Op-ed

Key Points Russia continues to pursue its strategic objectives in Ukraine while facing military, economic and diplomatic pressures. Its partnership with China provides important diplomatic and economic support, but does not eliminate asymmetries between the two powers. Energy exports, sanctions, battlefield developments and US policy remain central to …

  Key Points The 3 November 2026 midterm elections will determine control of Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term. Cost-of-living pressures, immigration and public dissatisfaction are central to the campaign. The war involving Iran has connected foreign policy directly to energy prices and …

Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh Key Points The Iran war and restrictions on navigation through the Strait of Hormuz have made regional security inseparable from global energy and economic stability. Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Egypt, Pakistan and European powers are exploring diplomatic channels to contain escalation. Gulf states face a strategic …

Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh   The attack on St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church in Hammoud last October was an atrocity that demands justice, not shortcuts. Nine worshippers killed during a funeral. Dozens wounded. A community shattered. Jordan has every right—and every obligation—to pursue those responsible with the full weight …

Khairallah Khairallah France’s May 1968 uprising was far more than a student protest over university policies. It was a moment of social and political upheaval that shook the foundations of the French system and sent shockwaves across Europe. What began with students at the University of Paris’s Nanterre …

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has capped a remarkable political journey by winning a fourth presidential term, following a career that took him from factory work to the presidency, through imprisonment and ultimately back to power. The Workers’ Party candidate secured 51.79 per cent of valid votes in …

Ward Kassouha   France’s current political turmoil cannot be properly understood without examining several interconnected forces. Political polarisation, economic instability, the costs of Europe’s confrontation with Russia, and the emergence of a younger generation of protesters are converging in ways that challenge the foundations of the French political …

Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh Recent regional tensions, from clashes between Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement and Saudi Arabia to the growing prospect of a third US-Israeli war against Iran, have placed the “Mecca Alliance” under considerable pressure. The crises have raised fundamental questions about the alliance’s effectiveness and the broader …

By Hadi Elis The attack on a Greek Orthodox church in southern Jordan raises a question that cannot be answered by looking at the crime scene alone: why Jordan, and why now? According to accounts of the incident, armed assailants attacked mourners at St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church …