The benefits of checkbook diplomacy
Saudi Arabia and Qatar last week declared that they would settle Syria’s debt to the World Bank of $15 million. This policy can be regarded as checkbook diplomacy: but what is this...
NATO’s potentially constructive role in Syria
More than two decades after the launch of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, NATO and its partners are assessing the progress they have made and looking for new ways to solidify their partnership...
How the road to Ukraine began in 1967
There is much angst among the Western liberal cognoscenti over the “peace agreement” with Russia currently being foisted on the Ukrainian people by the Trump administration in Washington, chiefly on the ground...
The dawning of a new era in Japan-Saudi Arabia relations
Based on the idea of leading the international community from division to cooperation, I have decided to visit Saudi Arabia, which plays a crucial role for peace, stability and prosperity not only...
How Gaza war has exposed fault lines among Israeli elites
A seemingly strange choice was made by a correspondent for Israel’s Channel 12 this month, when he decided to publish a humiliating video of a relatively large number of Israeli soldiers coming under attack...
Ankara aims to strengthen ties with Cairo through NATO
When NATO launched a military intervention in Libya in 2011, Egypt adopted a cautious stance because of concerns about the scope and intentions of the action. Cairo viewed the alliance’s intervention as...
Pope Francis’ lessons must guide the Middle East
No tribute, obituary or testament can do justice to one of the greatest leaders of our time. Pope Francis has passed, but his embodiment of Saint Francis of Assisi’s humility, service and...
What it means for Europe to fend for itself
The US-led global order as we have known it is gone. As the tectonic plates of geopolitics continue to shift beneath us, the challenge for Europe is to keep its institutions alive...
World leaders sadly ignored Pope Francis’ pleas
Pope Francis was the first pontiff to come to the Arabian Gulf. During his historic visit in February 2019, he held a Mass in Abu Dhabi before tens of thousands of devoted...
Israeli army is more divided than ever
If ever there has been a national institution that is revered in Israel and has the power to unite the country, at least its Jewish population, it is the Israeli army.Nevertheless, no...