Global food crisis fuelled by the war in Ukraine could provoke unrest in the Middle East
Plus: ISIS plotted to assassinate George W. Bush in Dallas, Middle East states share condolences after the Texas school massacre, and much more.
Hello readers. Welcome back to Inshallah, your newsletter about news from the Middle East delivered to your inbox every week.
I am Dario Sabaghi, ready to handpick for you the most newsworthy stories of the week. Subscribe to be up to date about the latest development in the Middle East. It's free.
Before starting to dig inside the most newsworthy stories of the week, I suggest reading my latest analysis on the 2022 Lebanese general elections published on Middle East Eye. I analyze how Lebanon's opposition MPs need to prove their victory is not only symbolic. In fact, thirteen candidates inspired by the 2019 protest movement have been elected, making them the fifth-largest bloc in Lebanon’s new parliament.
Global food crisis fuelled by the war in Ukraine could provoke unrest in the Middle East
A new global crisis is emerging from Russia's war in Ukraine, with the potential to cause millions of people to go hungry, push food prices higher, and spark unrest far from the conflict zone.
More than 20 million tons of grain are stuck in silos at Ukrainian ports as Russian blockades prevent ships from setting sail with wheat, corn, and other exports.
Russian forces have also been accused of stealing grain and deliberately destroying storage warehouses in Ukraine.
The grain is at risk of rotting before reaching the Middle East and Africa, where it's desperately needed to stave off a global food security crisis, which is worsening due to rising prices for food, fuel, and other goods.
Together, Russia and Ukraine account for more than a quarter of global wheat supplies, exporting to countries including Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, Yemen, and Somalia, among many others.
Beyond humanitarian concerns, there are fears rising food prices, which come on the back of the pandemic and severe droughts, could spark civil unrest.
According to experts, a food crisis in the Middle East can lead to riots, famine, destabilization, and then mass migration by necessity if people can't feed their children and their families.
Analysts see similarities between the current situation and soaring food prices in 2007 and 2008 that led to "food riots" worldwide.
Read more on CBC and learn more about the consequences of the grain crisis in the Middle East by reading my articles published on Deutsche Welle and Politics Today.
ISIS plotted to assassinate George W. Bush in Dallas
An Iraqi man in the U.S. accused of being linked to ISIS operatives was plotting to kill George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States, from 2001 to 2009.
The FBI said it uncovered the scheme through the work of two confidential informants and surveillance of the alleged plotter's account on the Meta-owned WhatsApp messaging platform. The suspect, Shihab Ahmed Shihab Shihab, based in Columbus, Ohio, said he wanted to assassinate Bush because he felt the former president was responsible for killing many Iraqis and breaking apart the country after the 2003 U.S. military invasion, according to the warrant.
Federal agents used two different confidential sources to investigate the plot. One claimed to offer assistance in obtaining false immigration and identification documents. The other was one purported customer of the alleged people smuggler, who was willing to pay thousands of dollars to bring his family into the country.
The alleged plotter claimed to be part of a unit called "Al-Raed," meaning "Thunder," led by a former Iraqi pilot for Saddam Hussein who had been based out of Qatar until his recent death, the warrant said. While seven ISIS members were planned to be sent to the U.S. to kill President Bush, the Shihab's job was "to locate and conduct surveillance on former president Bush's residences and/or offices and obtain firearms and vehicles to use in the assassination."
According to federal agents, after traveling to Dallas with the informant to take a video of Bush's residence, the accused took more footage at the George W. Bush Institute.
The Texas city was the site of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.
In one conversation with a confidential FBI source, the suspect said he planned to get four Iraqi national males in Iraq, Turkey, Egypt, and Denmark into the U.S.
According to the warrant, he planned to get Mexican visitor visas for the ISIS operatives, using passport information he would send to the informant over WhatsApp before getting them over the border.
FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force agents arrested Shihab, 52, on May 24 and appeared in federal court.
Middle East states share condolences after the mass school shooting in the U.S. state of Texas
Several Middle Eastern states have issued statements in response to the horrific school shooting in the southern US state of Texas.
A lone gunman opened fire inside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, using a semi-automatic rifle on May 24, killing at least 19 children and two teachers.
Several Middle Eastern countries' governments issued condolences in response to the tragedy, including Turkey, Qatar, Israel, and Jordan.
Although the tragedy reignited the divisive debate over gun control in the U.S., none of the Middle Eastern governments addressed the controversy surrounding gun control.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard colonel 'assassinated' in Tehran
Colonel Sayad Khoda, a senior member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was killed outside his home in a rare assassination in Tehran, state media reported on Sunday, May 22.
According to Tasnim news agency, two people on a motorcycle opened fire on Khodai, citing an informed source. But ISNA news agency said that members of an Israeli intelligence service network had been discovered and arrested by the Guard.
The Israeli prime minister's office, which oversees the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, declined to comment on the events in Tehran.
U.S. warns Turkey against new Syria offensive
The United States on Tuesday, May 24, warned Turkey against launching a new military operation in northern Syria, saying the uneasy NATO ally would be putting US troops at risk. The warning comes after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey would soon launch a new military operation into northern Syria to create a 30-kilometer (19-mile) "security zone" along the border.
Turkey has launched three offensives into Syria since 2016 aimed at crushing Syrian Kurdish fighters who assisted the US-led campaign against the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS.
The People's Protection Units are considered "terrorists" by Turkey, which sees them as part of the banned PKK separatist movement at home.
Taliban to sign a pact with UAE on running Afghan airports
The Taliban will sign an agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on operating airports in Afghanistan, the group's acting deputy prime minister said on Tuesday, May 24, after months of talks with the UAE, Turkey, and Qatar.
Qatar and Turkey had already sent temporary technical teams to help airport operations and security after the Taliban took over in August 2021 as foreign forces withdrew.
The airport talks have demonstrated how countries seek to assert their influence in Afghanistan, although any country does not formally recognize the Taliban's government.
Executions spiked in Iran in Saudi Arabia in 2021
An Amnesty International report says at least 579 executions were known to have been carried out in 18 countries - a 20% increase from the previous year.
Iran accounted for the biggest portion of this rise. It put to death at least 314 people, compared with 246 in 2020.
Saudi Arabia more than doubled its number of executions to 65.
Amnesty's annual death penalty report says Iran's highest known figure since 2017 was due in part to a more than five-fold increase in drug-related executions to 132, from 23 in 2020.
The 140% rise in the number of executions in Saudi Arabia last year was, according to Amnesty, the start of a "grim trend that continued in 2022 with the execution of 81 people in a single day in March".
That's all for this week. Thanks for reading Inshallah. Share this article and subscribe to be up to date about news from the Middle East every week. It's free.
About me
My name is Dario Sabaghi, a freelance journalist. I am interested in human rights and international news focusing on the MENA region.
Check out my work at dariosabaghi.com.
You can follow me on Twitter: @DarioSabaghi
Did I miss any important news from the Middle East? DM me on Twitter.
Cover photo: Financial Tribune