Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

  • Comments on “War in Gaza: An International Lawyer’s Perspective A Talk by Leila Nadya Sadat”

    Comments on “War in Gaza: An International Lawyer’s Perspective A Talk by Leila Nadya Sadat”

    When I saw the emails being sent out about a forum regarding War In Gaza, I assumed it was just a educational talk about the current things happening in Gaza — things we currently see on the news. I decided to still attend as Professor Webb mentioned that it was an important and interesting forum.…

  • Outcomes of US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003: Regional Politics

    Outcomes of US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003: Regional Politics

    The US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 was a significant event that has impacted the Middle East, leaving severe consequences. The initial goal of USA invading Iraq was to overthrow Saddam Hussein’s regime due to various reasons; weapons of mass destructions, links to terrorism, and promote democracy through the MENA region. These concerns increased after…

  • MENA & SDG’s

    MENA & SDG’s

    When choosing what countries to look at when comparing SDG project, I decided on Lebanon and Egypt. The reason why I chose this is because both countries are very different from another in political and economic sense. Lebanon is a country that have conflict and corruption is important while in Egypt, its not too much.…

  • Water Diary

    Water Diary

    My Water Intake:  Per Day (Gallon) 1,371 gallon/day Per Month (Gallon) 15621.3741667 gallon/month Per Year  (Gallon)  187456.49 gallon/year  Countries Water Intake: USA vs Gulf Countries in MENA United States  820 000 million m3/year 2060.542 gallon/day (per capita)  Kuwait  4,700 million m3/year 1505.781 gallon/day (per capita) Saudi Arabia  39 000 million m3/year 1347.277 gallon/day (per capita) …

  • “Others”

    “Others”

    What defines community? Defining community involves more than mere geography or demographics; community is an essence of belonging, where people share similar experiences, values, cultures, and beliefs. Every single community has an insider and outsider. MY COMMUNITY At Dickinson College, my community, there is a significant gap between insiders and outsiders. As a South Asian…

  • Where I Live: Where They Live

    Where I Live: Where They Live

    What is home? Is home the place you currently reside? or Is home a place that defines you? These are the questions that I was curious about when I was given the opportunity to speak to exchange partners attending American University of Sharjah.  Carlisle, Pennsylvania Living my whole life in Dubai, I was not really…

  • Overview of Authoritarianism and Change in the Middle East and North Africa

    Throughout the semester, we learned about various countries in the MENA region with primary focus on authoritarianism. It is difficult to say which tool is significant to learn about  authoritarianism and change in MENA because each tool has its own factor that contributes to understanding MENA regions. Let’s begin with regime type; learning about regime…

  • Monarchy In MENA

    The infamous phrase from King Henry in Shakespeare’s play “Henry IV Part II,” “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown,” represents exactly what it means to be a king or monarch: an immense amount of responsibility and obligations. This parallels the monarchy system in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Historically, MENA…

  • “A Siege of Salt and Sand” Feedback

    A Siege of Salt and Sand                                 “A Siege of Salt and Sand” is a documentary based on the North African nation, the Republic of Tunisia. The documentary discusses the environmental challenges that Tunisia is facing and how these challenges…

  • Rentierism in MENA

        Rentierism In The Middle East and North Africa  The Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) is well known for its oil production, which significantly supports its economy. This natural resource has fueled economic growth but also raises questions regarding how oil impacts the social and political outcomes of MENA. The impact of…

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