Fanack.com of the Middle East and North Africa

18/07/2025

What happened in July 1968, was, however, a double coup. After several army leaders overthrew the sitting administration in cooperation with the Baath Party, they were in turn swept from the stage by the Baathists two weeks later.

Fanack provides an overview of the Baath party and how it seized power in Iraq in 1963 after overthrowing Qasim's government in military coup

16/07/2025

Hafiz al-Asad maintained virtually absolute control over every aspect of Syrian life.

11/07/2025

We can all learn and benefit through making the most of our water, and we do not have to wait until necessity forces us to do so. By harnessing the combined power of innovation and collaboration, we have an opportunity to chart a course to a more sustainable water future.

Author: Ines Strohschein, Mohamed Bin Zayed Water Initiative   One Water: From life-giving force to scarce resource There is a finite volume of water on our planet and always has been—whether it was there at Earth’s inception as water molecules embedded in the rock that became earth 4 billion y...

08/07/2025

Hafiz al-Asad dealt ruthlessly with his party rivals. Many were imprisoned for long periods—sometimes until they died in detention.

03/07/2025

On 8 December 2024, to the great joy of most Syrians, the ruthless regime of Bashar al-Asad came to an end. It is time to reflect on the 54-year-long rule of the Asads.

On 8 December 2024, to the great joy of most Syrians, the ruthless regime of Bashar al-Asad came to an end.

26/06/2025

In June 2025, rapid back-and-forth strikes between Iran, Israel and U.S. forces left many readers scrambling for clarity. This timeline explainer cuts through the confusion to map out every major move in the June 2025 Middle East conflict.

Iran Israel US Strikes timeline outlines each escalation

12/06/2025

On this day in 2009, following the Iranian presidential elections there were widespread protests against the disputed victory of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and in support of the opposition candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi in major cities in Iran and around the world. The protests were given several names by their supporters, including the Iranian Green Movement.

In June 2005, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a hard-line conservative, won the presidential elections with 62 percent of the vote.

03/03/2025

The Middle East faces a consequential week marked by diplomatic negotiations, economic reforms, and cultural celebrations. Here’s a focused overview of the critical events shaping the region’s trajectory.

Stay updated on MENA’s key developments for 3 - 9 March 2025.

26/02/2025

Founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Fanack The Chronicle of the Middle East, Antonie Dake: entrepreneur, writer, correspondent or world improver?

The book 'Antonie Dake, a life in anecdotes' (written in Dutch) has just has been published, in which he tells his friend and journalist Nico Haasbroek about the experiences and adventures during his life in a very personal and often quite unconventional way.

Dake was born in 1928. The keywords to characterize his life include: journalism, entrepreneurship, DeltaKabel, VVD, The Hague, international politics, APO (Other Public Broadcasting) and Fanack, the internet chronicle about the Middle East.

Dake not only contributed to the international website Fanack about the MENA countries, he also competed with a select group of broadcasting celebrities for a Different Public Broadcaster in the Netherlands.

Dake: “It all really happened!”

Haasbroek: 'When reading the book, which is richly illustrated with photos, one wonders what Dake mainly wanted to be: entrepreneur, writer, correspondent or world improver?'

There is a clear overview with facts, places and years regarding the life of Dr. A.C.A. Dake at the back of the book.

Title: Antonie Dake, een leven in anekdotes
ISBN-nummer: 9789401812511
Publisher: Van Haren Publishing, the Netherlands

25/02/2025

The new leadership under Ahmad al-Sharaa presents itself as moderate and pragmatic, but the extent of its commitment to inclusivity and democratic governance remains to be seen.

The real test of whether this revolution succeeds will unfold in the coming years.

21/02/2025

While external influence on Israel’s actions may be limited, the international community must uphold objective legal standards, impose meaningful consequences, and abandon double standards.

Israel has consistently acted with impunity.

04/02/2025

The challenges of systemic neglect, widespread poverty, and infrastructure issues persist in Lebanon’s second-largest city.

The local economy experienced a temporary boost where displaced people had sought shelter.