Iran Signs Free Trade Agreement With Eurasian Economic Union in Move That is Healthy for Iran, Russia and Pakistan

Iran Signs Free Trade Agreement With Eurasian Economic Union in Move That is Healthy for Iran, Russia and Pakistan

Iran has just signed an agreement to enter a three year provisional free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). According to EAEU official Tigran Sargsyan, “The temporary agreement stipulates an effective dispute settlement mechanism, including arbitration… It also creates a joint committee of high-ranking officials and establishes a business dialogue”. The EAEU’s current members…

President Putin Is Syria’s Savior, But Don’t Go “Worshipping” Him!

President Putin Is Syria’s Savior, But Don’t Go “Worshipping” Him!

President Putin’s decision to military involve his country in the anti-terrorist struggle in Syria saved the Arab Republic from its assured destruction irrespective of the criticisms that can be levelled against it throughout the course of this campaign, but sincere appreciation for the Russian leader’s decision (especially from foreigners) shouldn’t ever go overboard into the…

Reasons Trump Breaks Nuclear-Sanction Agreement with Iran, Declares Trade War with China, and Meets with North Korea

Reasons Trump Breaks Nuclear-Sanction Agreement with Iran, Declares Trade War with China, and Meets with North Korea

Introduction For some time, critics of President Trump’s policies have attributed them to a mental disorder; uncontrolled manic-depression, narcissus bullying and other pathologies. The question of Trump’s mental health raises a deeper question: why do his pathologies take a specific political direction? Moreover, Trump’s decisions have a political history and background, and follow from a…

Bluffer or Crusader: Is Trump’s Trade War with China for Real?

Bluffer or Crusader: Is Trump’s Trade War with China for Real?

Seeking a trade war and needing Beijing’s help with North Korea, Trump meanwhile has the US Navy challenging China in Taiwan and the South China Sea, leaving observers and his own staff wondering what he’s thinking. President Trump, like a proverbial bull in a China shop, has thrown global trade relations into turmoil by attacking…

Will Trump’s Pyrrhic Victory End with America’s Role As Global Bully?

Will Trump’s Pyrrhic Victory End with America’s Role As Global Bully?

I am in Iran speaking at a conference on the future of the Middle East. The timing for the meeting is particularly appropriate due to the recent American withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which limited the Iranian nuclear program in exchange for suspension of sanctions. Initial discussions with Iranians revealed that…