GW Expert Available: Elections in Iran Take Place Friday
George Washington University
While many aspects of Philistine culture are well-documented, the specifics of Philistine religious practices and deities have long remained shrouded in mystery. The study by Frumin et al. on "Plant-Related Philistine Ritual Practices at Biblical Gath," recently published in Scientific Reports by researchers at Bar-Ilan University, contributes valuable new data to our understanding of the Philistine's ritual practices. The discovery of numerous plants in two temples unearthed at the site unraveled unprecedented insights into Philistine cultic rituals and beliefs – their temple food ingredients, timing of ceremonies, and plants for temple decoration.
Virginia Tech has several experts available to speak on various topics surrounding the Israel-Hamas conflict. Israeli politics and foreign policy Joel Peters is a professor of government and international affairs in the School of Public and International Affairs at Virginia Tech located in the Washington, D.C., metro area. His research interests and publications cover Israeli politics and foreign policy, the Arab-Israeli peace process, regional cooperation in the Middle East and Europe’s relations in the Middle East and the Mediterranean.
Mental Health, Anxiety experts on coping with reports from the Middle East
The oil-rich nations of the Middle East have resolutely spurned democracy, even as countries in other parts of the world have transitioned away from authoritarianism in the past several decades. What explains the stubborn hold of these authoritarian regimes? Is it related to the wealth of the region? Nimah Mazaheri, an associate professor and chair of Tufts University Political Science Department, explores these questions in his new book, Hydrocarbon Citizens: How Oil Transformed People and Politics in the Middle East. He’s especially interested in the resilience of authoritarian regimes throughout the Middle East in the wake of the pro-democracy movements of the Arab Spring in the early 2010s.
Experts on the Israel-Gaza conflict from Bar-Ilan University are available to speak to the media on matters such as the role of government during crisis, Hamas and terrorist organizations, military strategy, and Communications in times of crisis.
Gems' unique elemental composition and atomic orientation act as a fingerprint, enabling researchers to uncover the stones’ past, and with it, historical trade routes. In AIP Advances, Khedr et al. employ three modern spectroscopic techniques to rapidly analyze gems found in the Arabian-Nubian Shield and compare them with similar gems from around the world. The authors identified elements that influence gems’ color, differentiated stones found within and outside the region, and distinguished natural from synthetic.
In October, the excavation work for the superlative construction project began. What some consider an ideal ecological city, others call a promotional gimmick. Researchers from the Complexity Science Hub now show why The Line should not be a showcase for future cities.
Labor strikes and protests by Israeli military officers have decried moves by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin (“Bibi”) Netanyahu to overhaul the judiciary system, potentially reducing the power of the country’s Supreme Court. After firing a defense minister who opposed the overhaul last week, Netanyahu agreed to delay the judicial review for now.
Cleveland Clinic has opened a new state-of-the-art cancer facility, named the Fatima bint Mubarak Center, at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, located in the United Arab Emirates capital.
Residents of Southern Turkey were again jolted by a new earthquake Monday, this trembler reported by the U.S. Geology Survey (USGS) as 6.3 in magnitude. News reports state that scores of buildings that were damaged in powerful quakes on February 6 have been further damaged or outright collapsed. Virginia Tech’s Robert Weiss, who studies natural hazards, calls the devastating trio of earthquake “unusual,” but not “impossible.
The Cedars-Sinai International team will participate in Arab Health, Jan. 30-Feb. 2, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, highlighting Cedars-Sinai’s expanded global presence and innovative, advanced medical care offered to millions of patients every year.
مدينة روتشستر، ولاية مينيسوتا — في دراسة جديدة من دراسات الروابط على نطاق الجينوم الخاصة بأمراض الشريان التاجي للمقيمين في قطر، لقد ألقى الباحثون الضوء على البنية الجينية للمرض في مجموعة سكانية محددة.
Small and mid-sized businesses in Africa and the Middle East want executive education services but few business schools will provide it. The University of Iowa's Tippie College of Business will fill that void with its Institute for International Business.
