Amir Taheri

It was barely a month ago when TV watchers across the globe saw a show in which new US president Donald Trump treated visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as one of those voodoo dolls made for pushing needles into thus dodging a curse. After the show TV talking heads speculated that…

Despite the great deal of sound and fury that it has generated, it is perhaps too early to assess the lasting impact of President Donald Trump’s latest fireworks on tariffs. Some things, however, are certain. Contrary to assertions by talking heads on the small screen, we are not heading for a…

After a 3-year break, a serial that started almost 50 years ago is expected to return to world screens with a new season: Uncle Sam wooing the Mullahs of Tehran. The new season started with a letter sent by US President Donald J Trump to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei three weeks ago reportedly…

“Why is Donald Trump doing what he is doing?” This is the question raised by European intelligentsia these days as they try to recover from the shock of the American presidential election which they all believed would be won by the Democrat champion Kamala Harris. France’s currently fashionable TV…

As Elon Musk pursues his “draining the marshland” in Washington D.C., his plan to reduce the size of the US federal government may have a number of unintended consequences. To be sure, few people might disagree with ending monthly payment to sole 20 million former civil servants who continue…

As France’s President Emmanuel Macron casts himself as Europe’s new leader in a joust against Donald Trump he might do well to have a look at two great Frenchmen who advised against haste and hubris. The first is that paragon of diplomacy Talleyrand who managed to survive four regimes, including…

“The US has reversed its alliances to side with Russia against Europe!” This is the idea that many commentators in Britain, France and Germany have been hammering in for the past few days. The Washington Post went even further: “For Europe, this is a break-glass-in-case-of…

“Make Germany Great Again!” It was with this slogan that Friedrich Merz emerged as the main victor in last Sunday’s general election in Germany. Sounds familiar? To be exact, the man who is set to become Germany’s next Chancellor borrowed the phrase made popular by Donald Trump in the United…

With the Trump administration sending conflicting signals about its intentions on dealing with Iran, the Iranian leadership is once again divided on how to respond. One faction is trying to paint a grim picture in which the US will give Israel enough support to inflict a heavy defeat on Iran to…

Imagine that you have between $3 to $5 billion to spend on seeking and securing clients for your product in a variety of markets, Not bad, eh? But what happens when events beyond your ken suddenly close those markets to you? One solution is to try and develop new products capable of making…