By Shehab Al Makahleh • The agreement between the Syrian government and the armed opposition to cease hostilities in certain locations in Syria is seen as a principled success of the deal reached late June, that went into effect in July, on establishment of de-escalation zones in Eastern Ghouta …
Read More »Jordan’s Mediation in the Trump-Putin Ceasefire Deal
By Shehab Al Makahleh • The July 7 meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Hamburg, on the sidelines of the G20 summit, will be remembered not so much because the meeting of two most important world leaders finally occurred, despite all possible efforts by various actors to …
Read More »Tripartite Deal Struck on Syria
By Shehab Al Makahleh • The United States, Russia and Jordan have agreed to foster a cease-fire in a limited area of southwestern Syria that will begin at noon on Sunday July 9, 2017. The cease-fire agreement was announced Friday by Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson and his Russian …
Read More »In a Royal Sleight of Hand Saudi King Names Son a Crown Prince
By Shehab Al Makahleh • Without a hint that a GCC-Qatar rift tearing apart the fabric of the regional stability and cooperation resolution is anywhere in sight, ill and aged Saudi king Salman via a royal decree, Wednesday morning declares his 31-year-old son, Mohamed bin Salman (MBS) a new …
Read More »The future of the GCC ignited brouhaha in the region between the US and Russia
By Shehab Al Makahleh • Following the Pentagon’s June 14, 2017 statement on a military deal regarding a squadron of 35 F-15 jets delivery to Doha, expectations are ramping up for a cluster of tranquility in the Gulf diplomatic mess which could have paved the way for a military …
Read More »Trump’s Sword Dance on the Middle East ‘Grand Chessboard’
By Shehab Al Makahleh – Literally overnight Trump’s arms deal with Saudi Arabia, aimed to bolster Arab unity against terrorism and Iran, has triggered a political earthquake in the Gulf and beyond. The Saudi Arabia-led diplomatic war against Qatar declared only a week after Riyadh Summit ended leaves the …
Read More »Russia ready to supply Turkey with S-400, but why does Turkey need it?
By Shehab Al Makahleh | Few days ago Russian president Putin stated Russia’s readiness to supply Turkey with advanced S-400 air defense systems. Turkey’s spat with the EU and growing discord with the NATO may be reason behind Turkey’s demand for Russian weapons. For its Arab neighbors the …
Read More »Jordan Not to Send Any Troops to Syria
By Shehab Al Makahleh Jordan’s official stance regarding Syrian conflict supports peaceful resolution, yet reports have appeared in the media claiming that the kingdom is readying for a ground invasion of Syria. As “Eager Lion” military exercises in Jordan this year coincided with the intensified anti-terrorist fighting along …
Read More »Russian President Putin to Visit Kuwait Soon
By Shehab Al Makahleh Trump’s multibillion arms sales deal with Saudi Arabia has touched upon many sore spots and rekindled fears of more wars in a troubled region to which the US president promised peace deal of a century. As the situation in the Middle East is rapidly …
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