control the movement of people across the world.
In this episode, we discuss the broader implications of migration management aid, what it does and what kind of impact it actually has, how this type of aid often does not actually reduce migration and can in fact undermine democracy, and whether or not these systems can be improved upon to have the type of impact they are intended to have.
Listen now; link in bio.
Today’s guest is Ambassador Lukman Faily, Permanent Representative of Iraq to the United Nations. Ambassador Faily has served in various roles in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs including as Ambassador of Iraq to Japan, the United States, and most recently, Germany.
In this episode, we discuss diplomacy at the United Nations, especially at a time of great global conflict and advancing technologies like AI, how dialogue and discussion are utilized in managing world affairs in relation to security, development, and human rights, and what impact the redefinition of the US’ national security and role in the world will have globally.
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UNRWA remains the backbone of humanitarian assistance in Gaza, providing food, medical care, education, clean water, and psychosocial support to more than a million Palestinians caught in an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Efforts to dismantle or delegitimize the agency threaten to deepen civilian suffering and undermine the delivery of lifesaving aid.
Today’s podcast guest is Dr. Dania Arayssi, a Senior Research Fellow at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy and a scholar of Middle East political economy and participation. She also serves as an adjunct assistant professor at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, and teaches at George Washington University. Her research focuses on Middle East politics, with particular expertise in Syria, Lebanon, Iran, and Hezbollah.
In this episode, we discuss the fragmentation of the order and power that used to exist in the Middle East, the efforts of Iran to spread their influence and power in an attempt to hold on to the old order, the possibility of a NATO-like alliance in the Middle East, and the potential for security arrangements like the Mecca Agreement eventually encompassing Israel alongside its neighbors.
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THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE: SERBIA HAS SHOWN THAT PROTESTS CAN BRING CHANGE.
After nearly two years of relentless student-led protests, mass demonstrations, and demands for accountability, Aleksandar Vučić’s 14-year grip on power has come to an end. What began as outrage over the deaths of 16 people in the Novi Sad railway station tragedy grew into a nationwide movement against corruption, abuse of power, and the failure of state institutions. The students refused to be silenced. They refused to give up. And their persistence ultimately translated into a historic electoral victory. Serbia's experience is a powerful reminder that public outrage, sustained civic engagement, and accountability can bring meaningful political change. The streets may eventually empty, but the demand for justice must never disappear.
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Blessings to Serbia
APPARENTLY, EVEN JESUS CAN'T SAVE TRUMP
Just when you thought American politics couldn't get any more absurd, Trump shares a meme suggesting he was sent by Jesus himself. How convenient. Apparently, winning elections is no longer enough. Now divine endorsement is part of the political branding. And the timing? Priceless. According to Forbes, his support among Christians has reportedly dropped by 20 points. Perhaps heaven's marketing department is working overtime. One has to wonder: When did humility, compassion, and serving others become interchangeable with self-glorification and political celebrity? America has a Constitution, not a divine-right monarchy. And the presidency is an elected office, not a heavenly appointment.
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Jesus WOULD NOT help him. Jesus said a pedophile should have a donkey millstone tied around their necks and be thrown in the deep end.
WHAT A SHAME FOR A COUNTRY THAT FOUGHT SO HARD FOR FREEDOM
Kosovo endured war, persecution, and unimaginable suffering in its struggle for freedom. Women were among those who paid the highest price. And yet, today, women are being murdered in their own homes, while the very institutions meant to protect them repeatedly fail. Eight women have reportedly been killed in domestic violence this year alone. Arlinda Zekaj begged the authorities for protection. She warned them that her life was in danger. Three days after her last appeal, she was murdered with an axe by her brother-in-law, simply because she was fighting to get her son back after he had been taken away by her husband's family. This is a national disgrace. A country that fought for its own freedom must never accept a reality in which its women are denied the most fundamental freedom of all: the right to live.
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What country are you from? Because im pretty sure i can find even worse cases from your country! Women are protected, kids are protected, minorities are protected. We are not perfect but we are working towards it. Maybe not as fast as someone would like but as fast as we can with what we have. Thats what matters
Oj qika shka jeni beqare mos u martoni me ni mashkull shqiptar ka boll mashqi huj gjermon zvicrran italan shka po shkon me marr shqiptarin me kesi njerz a qohet jeta te lutem mos boni kete gabim se ju kushton me jet
Funny how you use a tragedy to lecture an entire nation about freedom. Violence against women is a serious issue, not an opportunity to shame a whole country. Kosova fought for freedom, and its people deserve justice, not your divisive rhetoric. 😏
👏
❤️🩹💔
💔💔💔🥲🥲🥲
And where are you from ?
