分类： world

TEHRAN – Iran’s membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was initially hailed as a strategic pivot to counter Western sanctions and bolster its economic independence. However, years after its full accession, the results paint a starkly different picture. Despite high hopes, Iran has struggled to achieve its core economic objectives through the SCO, raising questions about the organization’s effectiveness as an alternative to the Western financial system.

One of Iran’s primary goals was to establish an alternative financial channel to bypass US dollar-based sanctions. The SCO’s ambitious ‘de-dollarization’ initiative, aimed at promoting trade in national currencies, was seen as a lifeline for Iran’s isolated banking sector. However, the lack of a unified financial messaging system or a multilateral clearing house has rendered this initiative largely symbolic. Instead of fostering a democratic basket of currencies, the initiative has inadvertently paved the way for the Chinese yuan’s dominance, offering little practical benefit to Iran.

Another key objective was to attract vital capital for strategic infrastructure projects, particularly the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). This project, designed to connect Russia to the Indian Ocean, was expected to unlock significant financing under the SCO’s political umbrella. Yet, the reality has been far from promising. Key segments of the INSTC remain underfunded, with pledges from Russia, India, and China failing to materialize into tangible investments. Secondary sanctions and Iran’s inability to provide credible sovereign guarantees have further deterred potential financiers.

China, despite its 25-year strategic partnership agreement with Iran, has been notably risk-averse. Chinese state-owned banks and firms have refrained from committing to major Iranian projects, prioritizing commercial viability over political rhetoric. This has left Iran reliant on opaque financial networks and grey-market oil sales, perpetuating its economic vulnerability.

In contrast, fellow SCO member Pakistan has successfully leveraged the organization to advance its infrastructure goals through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a bilateral project with guaranteed Chinese financing. Iran’s inability to secure similar backing highlights the SCO’s limitations as a financing institution.

Ultimately, Iran’s SCO membership has been a political victory against Western isolation but an economic disappointment. The organization has provided a seat at the regional table but failed to unlock the financial resources needed to transform Iran’s economy. As rival transit corridors gain momentum, Iran risks falling further behind in the race to become a regional logistics hub.

A catastrophic landslide in the Marra mountains of western Sudan has completely obliterated the village of Tarsin, leaving a trail of devastation and uncertainty. The disaster, triggered by weeks of relentless heavy rains, has claimed an estimated death toll ranging from dozens to potentially 1,000 people, according to local accounts. Rescue operations are severely hampered by ongoing landslides, which continue to threaten nearby villages perched on the mountain’s 3,000-meter summit. The region, already a refuge for thousands displaced by Sudan’s protracted civil war, now faces compounded humanitarian crises. Many of the displaced had fled from el-Fasher, the besieged capital of North Sudan, where a humanitarian catastrophe has unfolded over 500 days of conflict. The war, pitting the Sudanese army against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, displaced 12 million people, and devastated the nation’s infrastructure. The Ummro district, where Tarsin is located, has been under the control of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Abdul Wahid faction (SLM/AW), a rebel group claiming neutrality in the conflict. International aid organizations, already struggling to access war-torn areas, now face insurmountable challenges due to the rugged terrain, inaccessible routes, and the threat of further landslides. Adam Rigal, a support worker for displaced Sudanese, reported that Tarsin’s entire population of over 1,000 people perished, with only one survivor. Hundreds remain buried under the rubble, and locals are using rudimentary tools to retrieve bodies. The situation is dire, with urgent need for emergency and humanitarian assistance, including evacuation of nearby villages. Aid workers in Darfur emphasize the compounded disaster, as the war has rendered the area nearly inaccessible. The region’s health infrastructure is in ruins, heightening risks of cholera and dengue fever. Abdul Wahid al-Nur, leader of the SLM/AW, has called for immediate international intervention to save thousands at risk from ongoing landslides. Meanwhile, Sudan’s water and irrigation ministry has warned of continued heavy rains and dangerous floods threatening over 72 locations and 230,000 people across the country. Communities are urged to remain vigilant and evacuate flood-prone areas.

In the shadow of Israel’s military offensive, Gaza’s education system lies in ruins, creating what experts describe as a deliberate campaign to undermine Palestinian development for generations to come. The devastating impact on students like 19-year-old Layan Abdul-Rahman illustrates the profound human cost of this educational catastrophe.

