Ghassan Charbel
Editor-in-Chief of Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper

Putin Is Entrusted to Continue the Flood 

It was the year 1952. Ian Fleming sat down and pondered his concerns and skills as a journalist and intelligence officer. So came to life his novel “Casino Royale” that would introduce the world to brilliant Secret Agent 007, James Bond. Bond is a clever, witty and athletic spy. He relishes…

From Plane Hijacker to ‘Architect of the Flood’

Benjamin Netanyahu has taken his place in history. He is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, outlasting “founding father” David Ben-Gurion. He has killed more Palestinians than all generals of his army combined. It has been quite rare for an oppressor to kill such a massive number of children…

Containing the Second Nakba

How difficult is Gaza! How cruel are the scenes coming from it! Deadly provocative images. Daggers that attack the eye and the soul. All expressions of anger, all cries, are wasted. How difficult is Gaza! Fields that are designated for massacre. The corpses of its days are mixed with the…

Mr. President’s Delusions 

I do not like pessimists, but I sometimes find that they have something worth pausing at. The diplomat said he was not optimistic about the future of both Europe and the world. He considered that Vladimir Putin’s approach to victory in Ukraine confirms the fall of a safety valve represented by…

The Second Candle and the International Jungle

The masters of the profession taught us not to fall under the weight of the event, not to jump to hasty final conclusions, and to put the scene within the context of history and geography. We must pay attention to the deep spirit in the arena of events, the arsenal of hatred, and the temptation of…

Hind’s Corpse and the Battle for the State 

I tried to run away from the small corpses. We have grown tired of laments. We have spent a lifetime going from one funeral to another. Anger and tears do nothing to heal the wounds. No sooner do we send off a victim than we are confronted with an uglier massacre. It is as though this terrible…

The Land of Wars, Surprises and Earthquakes 

The developments in the Middle East are not simple. Operation Al-Aqsa Flood unleashed an earthquake and the very next day, it sparked a limited war launched by Hezbollah across the Lebanese-Israeli border. A decision is in place to prevent that war from spiraling out of control. Soon after,…

The American Cook and the Poison Dosage

The new Middle East crisis went to the “Guterres Clinic” and returned with international disappointment. Russia, which is involved in the Ukrainian war, is not an effective doctor despite its military presence in Syria. Chinese medicine is not the appropriate treatment for this type of disease…

Blinken and Soleimani’s Fingerprints

This was before the outbreak of the “Arab Spring.” The meeting was neither official nor public. A number of politicians decided to reflect on the situation in the region. The discussion reviewed the conditions in the Middle East in light of the US army’s uprooting of Saddam Hussein’s regime. Then…

River of Assassinations

In the early hours of April 11, 1973, officer Ehud Barak returned home, lipstick still on his lips. Doubts plagued his wife. She feared the young officer may have betrayed his country. But the news would soon ease her concerns. He came with Palestinian blood on his hands. Hours earlier, an…