When most of us think of social networks, we think of connecting digitally with others through sites like Facebook, TikTok or Twitter. A new book by Dr. Kathleen Sheppard, an associate professor of history at Missouri University of Science and Technology, discusses a different type of social network – a physical network of archaeologists, Egyptologists, tourists and other travelers who were drawn to Egypt in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
A former Division I swimmer, now a physician at University of Michigan Health, will join USA Swimming for international competition in Abu Dhabi on Dec. 16. The competition will feature several Olympic medal-winners.
Water is a scarce commodity in many countries worldwide, but new cost effective technology pioneered by researchers in Australia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia could ensure sustainable water supplies for decades to come.
The monumental reliefs at the Camel Site in northern Arabia are unique: three rock spurs are decorated with naturalistic, life-sized carvings of camels and equids. In total, 21 reliefs have been identified.
During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, as false health information spread on social media, the number of children and teens poisoned with hand sanitizer or alcoholic beverages surged in Iran. These poisonings resulted in hundreds of hospitalizations and 22 deaths. Misinformation circulating on social media included the false suggestion that consuming alcohol (methanol) or hand sanitizer (ethanol or isopropyl alcohol) protected against COVID-19 infection (it does not). A major alcohol poisoning outbreak sickened nearly 6,000 Iranian adults, of whom 800 died. It was not known, however, to what extent children and adolescents were affected. For the study in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, investigators compared pediatric hospitalizations for ethanol and methanol poisoning during the early COVID-19 pandemic in Iran with the same period the previous year. They also looked at types of exposure and how those were linked to the children’s ages and clinical outcomes.
Since May 10, more than 200 Palestinians and a dozen Israelis have died in fighting in Israel and the occupied territories.
The Middle East and North Africa Region (MENA) is a climate change hot spot where summers warm much faster than in the rest of the world. Some parts of the region are already among the hottest locations globally.
Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) and Mayo Clinic are marking the first anniversary of their joint venture that launched and operates Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC), one of the United Arab Emirates' largest hospitals providing care for patients with serious and complex medical conditions.
After the cataclysmic explosion in Beirut, Lebanon on Aug. 4, Rush University Medical Center sprang into action to help those significantly impacted by the catastrophe.
In this episode of our special Election 2020 series of The President’s Inbox, Yasmine Farouk and Bernard Haykel join host James M. Lindsay to discuss U.S. policy toward Saudi Arabia.
In this episode of our special Election 2020 series of The President’s Inbox, Steven A. Cook, Philip H. Gordon, and Ray Takeyh join host James M. Lindsay to discuss the killing of Qasem Soleimani and its consequences for the Middle East.
In this episode of our special Election 2020 series of The President’s Inbox, Michael Doran and Lara Friedman join host James M. Lindsay to discuss the future of the two-state solution.
Five-year-old Aysha Al Saloom was sound asleep in her bed when a barrel bomb exploded outside her home in northern Syria. The blast left her severely burned and disfigured, turning her hands into stiff, painful balls of flesh. She couldn't even hold a crayon or feed herself. After 20 surgeries, her hands have been rebuilt and she's back to writing, drawing and dancing. Downloadable video available.
In retrospect, Pakistan's effort to reduce the treatment gap can appear painstakingly planned, like the blueprints for a shopping complex or a neighborhood. But the secret of the country's success is not rooted in elaborate planning. Nor did it rely on generous funding or government support.
NYU's Taub Center for Israel Studies will host Israeli diplomat Yossi Beilin for “Between Oslo and Trump: A Review of the Peace Process,” a public lecture, on Tues., Feb. 11.
Against the backdrop of the recent U.S. strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, Tony Blair discusses the current tensions with Iran and the implications for international policymakers. Mr. Blair discusses the critical role of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including ways the IRGC mobilizes and radicalizes its fighters for violence at home and abroad, and the road ahead for the United States and Europe.
Amir Asmar is a Department of Defense analyst and CFR’s national intelligence fellow. Throughout his intelligence career, his primary area of focus has been the Middle East. He held a wide range of analytic, senior analytic, and leadership positions for the Department of the Army, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the National Intelligence Council. The statements of fact, opinion, or analysis expressed in this blog post are strictly those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense (DoD) or the U.S. government. Review of the material does not imply DoD or U.S. government endorsement of factual accuracy or opinion.
The long-awaited plan presented by President Donald J. Trump paves the way for broader Israeli annexation of occupied territories, has no real chance of Palestinian support, and risks provoking violence.