Rebecca Anne Proctor is an independent journalist, editor, author, and broadcaster based in Dubai and Rome, from where she covers the Middle East and North Africa. She is the former editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar Art and Harper’s Bazaar Interiors.
The Latest from Rebecca Anne Proctor
Iran Dispatches Flotilla of Warships to Gulf of Aden
Iran has dispatched a flotilla of warships to the Gulf of Aden, the Iranian media reported today.
The Supreme Leader’s Apprentice Is Running for President
The full article can be found at Foreign Policy.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s re-election is in doubt thanks to an unassuming cleric who only recently entered the public spotlight. On April 9, Ebrahim Raisi, a longtime behind-the-scenes operative of the Islamic Republic closely associated with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declared his candidacy in Iran’s May 19 presidential election.
April 16—Turkey's Day of Reckoning
On Sunday, Turks will decide their political fate for decades to come. If President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wins, he will reach a new pinnacle in a remarkable career to solidify his unchallengeable rule in Turkey, and cement his role to rival that of Ataturk in modern Turkish history. He will still not be fully satisfied with a victory, if it comes. He will go on to use the win as a platform for securing an historic legacy to guide the Turkish state for the years ahead.
U.S. Treasury’s Latest Human Rights Sanctions Anger Tehran
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has reacted angrily to the latest U.S. sanctions on the Tehran Prisons Organization and a top Iranian official for human rights abuses in the country.
Iran and Russia Reaffirm Support for Damascus in Defiance of U.S. Warnings
Foreign ministers of Iran, Syria and Russia warned the United States against further military strikes in Syria and reiterated support for the government of Bashar al-Assad in a trilateral meeting in Moscow on Friday, the Iranian media reports.
Syrian Army, Iran-Controlled Militias Intensify Operations in Hama Province
The Syrian Army is preparing to launch a large-scale military offensive in the northern parts of Syria’s Hama Province, the Iranian media reports.
Voices from Turkey: What Locals Think of the Referendum
On April 16, Turkish citizens will head to the polls to vote in a landmark referendum on the proposed constitutional changes that, if passed, will transition the country from a parliamentary system to a presidential one. This referendum is the pinnacle of an election cycle that has been in motion since 2014, and has left the country increasingly polarized.
Hezbollah, the Lebanese Sectarian State, and Sectarianism
This essay discusses Hezbollah’s gradual acceptance of Lebanon’s sectarian political system, the means by which it has achieved hegemony over Lebanon’s Shiite population, and how its intervention in Syria has accentuated sectarianism and Sunni-Shiite tensions in Lebanon.
Iran-Controlled Militia Groups Playing Key Role in Operations in Mosul, Kirkuk
The spokesman of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (P.M.F.) reiterated today that its forces will play a leading role in military operations in the Iraqi provinces of Nineveh and Kirkuk – particularly in the strategic city of Tal Afar in western Mosul. “The Popular Mobilization Forces have a commanding and extensive presence and participation in operational zones in Nineveh Province,” P.M.F.
Iran’s Ground Forces Expanding Use of Drones
The commander of Iran’s Army Ground Forces has announced an increase in the number and range of drones used during the Ground Forces’ operations across the country.
Islamist Terrorism in Pakistan: New Alignments, New Tactics
Much has been written on the evolution of Islamist terrorism in Pakistan, the role of military dictatorships in nurturing Islamist terrorist groups, and Islamist parties and proselytizing groups working hand in glove with terrorists. Al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban were born in Pakistan, in addition to the country’s own long list of local terrorist groups such as the multi-faceted Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (T.T.P.). Pakistan is now going through a new phase of Islamist militancy, with new alignments and the adoption of new tactics by jihadists.
