World News Insights: Opinion Articles

Baghdad has the unusual ability to force its visitor to open up about the past and its pains. The ability becomes more pronounced when the friends choose to have dinner on the banks of the Tigris only to find out that the current resort was once one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces. I believe people…

Sanctions on Syria could have extended for a year or more due to various considerations, including the uncertainty surrounding the country’s political future, reservations about its new leadership, or concerns from powers like Israel. The United States does not lift sanctions except after a lengthy…

Yes, Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia was historic. He showed himself to be more politically sensible than any US leader in a very long time. Politically, economically, and beyond, it was a visit for the history books- that much is clear from Trump’s statements about the development he witnessed in…

Last Monday, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Chairman of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), announced the launch of HUMAIN, one of the companies owned by PIF. Its goal is to develop and manage artificial intelligence (AI) solutions and technologies, as well…

The political, economic, humanitarian, and spiritual dynamism of Saudi Arabia has consistently been leveraged to enhance its regional and international standing and amplify the Kingdom's actions in support of Arab and Islamic neighbors. Arab and regional integration and solidarity (humanitarian,…

He had hardly finished addressing the crowd in front of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City that Cardinal Robert Provost as the newly minted Pope Leo XIV was transformed into a blank face on which interest groups and lobbies of all kind could draw the image they would like him to become. …

The 1993 Oslo Accords are put forward as proof that peace with Israel is impossible in every debate on war and peace. These accords tested Israel's desire for peace, and Israel failed; put the same test, Palestinians (and Arabs) passed and affirmed the sincerity of their desire for peace. …

Romanticizing history is not acceptable anymore. Our people in Iraq have been particularly obsessed with their history, so much so they have forgotten about their future. Debates are centered around their ancestors, overlooking how to make their own history today. Those who do think about shaping…

“I’ve come this afternoon to talk about the bright future of the Middle East”—this is how the voice of US President Donald Trump echoed everywhere, among those who love him and those who oppose him. He chose to deliver his remarks in the evening in Riyadh, which was morning in the United States. He…

Something of a consensus has emerged around the notion that President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE is primarily focused on investment, not addressing regional political crises, conflicts, or Iran’s nuclear program. This is true. However, whether deliberately or not,…

A Saudi nuclear program, military deals, a defense agreement, ending the Gaza war, a pathway to the two-state solution, negotiations with Iran, and a trillion dollars in trade and investment—this momentum will all be part of US President Donald Trump’s visit. He is expected to be accompanied by a…

Whenever I am feeling nostalgic, I listen to the remarkable late Iraqi poet Lamia Abbas Amara’s poem about Beirut... a city she came to adore after residing there for a time. Beirut loved her back, even more. The poem begins with this beautiful verse: "I focus my eyes in doubt to ask them: …