Middle East

Saudi Sports Diplomacy: A Train Barrelling Towards an Abyss

August 7, 2020 Opinion

Saudi efforts to position the kingdom as a key player in global soccer resembles a train crashing multiple times with the locomotive continuing to barrel ever closer to an abyss. The train’s last cras…

Breaking with the Past: China Hints at Greater Political Engagement in the Middle East

August 1, 2020 Opinion

China is contemplating greater political engagement in the Middle East in what would constitute a break with its longstanding effort to avoid being sucked into the region’s myriad conflicts and a bid …

Military Escalation in the Middle East: Is Israel Planning a Multi-Front War against Its Arab Neighbors?

July 31, 2020 Opinion

If you watch the US mainstream media’s 24 hour news coverage on recent events around the world no matter what time of the day it is, Covid-19 and China dominate the headlines while ignoring recent esc…

IMF Talks Collapse in Lebanon. Why That’s a Good Thing for Lebanon

July 30, 2020 Opinion

Talks between IMF officials and politicians broke down recently when it transpired that the latter wanted a ‘brown envelope’ in any aid deal. Don’t blame the politicians though. It’s all they know and…

Pandemic and Hair Trigger Flash Points: an Explosive Situation

July 25, 2020 Opinion

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues its deadly march around the world, a number of relatively dormant conflicts, as well as several well-known flash points, stand ready to place the world on the edge o…

Towards a “New Cold War” in the Middle East: Geopolitics of the Persian Gulf and the Battle for Oil and Gas

July 22, 2020 Opinion

The foundations of the great Near East were established in the Pact of Quincey (1945) following the doctrine of the Franco-British Sykes-Picot agreements of 1916 that favored the regional di…

The China-Iran Deal: It’s Not About Business But Geopolitical Poker

July 20, 2020 Opinion

Hobbled by harsh US sanctions and a global economic downturn, Iran has discovered a new opportunity: hot air that carries messages to its opponents. China, albeit far less economically impaired, sees …

Palestine Plays Regional Power Politics with Proposed Energy Deal

July 16, 2020 Opinion

A Palestinian move to secure Palestine’s energy needs by tying them to high-stakes Turkish regional gambits constitutes an effort to reduce Palestinian dependence on Israel at a time when the Jewish s…