World News Insights: Opinion Articles

The late British leader Winston Churchill made one of the most eloquent political claims of the contemporary era when he said that "The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter." If this iconic leader of the so-called "free world" and Western…

Decades of occupation, oppression, and conflict over land and victimhood are the background to the heart-wrenching scenes in Gaza. However, so are other elements that have resulted from occupation, and resistance to it, to the same extent that they have shaped them. Fear, one of those…

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…

As of early 2024, there were million and three hundred thousand documents tied to the Syrian struggle. Although this is a massive number, it could be considered small given the significance and scale of what has happened in Syria and all the foreign interventions it has witnessed over the past…

The Godfather has a famous quote that applies to politics and is worth keeping in mind. "Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgment." This quote is particularly relevant to our thinking on how to deal with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, as well as any enemy in the region. Netanyahu is…

From Sicily to Lebanon, thoughts of the tales about the organized crime group or the Sicilian mafia have been brimming in the minds of the Lebanese as they followed developments in their country like spectators from the end of the civil war to the present, i.e., since the warlords of that conflict…

As the Gaza war seethes through its fourth month policymakers and think-tankers in the West form a chorus demanding what shall we do about the Middle East? The best short answer may be "mu" Japanese word that means "unask your question". The word is used when the question is defective and…

Before I assumed national responsibility as Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq, I recalled many questions that I had carried with me since my forced exile until my return in mid-2003, through all the stages that followed, all the way to the legitimate popular protests in October 2019. There…

At a time when the focus is on development and reform efforts in Saudi Arabia - of the economy, investment, and society - as well as enhancing citizens’ quality of life while developing a clear and prominent political role in the region, the Kingdom is also focused on another important matter…

Last Saturday, several Lebanese, among them politicians, media professionals, and ordinary citizens, commemorated the third anniversary of Luqman Slim’s assassination in the south. Luqman Slim was a writer, literary figure, publisher, and outspoken critic who did not hesitate to voice his opinion,…

If the Americans had been following Iran’s advice on how to respond to the attacks of "Hezbollah in Iraq" on the US "Tower 22" base that killed three soldiers in Jordan, its response would not have suited the Iranians any better. While targeting Iranian proxies in Syria and Iraq in the way the US…

As regional and international powers vie to expand their influence in the Middle East and the drums of an imminent war continue to echo here and there, the ambassador of a European country and I discussed Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani’s announcement that the international coalition forces…