One of the most commonly heard buzzwords heard around Washington is «American leadership». America must lead, we are told, or nothing good can happen. No matter what the issue or relevant locale, no matter how far from American shores or insignificant the impact on Americans’ safety or prosperity, the whole world waits with bated breath…
Not only Iranian politics but the whole of Southwest Asia enter another era after the heart attack, this past Sunday, that killed Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, 82, president from 1989 to 1997 and a stalwart of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. It’s as if for these past four decades, “Hashemi” – as he is popularly know in…
The Russian-Iranian-Turkish Tripartite is preparing to mediate a new round of intra-Syrian talks in Astana sometime soon, and President Assad just announced that he is ready to negotiate on “everything” provided that the process follows the legal mechanisms laid out in the Syrian Constitution. Australian professor and prominent Syrian activist Tim Anderson is correct when…
With President Obama down to less than two weeks in office, everyone is busy assessing his legacy. So let’s begin with the Arab world. Not since the Vietnam War, we can safely say, has an administration left a region in ruins the way Obama has left the Middle East (although it’s true that George W. Bush contributed…
The old years went – in as little a time as it takes to turn around and see who is tapping you on your shoulder. And it is the new, the next year. I hope it will pass too – in as little time as it takes for me to turn my head and look forward…
Famous French experts on Turkey, in analysis compared Recep Erdogan with Charles de Gaulle some 4-5 years ago. Incredible! Yes, that is how it was then! But certain events that took place led not only the French analysts but most of their Western colleagues to begin calling the Turkish President “Islamist”, a “Sultan” and a “dictator”. The Western press…
