As is to be expected, the arms and oil trades have become the lifeblood of the Middle East, with great powers like the United States, Russia, and China vying for a piece of the pie. Indeed, the lion’s share of arms exports to the region can be attributed to these very countries, their military equipment ranging from small arms to top-of-the-line fighter jets and missile defense systems. In fact, the United States alone accounts for a whopping 50% of all arms exports to the region in 2018.
In the Middle East, progressive political groups, including those on the left, right, seculars and radicals such as communists and anarchists, often face brutal suppression by authoritarian governments. At the same time, Islamist groups in the region also actively oppose and attack these progressive movements, using tactics such as assassination, murder, and forced disappearance.
The government that was assembled in Iraq was formed based on a temporary compromise and balance between Kurdish, Sunni and Shiite forces. The Patriotic Union, Hizb al-Dawa and the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution, whose leaders have divided the presidency, prime ministership, parliament presidency, vice president and other high government officials among themselves, are all armed forces, and along with the US forces, they are involved in the killing of people and They have directly played a role in creating the chaotic conditions that have engulfed all of Iraq.
If you are a true internationalist you should support struggles against capitalism and authoritarianism wherever they occur in the world. Maybe you have more leverage to support struggles against your own state, but regardless of that you should do your best at least to speak out against oppression.
On the eve of “International Women’s Day” in Erbil, Iraq, 20-year-old influencer Iman Sami Magdeed, nicknamed “Maria”, was murdered by her brother. As well as advocating for women’s rights and the rainbow community (LGBTQI+) on social media, she loved to sing and occasionally posted videos of herself singing.
While the legal reform of Islamic gender relations is certainly possible and necessary, they will not put an end to the patriarchal regime. From a Marxist-feminist perspective, patriarchy is a social system; it is not a product of misbehavior, misunderstanding, or mis-education, although all of these may be present in individual cases.
The book contains some of the best and most realistic analyses and insights into Middle Eastern societies that have been shaped by the author’s years of research, observation, experience, and living in the Middle East.
