Nadim Koteich

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi is returning to Iraq as a geopolitical earthquake shakes the Middle East, depriving Iran of its strategic footholds in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria. The first conclusion we can draw is that Tehran does not set the tempo any longer. Meanwhile, the…

It is not fair to compare two absences, just as two presences cannot be compared. Our inclination to draw comparisons seems intuitive, and indeed it is, as Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s postponed funeral coincides with the twentieth anniversary of Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri…

In light of the immense human and material costs borne by the Palestinians, the ceasefire in Gaza has brought pressing questions back to the fore: Is resolving the problems of "the Palestinian cause" the only necessary gateway to peace and stability in the region? One objective of the October 7,…

Technocratic hubris presents politics as primitive, sentimental, and irrational - a spiral of conflicts and personal interests. Technocrats - the clergy of governance models founded on technical expertise, data-driven solutions, and computational models - argue that purely rational solutions can…

“Damascus overwhelms and overpowers,” as the Syrian saying goes. With the layers of civilization that have accumulated over the city (Aramean, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Umayyad, Ottoman, French, and beyond) it has enjoyed a unique ability to adapt and evolve for thousands of years, becoming a…

Assad's regime has fallen. Syria’s eternal leader, who left the country brimming with prisons, death, and exile, has been toppled. The Syrians have turned the page on the worst chapter in their country’s modern history. This moment can only be one of overwhelming joy for every mother who lost her…

The Biden administration’s position on the recent developments in Syria, where extremist militias led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (Al-Nusra Front) are making gains, seems to suggest more than mere indifference to the chaos unfolding there. True, Türkiye is the primary beneficiary of these…

Three documents offer the only window that grants us a glimpse into what the Middle East policy of President-elect Donald Trump's administration could look like. "The Trump Peace Plan" (also known as the "Deal of the Century") for resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the "Abraham Accords"…

Hezbollah deceitfully sensationalizes the ambitions of its opponents, claiming that they are striving for an "Israeli Lebanon." This term is often invoked to frighten the people of Lebanon and force them into a lethal binary choice between Israel and the resistance state. Sheikh Naim Qassem, the…

The assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, preceded and followed by Israeli airstrikes and targeted killings, marks a rare turning point for Lebanon and the entire Middle East. For nearly three decades, Nasrallah embodied Hezbollah’s rise and its transformation into a massive military,…