Gaza’s University Students Drop Out at an Accelerating Rate Due to the Pandemic
The intensifying Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip and the lockdowns due to Covid-19 are driving impoverished, discouraged students to abandon higher education.
A Survey Reveals How the Pandemic Has Hurt MENA Research
A survey of scholars done in the late spring and early summer that included researchers who study the MENA region showed the pandemic’s adverse effects and the occasional beneficial ones on research, the authors of the survey say.
Despite Controversy, Emirati-Israeli Research Cooperation Has Kicked Off
The decision to normalize relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel angered many in the Arab region. Still, some see it as an opportunity to support research.
Arabic Comics Reach a Wider Audience Through Digital Projects
Comics and graphic novels by Arabs gain greater exposure as digital publishers promote the work of talented young artists and authors.
Land of No Rain: How Jordan Is Facing a Parched Future
With limited rainfall and aquifers already over pumped, the kingdom is running out of water. Researchers are tackling some aspects of the problem, but hard choices still lie ahead.
Iraqi Researcher’s Assassination Stirs Fears of Renewed Violence Against Academics
Husham Al-Hashimi, an expert on ISIS and a critic of foreign-backed militias in Iraq, was gunned down by unknown assassins in a Baghdad street this week.
African-Iraqis Also Need the Black Lives Matter Movement
As the global movement against racism grows, it’s time for the Arab world to look at similar racial discrimination in its midst.
The Middle East’s Only High-Energy Physics Lab Faces a New Test: Surviving Covid-19
Sesame, the region’s only synchrotron, is well versed in upheaval. But the pandemic promises more pressure on the project’s shoestring budget.
Covid-19 and Money Trouble Create Hurdles for a Mediterranean Research Project
Despite delays, a $580 million research partnership between European, North African and Middle Eastern countries hopes for additional funding from the European Union’s next big innovation framework.
Why Tunisia’s Once Superior Education System Needs to Reform Again
A long tradition of progressive reform prepared the country for independence in 1957. But now its universities are seen as “factories of unemployment.”
