Tabitha H. Sanders

Freelance Journalist

Jordan

Freelance journalist covering all things Middle East and security. Words in The New Arab, Inkstick Media, and The Washington Monthly.

Portfolio
The New Arab
09/26/2022
Revealed: Namibian elephants illegally sold to Emirati zoos

In March 2022, a group of wild Namibian elephants landed in the UAE. The New Arab's investigation reveals that the sale serves only to simulate an African safari experience in Emirati zoos with no benefit for the animals and Namibian locals.

The New Arab
07/21/2022
After Roe, American Muslims know what comes next

When the US Supreme Court repealed Roe vs Wade at the end of June, people took to Twitter to warn: delete your period tracking apps. With abortion rights no longer protected at the federal level, the decision is up to the states - more than half of which are likely to ban the procedure.

Inkstick
03/02/2022
In Ukraine and Syria, Civilians Pay for Russia's Crimes

On the eve of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin gave a rambling, hour-long speech in which he claimed that Ukraine historically belonged to Russia and that his war would be a correction. Almost immediately after, Syria's President Bashar al-Assad came out in full support of the action.

Inkstick
04/08/2021
How Fascism Survives

Frank Herbert, Dune In 1930s Europe, the fascists were anxious. Out of power and decidedly unpopular, far-right circles had to regroup and revise their strategy to maintain an ideology quickly falling out of fashion. It paid off when fascists and their ideological cousins came to power decades later - in America in 2016.

The New Arab
03/23/2021
The cradle of Syria's revolution: Daraa ten years on

Daraa occupies a unique role in the story of Syria's war. It was there, in March 2011, where what began as a localised protest became the 'spark' that ignited the revolution in Syria. A decade ago, the scene at the al-Omari mosque was much bloodier.

Medium
07/11/2020
"I Will Say Your Name:" D.C. Protests Continue

Less than 24 hours after the president ordered an assault on peaceful protesters outside the White House, the demonstrators returned to Lafayette Square. This time, the police had pushed the barricades as far back as H Street, completely blocking off Lafayette Square.

Medium
06/17/2020
Thousands March on D.C. One Week After Lafayette Square Violence

By Saturday afternoon, it was clear that the White House's week-long efforts to fortify the building were comically ill-conceived. Protesters by the thousands walked past the fencing stretching from the front of Lafayette Square to the back edge of the South Lawn, uninterested in engaging with the law enforcement behind the gates.

Washington Monthly
07/01/2019
How democrats can really win back power

It's hard to hear Amanda Litman's voice at first. She's speaking on the phone from a noisy café in Chicago. Based in Brooklyn, she's spent the past six weeks bouncing around the country for fundraising events, media interviews, and volunteer meetings.

Washington Monthly
01/24/2019
Federal Workers Tell Senators to End Trump's Shutdown | Washington Monthly

At forty-three years old, Kaymi Ross has long been financially independent. But she recently found herself doing something she hadn't done since her twenties: calling her retired mother to ask for money. That's because Ross, a lawyer at the Department of Justice, is one of the more than 800,000 federal employees going without pay as the government shutdown drags on past the one-month mark.

Washington Monthly
04/23/2019
How Trump's Iran sanctions might empower the regime

Donald Trump is anything but subtle. When he designated the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a foreign terrorist organization on April 8, the timing was impeccable. One day before Israel's election, the decision was a major boost to Benjamin Netanyahu, who went on to win a fifth term as prime minister.

Washington Monthly
03/23/2019
ISIS is far from defeated

"After five years of fighting, we stand here to declare the physical defeat of ISIS." So reads the latest press release from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on March 23. This victory comes after months of drawn-out fighting in Syrian territory straddling the Euphrates River and the Iraqi border.

Washington Monthly
03/03/2019
The long betrayal

How Trump abandoned Assad's opposition long before he withdrew U.S. soldiers from Syria. When President Donald Trump announced America's military withdrawal from Syria last year, just about everyone-from White House officials to U.S. allies on the ground-were shocked and disheartened. While the abandonment of American partners against ISIS has rightly been called a "betrayal," it should not have been unexpected.

Washington Monthly
12/22/2018
How Trump Will Make Syria Worse

President Donald Trump seems to have a favorite kind of crisis: one of his own making. His decision on Thursday to withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria is evidence of that. With one stroke of a pen, he infuriated members of his own administration-resulting in Defense Secretary Jim Mattis's resignation-and left the anti-ISIS coalition wondering what comes next.