World News Insights: Opinion Articles

The three summits held with the Chinese president in Riyadh recently, which were attended by Saudi, Gulf, and Arab figures, should not be seen from any particular angle. Instead, they should be seen from a different perspective because they are different and their significance goes beyond the…

Some events are inane and idiotic, but conceal important phenomena and worrying potentialities. Such events could present an embellished and fragmented image of these phenomena; indeed, they could sometimes abort them. However, they push these latent phenomena above the surface, perhaps exposing…

It is a part of the viewing experience of World Cup football (soccer, as Americans know it). At the slightest physical contact with an opponent, a player throws himself to the ground and writhes around in mock agony, grabbing a body part (an ankle, a knee) that has been offended by an instance of…

Whether or not the regime dissolves the morality police, the fact that it has made a concession apparent for all to see under the weight of pressure from the protests is exceptionally significant. This is a hopeless attempt to contain those protests. The decision itself remains quite ambiguous…

There has been much media speculation about a rapprochement between Syria and Türkiye. Russian officials, including the Kremlin spokesman and the Russian presidential envoy to Syria last Friday said Moscow is trying to arrange a meeting between Presidents Erdogan and Assad. I don’t expect to see a…

“The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming” is a 1966 American film narrating the Cold War tension with the story of a Soviet submarine that got stuck on a sandbar off the coast of New England. “The Chinese are coming”, however, is what a hotel receptionist told me to justify the lack of…

Almost three months after the current popular uprising against the Islamic Republic started in Iran, three things are clear. The first is that even if the uprising hits an interlude to recuperate, as is often the case with such movements it is unlikely to simply fade away. It has mobilized…

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was accused of being implicated in financial corruption after an estimated 4 to 5 million dollars were stolen from his farm. Ramaphosa played an honorable role, alongside the iconic Nelson Mandela, in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. He…

The eyes of the world are on the Saudi capital Riyadh today. Chinese President Xi Jinping is a guest of the Saudi people as he begins his three-day state visit, during which he will attend three summits, not one. Thirty heads of state and heads of international organizations will take part. What is…

In recent weeks, we’ve seen state murders, summons, interrogation, kidnapping, torture and deaths; none of which is new to the Iranian nation. What’s different is how common this has become and the oppressors can’t hide it anymore.   Now, instead of executing people in prison, they execute them…

Contradictory reports have been coming out of Iran over the past 48 hours. On the one hand, we saw reports claiming that the Mullah regime has dissolved the so-called morality police and will make recommendations on making changes to the law mandating the veil within two weeks. On the other hand,…

The Arab-Chinese States Summit in Riyadh comes at a time when the world is witnessing significant political and economic changes and major conflicts, just as Iraq emerges from a difficult political period. Therefore, Iraqi participation in this summit is of particular importance, as this would be…