Enrolled, there, as almost a student of life, I’ve seen and learned much in age-old cultures bound by tradition, sculpted by faith… a merger of weighty impressive consequence. Indeed, the winds of ancient history have a way of softening the arrogance that comes with the almost reflexive birthright that is the relative infancy of the …
Continue reading The Apprentice: the Education of Mohammed bin Salman
The possible deployment of Saudi-led GCC and other fellow “coalition” troops to northeastern Syria would formalize the de-facto “internal partition” of the Arab Republic and represent the fulfillment of the RAND Corporation’s plans to “contain” Iranian influence in the region, thus forcing President Assad to finally decide on the post-Daesh military fate of his country’s …
Continue reading The “Arab NATO” to Make Syria’s “Internal Partition” a Reality
The Russian government has confirmed that Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel has been invited to attend Russia’s forthcoming 9th May Victory Day Celebration as the guest of honour. He will also hold high level talks with the Russian government and with President Putin. The Kremlin’s website has published a statement to that effect Prime Minister …
Continue reading Israel’s Netanyahu to be guest of honour at Russia’s Victory Day Celebration
Fresh back from Damascus, I was taking my coffee on the Beirut Corniche this week when a neat little Greek warship hove into sight. I picked up my French mandate binoculars – they must have travelled in and out of Beirut many times between 1922 and 1946 – and espied that “F465” was the frigate’s …
Continue reading Once the Syrian War is Over, Qatar Could Become an Empire Again
“After a while, Samson said to the boy who was leading him: “Take me up to the front of the temple, so that I may stand by one of the pillars, and lean against it.” And while Samson stood between the two pillars, he prayed. Then he placed one arm around the pillar on one …
‘Chutzpah’ is a wonderful Yiddish word that means outrageous nerve, or unmitigated gall. This week’s Chutzpah Award goes to Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Standing in front of props of data files and cd’s, Netanyahu claimed Israel’s renowned Mossad spy agency had stolen a small mountain of secret Iranian nuclear data from a warehouse in …
Like any successful wheeler and dealer, Donald Trump knows how to make his clients feel valued. But, as Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron discovered last week, there's a considerable difference between sincerity and salesmanship. PARIS - Barack Obama wasn't very interested in Europe. Something which was made clear in 2010, when he didn't even show …
Continue reading Donald Trump Doesn’t Take Britain, France or Germany Seriously
At the spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB), the head of the US Treasury Department, Steven Mnuchin, touched upon a delicate subject: the financing of IMF and WB members by China and several other developing countries. He called these countries “non-transparent creditors” that do not coordinate their operations with …
Continue reading How China Became the World’s Number One International Financial Donor
On the Western Front a hundred years ago, a furious and decisive campaign was in progress. The great German Spring Offensive, often and rightly called the Ludendorff Offensive, was well into the process of launching about three million combat troops against the Allied lines. The Offensive would last from March 21 to July 18, 1918. The …
