United Nations Special Rapporteur claims that sanctions on Iran are illegitimate

According to United Nations Special Rapporteur Idriss Jazairy, the United States’ sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran are unreasonable, unjustified, and illegitimate and should be lifted immediately. Jazairy was appointed by the Human Rights Council in 2015 and has been a key figure in monitoring world policies. Last week Jazairy expressed the concerns surrounding the sanctions in a […]

US looks to counter Russian and Chinese space weapons with new $3 billion satellites

Defense contractor Lockheed Martin has secured yet another sizeable government contract aimed at countering the real and potential capability gaps between American space and missile technologies and those being developed in competitor states like Russia and China. The day after the Air Force announced awarding Lockheed a second hypersonic missile development contract worth nearly an […]

Myanmar, the US State Department, and the word ‘Genocide’

“Genocide” is a word sometimes used colloquially for conflicts with large, targeted campaigns and high civilian death rates. It is also used in official capacities, with specific definitions — in Article II of the UN’s “Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide,” Genocide is defined: [Genocide is] any of the following acts committed with […]

Bangladesh: International community condemns handling of student protests

Protests have been erupting in Bangladesh since July 29 — it all started when two high-school students were killed in Dhaka, after being hit by a bus. This was the latest in a long line of road-related deaths, and many throughout the country feel that the government is doing little to prevent further loss of […]

The UN remembers Iraq and acknowledges its reconstruction needs

In a press conference on Thursday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres responded to reporters demands to know more of the U.N.’s plans for the Middle East. Secretary-General Guterres answered by saying, I have not forgotten Iraq. The stability of Iraq, the democratic nature of Iraq, the non-sectarian nature of Iraq is, I think, a fundamental contribution for the whole […]

Video: Monsoon rains threaten hundreds of thousands of Rohingya in refugee camps

The Rohingya refugee camps run along the border of Bangladesh and Burma/Myanmar. There are approximately one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, and many have been scrambling to prepare for the rainy season. The rains have come, and flooding has begun to devastate many of these communities — the majority of these refugees have only arrived […]

United Nations begins investigation of Islamic State war crimes in Iraq

The United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, has launched an investigation into the war crimes of the Islamic State. The lead investigator will be Karim Asad Ahmad Khan, a British barrister (type of lawyer) born in Edinburgh who has a vast amount of experience in related fields. Khan will act as a special adviser as well as the investigation teams head […]

Russia and the Syrian regime looking for a political solution to the regional conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last week to discuss the improvement of not only Syria’s infrastructure but also in the hopes of reaching political solution regarding the perpetual conflict in the region. Assad said that the Syrian army had achieved “great results” these past months and now was the time […]

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports on Afrin

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is a United Kingdom based conflict zone monitor that has documented the current situation in Afrin, Syria. They have focused heavily on the Turkish occupation that has resulted from their military incursion into Syria under Operation Olive Branch. On Wednesday they released the statement that, “Demographic change is being carried out, […]