Sam Menassa

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s phone call about Ukraine has sparked controversy, with approval and condemnation both widespread. This is largely due to Trump’s persona and the radical, unprecedented shifts he has introduced to US policy, reshaping the balance of…

US President Donald Trump’s address to Congress, the longest in American history at 100 minutes, was made after the emergency Arab Summit in Cairo. The Summit had endorsed Egypt’s plan for the reconstruction of Gaza, firmly rebuffed the displacement of Palestinians from the enclave, proposed the…

After Jordan’s King Abdullah II visited Washington and met with President Donald Trump, the latter remained adamant about "resettling the residents of the Gaza Strip" and turning the area into a global tourism resort. This proposal blatantly disregards the Palestinian struggle and the Palestinian's…

Arab-international pressure on Lebanese politicians, both those in government and the opposition, allowed for the election of a president after the seat had been vacant for 26 months. Through an Arab-international consensus, the opportunity presented by the shifts that swept the region,…

Media outlets are brimming with predictions and analyses about the new US administration’s Middle East policy. Most of it is wishful thinking, with each camp making projections according to their political orientation. The key appointments that President-elect Donald Trump has announced he wants to…

It was broadly assumed that, with Sinwar and Nasrallah out of the picture, it could become easier to reach a deal that would end the war in both Lebanon and Gaza and allow the 101 hostages still held by Hamas to return to their homes. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has…

It has been a month since Israel launched its war against Lebanon and Hezbollah in response to the latter's "support and harassment" in backing Hamas in Gaza since October 8, 2023. Following the lethal blows dealt to the party, most notably the assassination of its Secretary-General Hassan…

The main conclusion that can be drawn a year after the "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation in the Gaza Envelope and the launch of the “support” war from Lebanon, is that this "flood" has drowned those behind it. Hamas has been reduced to Yahya Sinwar and his small entourage; Hezbollah has lost Sayyed Hassan…

It is not the time to address the earth-shattering attack on the central command of Hezbollah, the horrific assassination of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and the regional and international repercussions of the attack. The operation crowned an unprecedented wave of escalation using airstrikes, drones,…

American presidential debates have only changed the course of the race twice. The first time this happened was in the race between Richard Nixon and John Kennedy, who outperformed his rival. The second it happened was when Joe Biden faltered in his debate with Donald Trump, compelling Biden to…