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	<title>Recent &#8211; Kalam</title>
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	<title>Recent &#8211; Kalam</title>
	<link>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org</link>
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		<title>Victory amid war: What Iraqi football reveals about state-citizen relations</title>
		<link>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/victory-amid-war-what-iraqi-football-reveals-about-state-citizen-relations/</link>
					<comments>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/victory-amid-war-what-iraqi-football-reveals-about-state-citizen-relations/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Abdulla Al-Kalisy]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2026 12:24:11 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Iraq]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Governance & accountability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recent]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/?p=5553</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[In Iraq, outside of large-scale protest movements, I have witnessed two broad displays of social unity. Both emerged from football. The 2007 Asian Cup victory and Iraq’s World Cup qualification in April 2026 produced mass national celebrations that cut across sectarian and ethnic lines. In 2007, among family who had fled to Syria to escape [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/victory-amid-war-what-iraqi-football-reveals-about-state-citizen-relations/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
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		<title>Gulf investment in Africa: opportunity, asymmetry and the risk of dependence</title>
		<link>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/gulf-investment-in-africa-opportunity-asymmetry-and-the-risk-of-dependence/</link>
					<comments>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/gulf-investment-in-africa-opportunity-asymmetry-and-the-risk-of-dependence/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Turhan Hizli]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:36:31 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Gulf]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[External actors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Political economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recent]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/?p=5537</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Gulf states are no longer peripheral players in Africa’s political economy. Over the last decade, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states have invested over $100 billion in Africa, led by the UAE with $59.4 billion, followed by Saudi Arabia at $25.6 billion, while bilateral trade has surged to $121 billion. The UAE is now Africa’s fourth-largest [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/gulf-investment-in-africa-opportunity-asymmetry-and-the-risk-of-dependence/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
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		<title>Closing in: How the US–Israel war on Iran is shrinking civic space in Iraq</title>
		<link>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/closing-in-how-the-us-israel-war-on-iran-is-shrinking-civic-space-in-iraq/</link>
					<comments>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/closing-in-how-the-us-israel-war-on-iran-is-shrinking-civic-space-in-iraq/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Layla Amer]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2026 11:09:33 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Iraq]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Governance & accountability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recent]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/?p=5516</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[The US–Israel war on Iran has exposed the fragility of civic space in Iraq. Security threats against civil society groups and restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly are longstanding features of Iraq’s civic environment. However, the conflict has intensified these pressures: as armed actors have expanded their influence, state institutions have weakened further, and public discourse has become [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/closing-in-how-the-us-israel-war-on-iran-is-shrinking-civic-space-in-iraq/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
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		<title>Syria on moving sands: why the SDF–Damascus settlement defers rather than resolves conflict</title>
		<link>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/syria-on-moving-sands-why-the-sdf-damascus-settlement-defers-rather-than-resolves-conflict/</link>
					<comments>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/syria-on-moving-sands-why-the-sdf-damascus-settlement-defers-rather-than-resolves-conflict/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Rana Khalaf]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 May 2026 15:36:56 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Levant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Conflict & violence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Syria]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/?p=5509</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[The agreement between Syria’s interim government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to integrate Kurdish forces into state institutions is being read by commentators as a step towards establishing unified state control over armed actors and offering a degree of decentralization to Kurdish-majority areas. However, such readings miss a critical issue. The settlement disadvantages the SDF, reversing much of its conflict-born territorial and resource gains, and [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/syria-on-moving-sands-why-the-sdf-damascus-settlement-defers-rather-than-resolves-conflict/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
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		<title>The EU’s actions in Egypt appear to contradict its refugee rights commitments</title>
		<link>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/the-eus-actions-in-egypt-appear-to-contradict-its-refugee-rights-commitments/</link>
					<comments>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/the-eus-actions-in-egypt-appear-to-contradict-its-refugee-rights-commitments/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Isabel Rosenbaum]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 May 2026 15:43:13 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[North Africa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Egypt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[External actors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Governance & accountability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recent]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/?p=5493</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[On 10 December 2025, the European Union’s High Representative to Egypt issued a statement in honour of Human Rights Day, encouraging the Egyptian audience to ‘…continue building a world where human rights are lived – every day, by everyone.’ However, the EU’s engagement with Egypt on refugee rights stands in contrast to this statement. Months [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/the-eus-actions-in-egypt-appear-to-contradict-its-refugee-rights-commitments/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Beyond informality: A formal roadmap for Syrian refugees in Lebanon</title>
