World News Insights: Opinion Articles

A new narrative that deserves careful scrutiny is seeping into the debate over weapons in Iraq. The discussion is no longer about “disarming” the non-state actors that fall under the umbrella of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) but rather about “controlling” these weapons and “placing them…

States’ objectives are not always the problem in major conflicts. Often, the problem is they enter the confrontation fighting with different objectives. That is precisely why the relationship between the United States and Iran, for years, has been trapped in a vicious cycle of escalation,…

In light of President Trump's visit to China and the exchanges that took place during his talks with President Xi Jinping, followed by the Russia-China summit, during which some of the remarks made by President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese host appeared almost as a continuation of the Trump-Xi…

The world’s attention is fixed on the Strait of Hormuz, which may have become the most famous hostage in history. Blockage of this artery would make the global economy gravely ill. That is why Iran is demanding the heftiest ransom in history for its release. It is also why it could be said that the…

The simplified mind tends to attribute more power to the United States than it actually possesses. What is striking about this global phenomenon is that it sees only the negative side of American power. In this view, the United States fails to find solutions, yet somehow always succeeds in plotting…

Yesterday, Israel rejected Lebanon’s request for a ceasefire during the period of direct negotiations currently underway in the US capital, Washington. With this position, Israel clearly has no fear whatsoever of provoking American anger. That is because the nature of US-Israeli relations differs…

Western democracy is not an ideal political system. As the famous phrase of the French thinker Raymond Aron put it, it is “the least bad” bad. Still, another question must be asked as the American administration and the Iranian leadership talk past each other in their negotiations to end the war:…

“Strategic stability” was one of the most prominent concepts of the Cold War era, during the height of the confrontation between the Warsaw Pact and NATO. At the time, the objective was to avoid falling into the nuclear trap and avoid the worst, as humanity stood alarmingly close to catastrophe…

Wars are not the only catastrophe that can befall nations. Limbo is even more exhausting: “non-war and non-peace.” This is precisely the situation the region finds itself in today. Tensions between Iran and the United States persist, markets remain uneasy, and maritime trade is under pressure. No…

A few days ago, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of a “dangerous erosion” in respect for international law and the UN Charter, stressing that the lack of commitment to international law is pushing the world toward chaos and escalating conflicts. This is not the first time he…

With Iran and the US still moving towards some form of truce it may be too early to provide a final assessment of the conflict. A truce, or armistice in military terms, is something more than a lee ceasefire but something less than a peace accord. It doesn’t end a war; only moth-balls it sine die…

Despite the continued fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran, the conflict does not appear to have entered a phase of genuine calm. Amid mediation efforts led by Pakistan to prevent renewed confrontation, US intelligence assessments indicate that China and Russia continue to provide…