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Hello, everyone.
You might have picked up on the fact that we didn’t send out this newsletter on Friday. That’s because we’ve switched up the schedule: it will now land in your inbox on Monday mornings setting you up for an informed week.
Since the Syrian uprising kicked off in 2011 and turned into a full-scale civil war, refugees have sought refuge in countries from the Middle East to Europe. In Lebanon, as Hanna Davis reports [ [link removed] ], a recent uptick in hate crimes against displaced Syrians has left many fearful for their safety.
Across the Mediterranean, Greece recently became the first Orthodox Christian country to legalize same-sex marriage. Advocates have celebrated the move, but it hasn’t come without pushback. Earlier this month, as Victoras Antonopoulos notes in a dispatch [ [link removed] ], a mob of far-rightists attacked a pair of trans people in Thessaloniki, an incident that has raised concerns over hate crimes against the LGBTQ community.
Back stateside, the US Congress passed a Pentagon budget that is, William D. Hartung and Julia Gledhill argue in new commentary [ [link removed] ], “depressingly familiar.” Worse still, it’s likely that a trillion-dollar budget is lurking right around the corner.
That’s not all we’ve got at Inkstick. And if you’re not already, please follow us on Twitter [ [link removed] ], LinkedIn [ [link removed] ], Threads [ [link removed] ], Facebook [ [link removed] ], Instagram [ [link removed] ], and YouTube [ [link removed] ].
“Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Face Violence and Incitement [ [link removed] ]” by Hanna Davis (March 25)
Around 1.5 million Syrian refugees and some 11,645 refugees of other nationalities currently reside in Lebanon. Smaller than the US state of Connecticut, the country hosts the largest number of refugees per capita and per square kilometer in the world. As politicians ramp up anti-refugee rhetoric, hate crimes have become uncomfortably common.
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“In the EU’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, the Sum of its Parts is Greater Than the Whole [ [link removed] ]” by Rushali Saha (March 25)
When the European Union released its Indo-Pacific strategy document in 2021 it was well received, as it sent a strong signal to the world that the EU was interested in greater, more diverse engagement with countries in the region. But the EU remains largely uncoordinated when it comes to policies towards the region.
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“The Depressingly Familiar Pentagon Budget [ [link removed] ]” by Julia Gledhill and William D. Hartung (March 26)
Americans would be hard-pressed to find members of Congress carefully scrutinizing such vast sums of national security spending, asking tough questions, or reining in Pentagon excess — despite the fact that this country is no longer fighting any major ground wars.
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“In Greece, Anti-Trans Violence Puts Hate Crimes Back in Spotlight [ [link removed] ]” by Victoras Antonopoulos (March 26)
On March 9, a mob of around 150 people chased and attacked two trans people in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city. The attack came only weeks after Greece legalized same-sex marriage, and it highlights the growing number of hate crimes against the LGBTQ community.
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“In Israeli Detention, Palestinian Women Endure Rights Abuses [ [link removed] ]” by Mohammed Ali* (March 27)
UN experts have raised alarms over “credible allegations” suggesting that Palestinian women and girls have endured widespread human rights abuses, including sexual assault and rape, during their time in Israeli detention. These revelations have prompted urgent calls for a comprehensive investigation.
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“The Kenyans Are Coming … or Maybe Not [ [link removed] ]” by Anne-Gaëlle Lissade (March 29)
We need to remember to ask probing questions about the reasons that Haiti’s democratic system has failed, what happened to Haiti’s healthcare system, and engage the complex history of how a country once victorious over imperial colonizers came to have seemingly no sovereign power in our current era.
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“Deep Dive: Twitter (X) Is Making You Worse [ [link removed] ]” by Emily Tamkin (March 30)
A new study found that being on X, formerly known as Twitter, is related to increased political polarization and outrage — but also a sense of belonging. The authors found that this was true across demographics and personality types. But inferred use could shift the result: more passive usage was associated with less well-being; more social usage with a stronger sense of belonging; and information-seeking with outrage.
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“How the US Could Engage North Korea Based on Equality [ [link removed] ]” by Mark Tokola (March 28)
Although engagement with North Korea is not in the cards for the moment, the United States still needs to think through what its approach should be given the ineffectiveness of the pressure-based approach and the need to reengage with North Korea to reduce security risks.
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“How Israel Both Became and Left the Middle East [ [link removed] ]” by Hannah Mesouani (March 29)
People routinely refer to the ongoing genocide in Palestine as a “religious conflict,” but it’s just as much about race, culture, and capital. The image of Israel as a beacon of Westernized wisdom in a holy land (that is equally holy to Muslims) has led to the ubiquity of language such as the word Judeo-Christian, a phrase that ignores the profound similarities and values that Islam shares with Judaism and Christianity.
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From the desk of Patrick Strickland, managing editor of Inkstick Media.
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