		<link>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/beyond-informality-a-formal-roadmap-for-syrian-refugees-in-lebanon/</link>
					<comments>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/beyond-informality-a-formal-roadmap-for-syrian-refugees-in-lebanon/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Carmen Geha]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:26:43 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Levant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lebanon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Syria]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/?p=5481</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[The Middle East hosts the highest per capita number of refugees and displaced persons in the world, and nowhere is this more acutely felt than in Lebanon. But Lebanon’s refugee protection frameworks are under growing pressure: international donor support has shrunk amid its economic crisis, UN agencies face mounting funding risks, and human rights are [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/beyond-informality-a-formal-roadmap-for-syrian-refugees-in-lebanon/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Open waste burning and the limits of local governance in Iraq</title>
		<link>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/open-waste-burning-and-the-limits-of-local-governance-in-iraq/</link>
					<comments>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/open-waste-burning-and-the-limits-of-local-governance-in-iraq/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Othman Kareem]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2026 13:56:55 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Iraq]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Governance & accountability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recent]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/?p=5437</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Open waste burning in Iraq is a failure of governance rather than of compliance. Although explicitly prohibited under Iraq’s Environmental Protection and Improvement Law No. 27 of 2009, the practice has become a routine feature of urban life, particularly in peripheral districts, informal settlements and overstretched dumpsites. Its persistence exposes structural weaknesses in how authority, financing and enforcement are organised across Iraq’s waste [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/open-waste-burning-and-the-limits-of-local-governance-in-iraq/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Ending the destructive ambiguity of the Western Sahara peace process</title>
		<link>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/ending-the-destructive-ambiguity-of-the-western-sahara-peace-process/</link>
					<comments>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/ending-the-destructive-ambiguity-of-the-western-sahara-peace-process/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jacob Mundy]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Mar 2026 16:34:12 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[North Africa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Governance & accountability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Morocco]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recent]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/?p=5404</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Seemingly out of nowhere, high-level negotiations between Morocco and the Western Saharan independence movement have resumed after a hiatus of nearly seven years. Equally surprising is the pace of these encounters: three so far since late January 2026 – two in Washington, DC, and one in Madrid. For two decades, UN mediators had been fortunate [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/ending-the-destructive-ambiguity-of-the-western-sahara-peace-process/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>US designating the Houthis as a terrorist group – too little too late </title>
		<link>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/us-designating-the-houthis-as-a-terrorist-group-too-little-too-late/</link>
					<comments>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/us-designating-the-houthis-as-a-terrorist-group-too-little-too-late/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mahmoud Shehrah]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Apr 2024 14:42:59 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Yemen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[External actors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recent]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/?p=3645</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea have prompted European countries to form coalitions to protect maritime shipping, effectively leading to the militarization of one of the most important trade routes in the world. But if history teaches us one thing about the Houthis, it is that the group does not respond to half-made [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/us-designating-the-houthis-as-a-terrorist-group-too-little-too-late/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Why the Iraqi ruling elites pivot to China</title>
		<link>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/why-the-iraqi-ruling-elites-pivot-to-china/</link>
					<comments>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/why-the-iraqi-ruling-elites-pivot-to-china/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sardar Aziz]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 Mar 2024 12:20:42 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Iraq]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[External actors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recent]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/?p=3606</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Over the past 15 years, China has executed a strategy in Iraq that has been incredibly effective. Although the two countries recently commemorated their 65th anniversary of friendship, arguably this relationship really began in earnest in 2007 when the two countries’ presidents met and China agreed to cancel Iraq’s debt. China’s debt relief served as [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/why-the-iraqi-ruling-elites-pivot-to-china/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
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