Albanien skal fandme ikke med i EU, før de får styr på det svineri.
My man, yes it is. A SHAME, but condemning the whole country for a few criminals that are coming to light isn’t fair. I agree laws have to change.
Facts
11 females where killed in Switzerland this year in Kosovo 8 She was married for someone who hade 11 criminal charges,when you married criminal is hard to expect something good
So sad! RIP BEAUTIFUL!
2500 woman get killed in USA each year !
ARTICLE V — FAMILY, CHILDREN AND VULNERABLE PERSONS Section 5.1 — Family Integrity The family is a fundamental social institution deserving legal protection. Every person has the right to family life consistent with individual dignity, equality, bodily autonomy, and the rights of other family members. Government shall protect family integrity while preventing violence, coercion, exploitation, unlawful confinement, and abuse within families. Section 5.2 — Rights and Best Interests of Children Every child possesses independent human dignity and fundamental rights. In all public decisions materially affecting a child, the child's best interests shall be a primary consideration, together with the child's safety, rights, family relationships, age, maturity, and expressed views as appropriate. No child shall inherit the guilt, enemy status, legal disability, or criminal responsibility of a parent, relative, community, or armed group. Section 5.3 — Parental and Guardian Responsibilities Parents and lawful guardians have responsibilities to protect, care for, educate, and support children in accordance with their rights and developing capacities. Parental authority is a responsibility, not ownership. It shall not justify violence, forced marriage, exploitation, denial of necessary care, or suppression of a child's fundamental rights. Section 5.4 — Children Without Adequate Parental Care Government shall establish lawful protective arrangements for children lacking adequate parental care. Such arrangements shall prioritize safety, continuity of care, family preservation where appropriate, stable relationships, education, health, and the child's long-term development. Removal from a family shall require lawful grounds, fair procedure, and independent review, except for strictly temporary protective action necessary to prevent immediate serious harm. Section 5.5 — Education and Developing Capability Every child shall have reasonable access to education that develops literacy, numeracy, reasoning, scientific understanding, practical capability, civic knowledge, and the ability to make informed decisions. Education shall respect freedom of conscience, the rights of parents and guardians, the child's evolving capacity, and the diversity of lawful beliefs. No public education system shall compel partisan, religious, or ideological conformity. Section 5.6 — Developmental Health, Nutrition and Protection Public policy shall reasonably support children's access to healthcare, nutrition, safety, education, and developmental opportunity. Measures shall respect parental responsibilities and the child's rights and evolving capacity. As a child develops, public institutions shall support increasing participation in decisions affecting the child's life. Section 5.7 — Protection of Vulnerable Adults Persons experiencing disability, illness, cognitive impairment, severe dependency, or other material vulnerability retain full human dignity and legal personhood. Protective intervention shall be individualized, lawful, necessary, proportionate, and reviewable. Public authorities shall use the least restrictive effective measure and preserve all decision-making authority the person can reasonably exercise. Section 5.8 — Presumption of Capacity and Supported Decision-Making Every adult shall be presumed capable of making personal decisions unless the contrary is established through a lawful and individualized process. Where assistance is needed, supported decision-making shall be preferred over substitute decision-making. Any substitute authority shall be limited to the particular decision and period justified by evidence, subject to independent review, and shall not eliminate unaffected rights or decision-making powers. Age, disability, residence in an institution, receipt of care, or reliance upon assistance shall not alone establish incapacity. Section 5.9 — Caregiving and Reciprocal Responsibility Caregiving is a socially valuable activity and shall not be treated as evidence of lesser economic or civic worth. Government may support caregivers and persons receiving care through lawful, objective, and reviewable programs. A caregiving relationship shall not create ownership or unlimited compulsory unpaid obligations. No person shall be compelled to provide indefinite care beyond duties established by law and consistent with dignity, liberty, and fair allocation of responsibility. Section 5.10 — Dignity and Autonomy in Later Life Aging does not diminish dignity, legal personhood, citizenship, or fundamental rights. Older persons retain autonomy concerning residence, care, property, relationships, participation, and personal affairs. Government shall protect against exploitation, neglect, coercion, and unlawful confinement while preserving the greatest reasonably achievable degree of personal autonomy. No presumption of incapacity shall arise solely from age. Section 5.11 — Protection Against Forced Marriage and Coercive Personal Status Marriage and other legally recognized unions require the free and continuing consent of the persons entering them. Every person has equal legal capacity to enter, refuse, continue, or dissolve a marriage or union under law. No family, religious, customary, or community authority may substitute its consent for that of the persons concerned or compel marriage, prevent lawful dissolution, or impose coercive control over a person's body, movement, property, or legal identity. Section 5.12 — Equal Personal and Economic Legal Capacity Every adult possesses equal legal capacity to own, acquire, manage, transfer, inherit, and dispose of property; enter contracts; work; obtain public services; and participate in legal proceedings. Dowry, bride-price, family debt, or customary financial obligation imposed through coercion shall not be enforceable against a person who did not freely and lawfully assume it.
