The Iran war and the alleged plot against China
Merchants of rumors and conspiracy theorists, much like merchants of war, feed off people’s fears and anxieties.
With the first shot fired in the current Middle East conflict, a...
Why the Arab world must avoid the Iran-Israel trap
The escalating confrontation between the US, Israel and Iran is being framed in much of the international discourse as a battle between opposing camps: one defending stability and deterrence, the other resisting...
Hiding the truth could spell disaster for region
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appears to have little patience for questions that do not conform to his preferred style of declaring unsubstantiated victories, whether against South Americans or in the Middle...
As Middle East conflict rages, India confronts security challenges
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Israel late last month, just when US-Iran talks were taking place in Geneva. Over the previous days, the US had mobilized a formidable armada in the...
Why Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen to succeed his father
Mojtaba Khamenei would not have become the supreme leader of Iran had his father, Ali Khamenei, died naturally. The prevailing custom in Shiite “scientific hawza” (seminaries) — whether in Najaf, Karbala, Qom...
The false narratives of war and the strategic patience of Gulf states
The first casualty in war is truth, the Greek dramatist Aeschylus observed more than two millennia ago. The ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran once again proves the enduring pertinence of his observation.As...
The rise of ‘Khamenei II’ and what it might mean for the future of...
Talk of restoring the shah’s monarchy has surged since the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran two weeks ago, more than at any time since the fall of the Pahlavi regime...
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan stand together in testing times
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah on Thursday came at a moment of extraordinary tension in the Middle East. The region is confronting one of...
US attempting to pass the buck to its Gulf allies
US Sen. Lindsey Graham, talking as if he were the commander in chief, on Monday issued a veiled threat to Arab Gulf states, urging them to attack Iran. He said there would...
A protracted Iran war multiplies risks for Trump
US President Donald Trump hinted on Monday that the war against Iran could end soon, saying “we’re far ahead of schedule” and joint US military operations with Israel were “very complete, pretty...