Op-ed

Racardo Martins Greater Israel: Beyond Biblical Mythology, a Geopolitical Blueprint When Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich talks about expanding Israel’s reach “to Damascus,” or Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expresses personal attachment to broad territorial ambitions or Israel being not only a “regional superpower” but “in some respects, a …

Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh For decades, the Middle East operated under a simple—if uneasy—assumption: proximity to the United States meant protection. That assumption has now been shaken. The recent U.S.–Israeli confrontation with Iran did not merely redraw military lines; it exposed a deeper fracture—the erosion of trust between Washington …

Winthrop M. Rodgers The stalemate over government formation is affecting the semi-autonomous region’s ability to deal with the fallout of the Iran war – and eroding its autonomy. More than 18 months have passed since voters in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq went to the polls in …

Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh A President Between Two Fears Power, when stripped of clarity, becomes performance. This is the paradox defining the current posture of Donald Trumptoward Iran: a leader who refuses both escalation and withdrawal, yet insists on projecting strength. According to converging assessments—including reporting echoed by The Wall Street Journal and …

Ezgi Başaran Many celebrated Hungary’s strongman Vikt Orbán’s fall via electoral defeat at the beginning of April.  What does his fall possibly portend for his fellow autocrat Recep Tayyib Erdogan’s political future in Turkey? Two cases of competitive authoritarianism After all, the authoritarian styles of Orbán and Erdoğan …

Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh The Collapse of the Illusion: When Empires Whisper “You’re On Your Own” History rarely announces its turning points with fanfare; it prefers irony. The return of Donald Trump to the White House did not begin a new era—it exposed the fragility of the old one. For decades, …

Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh By any conventional standard, the road that led the United States into war with Iran was anything but strategic. It was opaque, erratic, and at times deeply contradictory. Public statements by Donald Trump oscillated between confidence and confusion, leaving allies, adversaries, and even his own …

Until this month, Democrats have been focused and unified in their messaging about the economy. However, U. S. President Donald Trump’s recent threats against Iran and controversial self-portrayals on social media, including attacks on the pope, have shifted the dynamics. Approximately 40% of House Democrats, totaling 84, have …

Filippo Buffa Every few years, the same obituary is written again. America is finished, we are told. It has lost its nerve, exhausted itself in the Middle East, divided itself at home, and opened the door to a Chinese century. It is a powerful story, and like many …