Also did you know that children are being slaughtered daily in gaza during a cease fire? You should focus on the genocide being comitted in gaza by the terrorist regime of benjamin netenyahoo
Pdk ldk aak are sperm of Serbia worst people Albin Kurti is doing the best job
I'm sure thet in you're country is more femicid than in Country of Kosova. I know thet raping the woman in your country is national sport.
between 2,300 and 5,000 women are murdered in the United States each year, is this a freedom? Democracy.
Today’s podcast guest is Kelsey P. Norman, a fellow for the Middle East at Rice University’s Baker Institute and director of the Women’s Rights, Human Rights, and Refugees Program. Her book with Dr. Nicholas Micinski, titled Aiding Autocrats: Migration Management, Governance, and Repression in Africa, offers the first global account of how wealthy countries use money and influence to control the movement of people across the world.
In this episode, we discuss the broader implications of migration management aid, what it does and what kind of impact it actually has, how this type of aid often does not actually reduce migration and can in fact undermine democracy, and whether or not these systems can be improved upon to have the type of impact they are intended to have.
Listen now: soundcloud.com/alon-ben-meir/on-the-issues-episode-174
Full bio
Kelsey Norman, Ph.D., is a fellow for the Middle East at Rice University’s Baker Institute and director of the Women’s Rights, Human Rights, and Refugees Program. Her research focuses on the politics of migration and refugee hosting in the Middle East and globally, as well as human rights, comparative political institutions, international relations, and Middle East and North African politics. She also teaches courses in the Department of Political Science and the Master of Global Affairs program at Rice University.
Her research has been published in academic journals including the European Journal of International Relations, International Studies Review, the Journal of Global Security Studies, International Migration Review, The Journal of Refugee Studies, Migration Politics, and the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, among others. She has also published policy-oriented articles in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and The Conversation. Her article, “Rich Countries Cannot Outsource Their Migration Dilemmas,” won the 2021 Perry World House-Foreign Affairs Emerging Scholars Policy Prize.
In recognition of her research, she was awarded the 2025 Emerging Scholar award by the Ethnicity, Nationalism, and Migration section of the International Studies Association, as well as an Honorable Mention for the 2025 Emerging Scholar award by the Migration and Citizenship section of the American Political Science Association.
Her first book, Reluctant Reception: Refugees, Migration, and Governance in the Middle East and North Africa, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2021. The book is based on three years of fieldwork in Egypt, Morocco and Turkey, and is adapted from her award-winning dissertation. The book was selected as one of Choice’s Outstanding Titles for 2021, was awarded an honorable mention by the American Political Science Association’s Migration and Citizenship 2021 Best Book Committee, and was selected for The Washington Post’s 2022 Annual African Politics Summer Reading Spectacular.
Her second book with Dr. Nicholas Micinski, titled Aiding Autocrats: Migration Management, Governance, and Repression in Africa, is forthcoming in 2026 from Cambridge University Press. The book offers the first global account of how wealthy countries use money and influence to control the movement of people across the world.
Prior to joining the Baker Institute, Norman was an SSHRC postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Political Science at the University of British Columbia and a postdoctoral fellow at the Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security and Diplomacy at the University of Denver. She received her doctorate in political science from the University of California, Irvine, a master of public policy from the University of Toronto, and a bachelor of arts from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
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