Ghassan Charbel

It is hardly surprising that the Saudi initiative to host the intra-Southern dialogue has been well received in Yemen. The initiative offers the people of southern Yemen, as well as all of its factions, an opportunity to develop a united vision for the Southern Question and a framework for…

If “Trump’s court” summons you, then take the issue with the seriousness it deserves. This applies whether you are a president accused of sponsoring terrorism or of running a drug empire. It also applies if you are the leader of a faction assigned to harass the “Great Satan,” its embassies, and its…

The court of the first quarter of the 21st Century resumed its meetings. The judges spent a long time studying the accused's case. It is violent, terrifying, and a reminder of what rulers were like during World War II. They leafed through papers that smelled like blood, witnessed the piles of small…

The first quarter of the 21st Century was catching its breath like a weary warrior firing his last shots. Judges were hastily called to a meeting. They feared that the first quarter would leave behind deadly mines for the years to come. They were alarmed at how international laws were reviled and…

How difficult it is to wait in Gaza; hungry children wait for meals and mothers wait for a let up from the wind that has uprooted tents and rainwater that has spread diseases. Fathers are helpless as they wait on weak pledges and face the cruelty of the enemy. How difficult it must be to have…

Wars are no longer confined to their battlegrounds. Social media has granted them the opportunity to infiltrate far-off places. It’s enough for a person to look at their phone to learn about a massacre taking place thousands of kilometers away. The world can no longer claim ignorance over…

Just because someone is not present doesn’t mean that they cannot suffer. The grave does not shield the leader from the tumult in his country. His corpse could be dealt several blows, mocked, insulted humiliated. The grave could panic, become embarrassed and fearful, and try to escape the ire of…

It was the year 2000. Saddam Hussein was driving the car himself. His guest, Hugo Chavez, was in the passenger’s seat. The Iraqi president took his Venezuelan counterpart on a tour of Baghdad that included the banks of the Tigris river. The two men discussed their dream of a “multipolar world,”…

Benjamin Netanyahu has his way in dealing with those he perceives as Israel’s enemies. He may have accepted the ceasefire, but that does not mean that he has to suspend what he believes is his right to kill his enemies. So, he violates the ceasefire, but puts the blame on his enemies. He carries…

Occasionally, seemingly ordinary engagements feel like a turning point that breaks with what came before, leading to broader, deeper, and more solid paths. They draw on the legacy of past successes, and they open windows from the present into the future. The most significant encounters between…