A short-lived truce

Dear reader,

Henry Kissinger, the controversial US diplomat whose mark on the Middle East is indelible, died this week at age 100.

As our Soulayma Mardam Bey writes, « Many invoke the legacy of ‘Super K’ to defend a vision of the world where only the reason of the State exists. Where the ‘strong’ have — because they are strong — the right to crush the ‘weak.’ »

This resonates with what’s happening in Gaza right now, where an already fragile truce lasted six days, and where we cannot help but feel that the « strong, » the ones handling powerful weapons, are crushing the « weak, » killing thousands of women, children and men.

Let’s not forget that this conflict happens at a time when climate change is set to exacerbate tensions, especially in our region.

Let’s hope that the leaders of the world who are now meeting in Dubai for the COP28 could, this time, achieve tangible results. Otherwise we will most likely witness more conflicts in the coming years.

L’Orient Today

In case you missed them, here are our must-read stories of the week: