World News Insights: Opinion Articles

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…

US President Joe Biden fulfilled his promise... and launched a military attack against Iran. The attacks were "against" Iran in the flexible and loose sense of the term. Indeed, Iranian territory was not hit, and the attack did not intend to inflict a decisive military defeat on the Tehran…

Three weeks ago, Arab and western diplomatic efforts to silence the Israeli killing machine and reach a ceasefire began gaining steam. Some are betting that this ceasefire can be made permanent and enhanced, giving rise to some kind of peace. While there is an urgent need to go in this direction…

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 ground was icy as my partner, my son and I made our way to the center of Berlin two Sundays ago. Still, as we joined about 100,000 others who had gathered there to protest right-wing extremism, it felt cozy — both in a literal and in a metaphorical sense. The mass of human bodies created a…

The least that can be said about the US strikes on Iranian targets in Iraq and Syria in retaliation to the killing of three American troops is that what is happening in our region – whether carried out by Iran and its militias, or American responses – is depletion and undermining. Is it…

The perception of the environment has expanded in recent decades from fighting pollution to the management of natural resources. The increase in the world’s population from 1.5 billion at the beginning of the twentieth century to over eight billion today, together with a major shift in production…