Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh In the annals of American engagement in the Middle East, few partnerships have assumed as profound a strategic significance as that between Washington and Amman today. The trajectory of US-Jordanian relations, culminating over the past year, reflects not mere transactional diplomacy but a deliberate convergence …
February, 2026
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19 February
From McCarthyism to Trumpism: The Recasting of the Russian “Other” in American Politics
Alon Ben-Meir Back in the 1950s, the United States, even a whisper of sympathy for Russia or the Soviet Union was unthinkable and seen as almost traitorous. The eventual rise of McCarthyism was all about rooting out what were presumed to be “un-American activities”, i.e., anything that could …
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19 February
Carrier, Chokepoint and Coercion: The Growing Risk of Iran-U.S. Conflict
After the successful US regime-change military action in Venezuela, it appears Washington is aiming for a similar endeavor again—this time in the Middle East against Iran. Mass mobilization of US military assets—most notably the deployment of a naval armada in the Arabian Sea, the forward deployment of the …
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19 February
Talking Peace While Preparing War: The Paradox of U.S.–Iran Negotiations
Sandra Bullocci The second round of nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran concluded in Geneva on Tuesday under the rhetoric of “guiding principles,” as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi phrased it. A U.S. official confirmed that “progress was made,” yet cautioned that “a lot of details …
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19 February
Al-Makahleh: Between the Thunder and the Silence: America, Iran, and the Diplomacy of the Abyss
Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh There are moments in history when the world does not advance—it holds its breath. Such is the present hour between the United States and the Iran: an interval suspended between thunder and silence, where war is not declared, yet peace is not confessed. The air …
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17 February
Diplomacy Under the Shadow of War: The High-Stakes U.S.–Iran Talks in Geneva
Robert Boston In Geneva this week, the United States and Iran returned to a familiar table—though not to familiar ground. Indirect nuclear negotiations began Tuesday under Omani mediation, bringing together U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. President Donald Trump signaled he …
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17 February
Europe’s Industrial Reckoning: Why the “Industrial Accelerator Act” Is More Than Protectionism
David Egnatios For decades, Europe preached the gospel of open markets while quietly watching its industrial base erode. Factories shuttered, supply chains drifted eastward, and strategic sectors became dependent on external powers. Now, the European Commission is preparing to change the script. On February 26, Brussels will unveil …
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17 February
Rubio’s Recalibration: Eight Lessons for Europe’s Strategic Future
Cristina Vanberghen When U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the Munich Security Conference, European officials did not hear rupture.[1] They heard recalibration. Rubio’s speech was conciliatory in tone. He stressed that Europe and the United States “belong together,” reaffirmed NATO’s importance, and framed Washington’s demands as a …
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17 February
Al-Makahleh: West Bank Administrative Reconfiguration and the Deconstruction of the Palestinian State Paradigm
Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh There are moments in protracted conflicts when the vocabulary changes before the maps do, when administrative adjustments quietly outrun diplomacy, and when legal instruments become more decisive than armored brigades; February 13, 2026 may prove to be such a moment, as the Israeli Security Cabinet …
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