World News Insights: Opinion Articles

Over the past half a century what is called “Iranology” has developed into a global industry with dozens of think-tanks, institutes, faculties and pressure groups trying to understand and explain what is going on in the Iran created by Khomeini in 1979. Patterned on Kremlinology, a bustling…

Wherever you look in this world in flames, you are struck by how desperately it needs a man like Anwar Sadat. The world does not need a man like Sadat because of his famously chic style, the trademark pipe in his mouth, and the dark skin tone that distinguished him, nor does it need him because he…

Many major developments that are not necessarily totally harmonious come together to form “the history of American-Israeli relations.” From the very start, in May 1948, Secretary of State George Marshall opposed recognizing the nascent Jewish state, and there was a lot of talk about a split within…

The European Union is discussing the imposition of additional sanctions on Iran following its direct attack on Israel via drones and missiles. The debate is around sanctions on Iran’s production of drones and missiles, as well as industries that make parts for these weapons and assemble them. But…

Going into Alex Garland’s astonishing new film, “Civil War,” I expected to be irritated by the implausibility of its premise. I’m not talking about the idea that America could devolve into vicious internecine armed conflict. That seems possible, if not probable. In one 2022 poll, 43 percent of…

The veto... is a consistent feature of US policy towards Palestine. The US explained its position by asserting that the United Nations is not the right place to address this issue. In fact, the US claims that raising this matter at the UN is the main obstacle to resolving the issue, as there is no…

It’s unusual when you find a strong dose of pessimism about the future of technological progress highlighted by one of the world’s leading techno-optimists. But if you follow the combative venture capitalist Marc Andreessen on X, you would have seen him giving wide circulation to this passage from…

The exchanged messages between Israel and Iran, especially over recent weeks, leave no room for reasonable doubt regarding the intentions of both sides. By the intentions of both sides, I am referring first to their intentions regarding the Palestinian cause and secondly to the regional map of…

The Iranian drone and missile attack on Israel, as well as the response of the US and its Western allies in defense of Israel on the night of the attack, have brought to light many revelations that go beyond the exceptional nature of the attack itself. Firstly, they showed that the US and Western…

The most dangerous thing about the blaze engulfing the Middle East is that the powerful players are also weak. They have the ability to launch and wage a war, but lack the ability to end it with a knockout blow or a viable settlement. The extent of the crisis demonstrates that sedatives are…

World leaders are not unaware of the nuclear industry’s long history of failing to deliver on its promises, or of its weakening vital signs. Yet many continue to act as if a “nuclear renaissance” could be around the corner even though nuclear energy’s share of global electricity generation has…

There is a myth called "absolute security;" it is a myth because it was not possible in the past and will not be possible in the future. However, we know that, despite this, many myths in history became ideas and intellectual systems that govern nations and peoples, or inspired the establishment of…