Iran
A Digital War on Women
Dissidents fleeing repressive regimes often hope for safety abroad, but digital transnational repression has allowed Iran and other states to continue their harassment across borders. Iranian women activists are increasingly targeted with gendered online abuse, including deepfake pornography and social media smear campaigns.
Moses' Files
The newly surfaced “Moses” documents, apparently written by an Israeli operative, shed light on the dynamics between Assad and Iran. While Assad may have tried to limit Iran’s activities where possible, Tehran likely operated independently of Damascus, maintaining a firewall to ensure secrecy and prevent infiltration.
New Lines’ Best of Syria Reporting
In this special issue of the Week in Review, we dive into the New Lines archives for a look back at some of our best essays on Syria
Iran and Iraq Are Competing Over Leadership of Shiite Islam After Sistani
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most senior cleric in Shiite Islam, is approaching 94 years old. His doctrine and actions, including resistance to Iranian theocracy, have proved a stabilizing force in Iraq for decades, but many wonder if more authority will pass to Iran when he is gone.
How Wahhabism Led the Fight Against the British in the Gulf
The British presence was not an extension of its colonialism in Iraq and the Levant north of the Arabian Peninsula. In fact, it preceded it, and came through the Indian Ocean from the south.
Why Israel (Sort of) Misses the Iran Deal
Earlier this year, Israeli military intelligence ruled out the chances of any new deal including Iran’s malign regional activity and of Iranian missile development as extremely unlikely — contrary to demands still aired periodically by certain Israeli officials and U.S. analysts. Today, albeit not widely publicized, in Israeli eyes the nuclear issue should be completely decoupled from the regional dimension, lest it create more bargaining power for Tehran.
How to Survive the Disinformation Wars
Nina Jankowicz is a fellow at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. and the author of “How to Lose the Information War.” Natalia Antonova is a journalist, an expert in online security and the former editor of the investigations website Bellingcat. In this extensive podcast with New Lines Magazines’ Faisal…