In Gabon (in Africa), President Bongo and his regime may lose power in upcoming elections.

Ahead of Gabon’s general elections later this year, President Ali Bongo has engaged in a series of carrot-and-stick maneuvers designed to smooth the way for him to maintain power. But in many ways, Gabon’s electoral democracy is a thin veneer for a kinship-based political order at the center of which sits the Bongo family.

In Israel, the far-right and Netanyahu might have power, but amid protests, it might not hold.

The so-called judicial reform launched by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has roiled Israeli society, setting off massive protests across the country. Israelis are now realizing what a “fully right wing” government entails, and the question of what, exactly, being a Jewish state means is looming large.

In Syria, the Assad regime has maintained power throughout the civil war even as it destroys the country and its economy.

This month marks 12 years since Syria’s civil war began. The past year has been marked by a string of political wins for the Syrian regime but has brought greater misery for Syrians. Despite the regime’s triumphant rhetoric, Syrian society is overwhelmingly focused on survival alone, with no hope for economic recovery or reconstruction.

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The effects of the migration surge to the EU are being keenly felt at the union’s internal borders. For months now, “temporary” border checks have been imposed to stop people-smugglers from bringing migrants into the EU via the Balkan route. Now tensions are heating up ahead of a leaders summit next week to discuss the issue.

US-Saudi relations are in a rough patch as China brokers a deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The news that Saudi Arabia and Iran reestablished diplomatic relations in a deal mediated by China startled observers around the world. Beyond the question of whether it will hold, the agreement raises another important question: Does it signify a shift by Saudi Arabia away from its alignment with the U.S. to one with China?

The UK's prime minister, Rishi Sunak, amid concerns over migrants, asylum, and migration.

A star TV presenter and the BBC became embroiled in the controversy over dehumanizing rhetoric used by British Home Secretary Suella Braverman to describe refugees last week. The dispute called further attention to the government’s immigration policies, which are contravening international law and out of step with the British public.

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The flow of people across the Mediterranean has been fueled by the social turmoil experienced by societies on both sides of the sea in the past decade. It’s clear that these societies are inextricably linked when it comes to politics and economic development, and nowhere is this more apparent than Italy, Libya and Tunisia.

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International Women’s Day drew renewed media attention to the situation in Afghanistan, where ever since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, conditions for women have continuously deteriorated. This situation is particularly paradoxical because for the majority of Afghans, protecting women’s human rights is a key priority.

Increasingly, diasporas are powerful constituencies in their countries of origin. Despite their physical distance, they influence homeland politics and can also be instrumental in shaping relations between their countries of origin and residence. Yet, home and host government attitudes toward diasporas are decidedly mixed.

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Sexual assault and violence within the U.S. military has become the focus of heightened attention in recent years, in part due to a series of high-profile cases. But despite recent efforts to address the problem, sexual assault in the military continues to rise, raising a number of issues from the standpoint of civil-military relations.

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El Salvador’s controversial president, Nayib Bukele, has clearly captured Latin America’s imagination. Polls show that his image is quite favorable among the region’s general public, and some politicians are now trying to cash in on his popularity, offering approaches that play off of Bukele’s war against El Salvador’s gangs.

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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and a delegation of government officials recently met with their Moroccan counterparts for the first time in eight years, in an effort to mend relations amid tensions over territorial issues and migration. But the timing of the summit was awkward, due to concerns over Morocco’s human rights record.