Before the conflict, Abdul-Rahman was an ambitious, English-fluent student preparing for university applications. Now, after two years of delayed education and the trauma of losing her father and multiple family members in Israeli attacks, she struggles to comprehend the possibility of continuing her studies. ‘She is mentally exhausted and constantly cries,’ her sister Israa told Middle East Eye. ‘Every day, she comes to me asking, ‘Am I really going to apply?”

The scale of destruction is staggering. UN analysis of satellite imagery reveals that 97% of Gaza’s school buildings have sustained damage, with 76.6% suffering direct hits since October 2023. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees reports that over 660,000 children are being deprived of schooling for a third consecutive year, while Palestinian officials estimate approximately 700,000 students have had their education suspended.

Those attempting to continue their education face unimaginable challenges. Sixteen-year-old Abdul-Aziz, once a diligent student, ‘no longer remembers which class he is in,’ according to family members, his priorities shifted from academics to survival. Yara Khaled, whose children attended the American International School in Gaza, describes how ‘their thinking has completely changed’—now preoccupied with basic necessities like lighting fires and finding bread for the next meal.

Amid the devastation, grassroots initiatives like Gaza Great Minds offer glimmers of hope. Founded by English teacher Ahmad Abu Rizik in May 2024 after witnessing a child scrambling for aid instead of attending school, the organization operates six of Gaza’s approximately 50 remaining schools, providing free education to some 3,000 children. These makeshift tent classrooms represent a defiant commitment to learning despite overwhelming odds.

Yet even these efforts face extreme challenges. Students arrive hungry and traumatized, parents hesitate to send children to school amid random Israeli shootings, and the organization has already lost nine pupils to the violence—including Mohammed and Dalia, killed recently while playing in the streets.

Neve Gordon, chair of the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies’ Committee on Academic Freedom, characterizes Israel’s destruction of Gaza’s education system as intentional policy with far-reaching implications: ‘By decimating Gaza’s educational and intellectual infrastructure, Israel is systematically undermining the Strip’s development for years to come, much after the genocidal violence subsides.’ This systematic dismantling of education represents what many describe as a war on the very existence of the Palestinian people, with consequences that will echo through generations.

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan have erected a network of earth walls, known as berms, around the city of el-Fasher, effectively trapping hundreds of thousands of civilians. This siege, ongoing for over 500 days, has intensified the humanitarian crisis in the region. According to a report by the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL), over 31 kilometers of berms have been constructed since May 2024, encircling the capital of North Darfur. While hundreds of thousands have fled, approximately 750,000 civilians remain trapped, with 260,000, including 130,000 children, stranded in the Abu Shouk displacement camp. Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of the HRL, noted that civilian movement has dwindled, with many either deceased, attempting to escape, or hiding in bomb shelters. The RSF’s actions have created what the HRL describes as a ‘literal kill box,’ preventing the entry of essential supplies like food and medicine and blocking escape routes. The conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) has led to over 1,100 verified human rights violations in el-Fasher alone, including the killing and maiming of more than 1,000 children. The RSF, accused of genocide by the US government and international human rights groups, controls much of western Sudan, with el-Fasher being a notable exception. The international community’s inaction has been criticized, with calls for the UAE, a key RSF supporter, to end the siege and allow humanitarian aid. Despite denials, evidence suggests the UAE’s involvement in supplying the RSF. The SAF’s 6th Division remains confined to a garrison surrounded by mines, while the Joint Forces maintain mobility. The siege of el-Fasher highlights a broader failure to protect civilians from atrocities, reminiscent of the Janjaweed militias’ actions in Darfur two decades ago.

