World News Insights: Opinion Articles

The Arabs’ image of the West is not external. When they voice opinions about China, Africa, or Russia, these opinions pertain to those countries and continents alone; they therefore do not imply a challenge to or judgment of themselves, nor does it imply an implicit comparison or a standard that is…

In his article about the US President’s efforts to broker a peace deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel, a prominent New York Times columnist claimed that it would change the rules of the game in the region. Regardless of the “story” of peace, the rules of the game in the region have clearly totally…

Mario Voigt, a leader of Germany’s mainstream conservative party, has watched with concern the slow but steady string of victories notched by the far-right Alternative for Germany, known as the AfD. In his home state of Thuringia, in eastern Germany, the AfD just last month won the district…

Not a day goes by without Western academic, analytical, and media publications, and even the tweets and private discussions of experts, mentioning the “new” Saudi Arabia and its political repositioning. The changes underway are pivotal for the success of Vision 2030 and its architect, Crown Prince…

Israel is presented, to the world and to itself, through two different images: On the one hand, we have a country of occupation and settlements that defies international law and evades its dictates. This image can be seen in a broad array of actions taken on a daily basis, and it has led many…

The politician said: “I can feel the pain, so as not to call it humiliation. A country mired in poverty and anarchy, where emigration steals its best young men, is awaiting the return of Macron’s envoy in September in the hope that he will succeed in persuading the political forces to elect a…

With the Russia-Africa Summit in Saint Petersburg having drawn to a close, many fundamental questions remain unanswered. First and foremost: “Did Tzar Putin manage to win over the African leaders in one go, or did the talks definitively dispel illusions that Russia operates differently than the US,…

The stance of the four deputy Lebanese Central Bank governors has become shrouded in ambiguity and confusion after their latest meeting with caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati. They did not announce a clear decision regarding their future, and it remains uncertain whether all four or…

In South Africa, Nelson Mandela is everywhere. The country’s currency bears his smiling face, at least 32 streets are named for him and nearly two dozen statues in his image watch over a country in flux. Every year on July 18, his birthday, South Africans celebrate Mandela Day by volunteering…

The great Marx, Groucho not Karl, once said that he wouldn’t join a club that would have him as a member. Iran’s rulers today face a different dilemma, trying to join clubs that wouldn’t have them as member. For weeks, Tehran propaganda harped on the theme of the Islamic Republic President…

Even as the war continues to take a toll on the Sudanese people, the civil forces that had played a prominent role during the four-year transition period continue to operate in the way they always have. They remain divided, constantly squabbling and trying to outmaneuver one another. Indeed, the…

On Monday, the American Anthropological Association approved a resolution boycotting Israeli academic institutions. It’s the sort of illiberal and curiously targeted gesture — the association has confirmed to The Times that it has no similar boycott against any other country’s academic institutions…