Ideas Beyond Borders

Most narratives about the Middle East focus on conflict. But millions of readers are focused on something else: → How power works → Whether law should follow morality → Why some economies succeed The pattern is consistent across languages and platforms. People are comparing systems and testing ideas. Full piece: ideasbeyondborders.org/what-readers-a…

TODAY @ 12 pm EDT Join @faisalalmutar (Middle East Uncovered) and @timkmak (Iran War Dispatches) to discuss the war in Iran. open.substack.com/live-stream/13…

In Philosophy by Design, led by Leopold Ajami, students from Iraq and Syria debated one of philosophy’s oldest questions: How should a person live? Across eight sessions, participants tested philosophical ideas against real decisions about work, ambition, and responsibility. Thank you @LeopoldAjamifor for leading the workshops. Read more: ideasbeyondborders.org/philosophy-by-… #CriticalThinking #ThinkForYourself #Philosophy #Education

Before dawn in the West Bank, the region’s only female brewer checks the tanks before the village wakes. In Afghanistan, teachers run living-room classrooms despite Taliban bans. In Beirut, a workshop becomes a shelter for displaced families. Six stories of women at work across the Middle East. Read: ideasbeyondborders.org/before-dawn-be… #InternationalWomensDay

Sometimes patients refuse an exam from a woman. IBB translator Sarah Aldonia works in healthcare and sees this firsthand. She says the response isn’t retreat—it’s confidence, education, and publishing ideas that challenge harmful beliefs. That’s why she translates with House of Wisdom 2.0. #InternationalWomensDay #BaytAlHikma2.0

Yesterday: Razan Hamida. Today: Abeer Issa. Across the Middle East and North Africa, many women are still expected to work twice as hard just to prove they deserve their place. IBB translator Abeer Issa on where real change begins: knowledge, education, and the freedom to speak. #InternationalWomensDay #BaytAlHikma2.0

Yesterday we shared Rand Isam’s story. Today: Razan Hamida. She walked into a police station asking for help. The officer told her: “This place is for men.” Her response: “A woman’s place in any space isn’t a privilege—it’s her right.” #InternationalWomensDay #BaytAlHikma2.0

Rand Isam is a dentist. She also translates books and essays into Arabic with Ideas Beyond Borders’ House of Wisdom 2.0. She discovered that path after winning a university translation competition with a perfect score. To mark #InternationalWomensDay, we’re sharing voices from our community this week. Rand’s message: having more than one path isn’t a burden, it’s a strength. #BaytAlHikma2.0 #Translation #IdeasBeyondBorders

TODAY | March 5 @ 2 pm. Join our president @faisalalmutar and experts from across the Middle East as they discuss #Iran 👇

Congratulations to IBB founder and president @faisalalmutar on being named a Senior Non-Resident Scholar. Well deserved recognition for his work on innovation, economic development, and countering extremism.

Before we talk about Iran’s future, we need to reckon with its past. For decades, Ayatollah Khamenei shaped Iran’s political system — silencing critics at home and projecting power far beyond its borders. His legacy is measured in imprisoned dissidents, crushed protests, and generations forced into exile or silence. 👉 Read “The Bloody Legacy of Ayatollah Khamenei” by Reid Newton for Middle East Uncovered: themiddleeastuncovered.com/p/the-bloody-l…

Middle East Uncovered, by Ideas Beyond Borders @IdeasB2, is my favorite channel about the region, with expat and on-the-ground analyses and no illusions or ideologies. | Iran After Khamenei: The Struggle for Control Begins ideasbeyondborders.org/iran-after-kha…

Iran’s power structure is in flux after the death of Supreme Leader Khamenei. Who takes control next—and what does that mean for the region? Explore our latest analysis: ideasbeyondborders.org/iran-after-kha… For ongoing independent coverage of the Middle East’s most critical stories, subscribe to @M_E_Uncovered: themiddleeastuncovered.com/subscribe

Public sector reform doesn’t always require new laws. Sometimes it requires reviewing procedures, removing duplication, and setting service standards. That shift helped cut business registration time to 24 hours in the Kurdistan Region. Details: ideasbeyondborders.org/from-months-to…

Antisemitism corrodes pluralism and normalizes dehumanization. Treating it as marginal is part of the problem. For years, we’ve confronted it directly in Arabic-language discourse — translating history, documenting erased Jewish communities, and challenging conspiracy thinking. Our President, @faisalalmutar, now joins the Advisory Board of GW’s Antisemitism Research Initiative by the @gwupoe. Read the full announcement: ideasbeyondborders.org/ibb-president-…

Wikipedia is often the first place people turn to understand political and philosophical ideas. In 2025, through Bayt al-Hikma 2.0, we strengthened widely read articles across Arabic, Kurdish, Farsi/Dari, and Pashto — focusing on careful sourcing and substantive revisions rather than volume. When widely consulted information is incomplete or biased, it shapes understanding. Strengthening the factual record matters.

Brwa Sami is building Iraq & Kurdistan’s first aquaponics system, introducing a new model for sustainable agriculture in the region. That kind of innovation depends on being able to start a company without months of delay. By working with the KRG and partners to cut registration to 24 hours, IBB helped make that shift possible. Read the full story: ideasbeyondborders.org/from-months-to… #Kurdistan #EconomicReform #Entrepreneurship

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'“My countrymen didn’t die in a war...Most people died defenseless on the streets where they grew up… at the hands of the armed forces that are meant to protect them.”' Heartbreaking testimony from Iran via @IdeasB2 themiddleeastuncovered.com/p/irans-regime…

You don’t need new legislation to unlock innovation. In the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, starting a business once took months. Today, it takes 24 hours. More than 7,000 companies have registered since the new system launched. Through focused administrative reform, IBB worked with the KRG, @RwangaFdn, and ECHO to streamline registration and remove the friction that kept founders on the sidelines. When systems move faster, ideas move faster. Full story: ideasbeyondborders.org/from-months-to… #DigitalGovernment #InnovationPolicy #StartupEcosystem #Kurdistan #Iraq