Scores of Palestinians were killed at the Gaza border fence yesterday when Israeli security forces fired on them. Many were there to protest the move of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem – but Brendan Ciarán Browne argues that that issue is hardly the point. He says that Palestinians have been failed by the international community, which is increasingly focused on teaching them “resilience” while failing to hold Israel account for its actions.
On another front, Israel’s position in the occupied Golan Heights is in the spotlight again after a rocket attack by Iran last week. Abdulaziz Alghashian answers five key questions about one of the most contested areas in the world.
The Arab Spring in 2011 set off a wave of optimism that democracy was on the rise. But while a good few of the world’s autocrats and authoritarians have stood down, died or been thrown out, too few have given way to healthy democracies – and many have been succeeded by equally despotic rulers. Natasha Ezrow gives a rundown of the state of dictatorship around the world.
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The Israeli army launches tear gas at protesters on the border with Gaza.
EPA/Luca Piergiovanni
Brendan Ciarán Browne, Trinity College Dublin
International NGOs are promoting a 'resilience agenda' that masks their own failings in Palestine.
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Politics + Society
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Abdulaziz Alghashian, University of Essex
A recent skirmish between Iran and Israel put the spotlight back on one of the most sensitive territories in the world.
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John J Stremlau, University of the Witwatersrand
South Africa's relations with the US could sour under President Trump.
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Natasha Ezrow, University of Essex
At first, the 2010s seemed full of hope for democracy. The picture today is rather more complicated.
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Business + Economy
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Agnes Andersson Djurfeldt, Lund University
We found that even when women own land, their husbands are still perceived as household heads.
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Health + Medicine
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Catharine Wang, Boston University
More people are sending off saliva samples to find out about their genetic roots. But the raw DNA results go way beyond genealogical data – and could deliver unintended consequences.
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