Who will rule Syria?
After the celebrations end and the last statues of the Assads are toppled, Syrians will face a new and uncertain day. Who will govern them? Will it be a single individual or...
Syria has a bright future without Assad
Today we are witnessing the emergence of a new Syria, one that exists without the Assad regime. This marks the end of more than five decades of rule, from Hafez Assad to...
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its impact on nuclear proliferation
Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has led to numerous unintended global consequences.
Among these are heightened concerns about food insecurity, especially in vulnerable regions, and an...
Poverty a key factor in violence against women
“Poverty has a female face.” This statement by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in his address to the Commission on the Status of Women in New York earlier this year disheartened me. I...
War in Gaza allows Netanyahu to sidestep a two-state solution
A common thread appears to unite most analysts on the reason the Lebanon-Israeli ceasefire agreement is not necessarily a prelude to a similar deal in Gaza.
The point of...
Will North Korean soft power return to the Middle East?
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, it was not unusual to see headlines praising North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Il Sung in Lebanese newspapers. Indeed, Levantine media at the time even...
The roadmap to a just peace in Palestine
A major problem in American thinking relating to the Middle East is the utter rejection of the notion that Palestinian rights are fundamental, if even relevant at all, to the coveted peace...
Breaking the silence on gender-based violence
Each year about 800 000 women and girls are victims of gender-based violence. GBV takes many forms — physical, sexual, emotional and psychological — and its consequences are devastating. Cutting across cultures,...
US veto confirms its responsibility for Israel’s crimes in Gaza
On Wednesday, the US vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza. Although the draft also demanded “the immediate and unconditional release of all...
‘Petrostates’ must be embraced in climate fight, not scorned
When Dr. Sultan Al-Jaber, president of last year’s COP28 climate conference in Dubai, seasoned his opening remarks with a passing reference to the vital role being played by the big fossil fuel...