Trump visit marks a new era of Saudi-US strategic ties
US President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia this week marked a decisive and strategic transformation of Saudi-US relations, producing outcomes that exceeded expectations.
During his visit a wave...
What the end of US sanctions means for Syria and the region
During his visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Donald Trump, the iconoclast US president, announced the lifting of American sanctions on Syria. Having been urged to do so by Saudi Crown Prince...
Trump from Riyadh: ‘Good luck, Syria’
“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...
An opportunity to re-anchor the Saudi-US relationship in a shared strategy
As US President Donald Trump visits Riyadh for a high-stakes visit to Saudi Arabia, the geopolitical and economic landscape he navigates is more fractured — and more fluid — than at any...
A new era of US-Middle East grand strategy
Some view US President Donald Trump as the pioneer of transactional relationships. That may be partially true, but in reality, a series of transactional deals can lay the foundation for a new...
Bread and power: North Africa’s looming food crisis
For decades, governments in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya have clung to a simple formula for stability: Keep bread affordable at any cost. In the post-independence decades, regimes poured oil revenues and...
A new pope for unity, peace, and coexistence
The election of Pope Leo XIV marks a decisive moment of renewal for the Catholic Church. It is not a return to nostalgia, but a living rediscovery of its deepest identity: to...
Hezbollah should no longer be above Lebanese law
Lebanon, which was once considered the Switzerland of the Middle East, held on to banking secrecy long after the Helvetic country gave it up. Despite the 2019 crisis and the freeze on...
Solving the Hezbollah arms conundrum
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has engaged in a dialogue with Hezbollah over its arms. The Lebanese state and the president face a challenge. They need to disarm Hezbollah without clashing with the...
Perfect storm brings UK and EU together
It is too early to predict the outcome of this month’s all-important EU-UK summit, but there has already been a sea change in terms of more cordial language and a spirit of...