Ghassan Charbel

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…

An Arab politician once told me he feels “provoked” whenever he reads about artificial intelligence and the incredible changes it will introduce in the world. The feeling of being provoked does not stem from the shock that will be created due to the unavoidable changes that will affect the economy,…

Today is the day of the photo. The scene will be very significant, and messages will be delivered in several directions. Today will mark the beginning of a new chapter and close an old one. A powerful man called Donald Trump will shake hands at the White House with another powerful man called Ahmed…

We were hoping that the ceasefire in Gaza would be consolidated so that the world would have the opportunity to examine the "genocidal war" committed by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. We had hoped that some segment of the Israeli public would realize the horrors committed by the army in the…

The screens in his office all broadcast similar images, as if he is watching the same television show. It’s hard to fathom. It’s as if Hollywood only produces a single star. The hero appears to be the same every time. A provocative red tie occasionally makes way for a blue one. A clenched fist that…

“Israel’s arrogance will lead it and the region to disaster. The nuclear bomb will not protect it against rockets raining down from Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, Yemen and even Iran itself. I am not talking about Israel’s total collapse, but it will be dealt a painful blow. People who immigrated to Israel…

The Middle East has been witnessing unprecedented developments, and today it will witness another. The analysts will debate; one will talk about the historic moment while another will say it was a new dawn. The skeptics will say that one must not rush to conclusions and must instead wait to see the…

And so it happened. The most senior “general” appeared at the White House and dropped a bombshell that cannot be repelled: a plan to end the war that will reach the two-year mark on Tuesday. The plan starts with a ceasefire and prisoner and hostage exchange, leading to shaping Gaza’s future and…