In a devastating turn of events, five journalists were among the 22 individuals killed in Israeli strikes on Nasser Hospital in the Gaza Strip on August 25, 2025. This incident has drawn global condemnation, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issuing a statement claiming Israel “values the work of journalists.” However, the grim statistics paint a starkly different picture. The death toll of journalists in Gaza has now reached 192 over nearly two years of conflict, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The CPJ has accused Israel of engaging in the “deadliest and most deliberate effort to kill and silence journalists” in its history. Palestinian journalists are reportedly being threatened, targeted, detained, and tortured by Israeli forces in retaliation for their work. This alarming trend is part of a broader historical context dating back to 1967, when Israel began its military occupation of Palestinian territories. Over the decades, Israel has systematically attempted to control and censor Palestinian journalism through legal and military measures, including the issuance of Military Order 101 in 1967, which criminalized political assembly and propagandistic publications. Despite these oppressive tactics, Palestinian journalism has persisted, with local publications flourishing in the 1980s, albeit under strict Israeli military censorship. Editors were forced to submit all content, including articles, photos, and even crossword puzzles, to Israeli censors for approval. Violations of these censorship rules often resulted in detention or deportation. The situation has escalated in recent years, with Israeli forces increasingly targeting journalists, often under the guise of combating terrorism. The international community has repeatedly called for Israel to allow independent media access to Gaza, but these requests have been consistently denied. As a result, Palestinian journalists remain the primary witnesses to the ongoing devastation in Gaza, often at great personal risk. The question now is whether the international community will hold Israel accountable for these egregious violations of press freedom and human rights.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), a critical peacekeeping entity between Israel, Lebanon, and Hezbollah, faces an uncertain future as its mandate renewal deadline of August 31 looms. Israeli pressure, US skepticism over its cost-effectiveness, and Lebanon’s fragile political landscape have raised concerns that the mission could be terminated rather than extended. Such a move would create a perilous security vacuum along the Israeli-Lebanese border, with far-reaching implications for Middle Eastern stability. The US, aiming to reduce its financial commitments to UN peacekeeping, has echoed Israeli claims that UNIFIL has been ineffective in countering Hezbollah’s threats. However, UNIFIL’s mandate has never been to disarm Hezbollah directly; instead, it focuses on supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to maintain a demilitarized zone in southern Lebanon. Israeli criticism of UNIFIL’s failure to uncover Hezbollah’s tunnel network overlooks the fact that Israeli intelligence also missed these tunnels for over a decade. Meanwhile, Lebanon has taken significant steps to curb Hezbollah’s military dominance, including expanding LAF deployments and consolidating weapons under state control. Yet, these efforts face fierce resistance from Hezbollah, as evidenced by deadly incidents like the August 9 explosion that killed six LAF troops. UNIFIL’s continued presence remains vital as a stabilizing buffer during this precarious process. Despite this, wrangling at the UN Security Council has delayed a vote on the mandate renewal, with the US being the sole holdout. France, as the penholder for the UNIFIL mandate, has proposed various options to appease the US, but divisions in Washington persist. A recent draft resolution suggested a strategic review by March 2026 to assess conditions for UNIFIL’s withdrawal, but the US insists on a firm endpoint. Israel’s strategy of delegitimizing UNIFIL, coupled with its military actions in Lebanon, further complicates the situation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conciliatory gestures toward Lebanon’s disarmament efforts risk inflaming political tensions within the country. Amid these maneuvers, UNIFIL’s role as a stabilizing force remains indispensable, and its abrupt withdrawal could escalate tensions, potentially leading to another conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

In Gaza City, a renewed Israeli military offensive has forced thousands of Palestinians to flee their homes, following days of intense airstrikes that have claimed dozens of lives. This latest escalation comes just days after Hamas officials, in Cairo, announced their acceptance of a ceasefire proposal brokered by Qatari and Egyptian mediators. However, the assault has likely derailed any hopes of a truce. Meanwhile, across Israel, hundreds of thousands of citizens have taken to the streets in protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war, demanding an end to the conflict and the return of hostages. While some may view Hamas’s ceasefire acceptance and the protests as potential turning points, the situation on the ground suggests otherwise. Gaza City has endured repeated bombardments over the 22-month-long war, and past ceasefire agreements have consistently collapsed. Similarly, large-scale protests in Israel have failed to yield tangible results. The Israeli government has expressed disinterest in partial deals, insisting on a comprehensive agreement that secures the release of all hostages. Netanyahu’s coalition members have already rejected the current proposal, highlighting the deep divide between Israel and Hamas. The latter demands a permanent truce and Israeli troop withdrawal, while Israel’s five-point plan includes disarming Hamas, demilitarizing Gaza, and establishing a new civil administration. These conflicting objectives, coupled with Israel’s plans to maintain security control in Gaza, present significant obstacles to peace. Amid growing public discontent in Israel and internal divisions within Hamas, the prospects for a ceasefire remain bleak, leaving civilians and hostages to bear the brunt of the ongoing violence.