Middle East

Joe Boueiz Lebanon’s stability and the disarmament of Hezbollah will depend on the longevity and eventual resolution of the Gaza ceasefire. In his 2010 book, Beware of Small States: Lebanon, Battleground of the Middle East, David Hirst described Lebanon as the Middle East’s “battleground,” where regional and global …

Ahmed Charai The rhetoric of international law all too often serves to buttress lawless regimes that undermine US interests. The international system is confronting a profound moral and strategic crisis. For decades, the principle of state sovereignty—originally conceived to protect nations from external domination—has been systematically distorted into …

By Hosein Mortada Israel’s announcement recognizing “Somaliland” has sparked deep regional—and wider international—concern. This is not merely because the move involves a self-declared entity lacking international recognition, but because it directly touches one of the world’s most sensitive geopolitical theaters: the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa. …

The idea of a “Global South” has returned to the forefront of strategic discourse, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. With the growing influence of BRICS, G77, ASEAN, the African Union, and CELAC, a multipolar world appears to be taking shape. Yet …

In discussions about the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), naval spending, maritime chokepoints, and great-power competition usually dominate the headlines. Yet a quieter, transformative threat is emerging: cyberbiosecurity—the protection of digitally enabled biological systems and their associated data, from health facilities and laboratories to biomanufacturing and cold-chain logistics. This …

  Greg Priddy The size of the 2026 oil glut is open to question, and OPEC+’s next move remains up in the air. As 2025 draws to a close, the world oil market reflects a near-consensus that the coming year will see substantial oversupply and inventory accumulation, pushing …

By Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh In a surprising move, the Houthis in Sana’a issued a sharply worded statement in response to Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, asserting that any Israeli presence in the region constitutes a legitimate military target. While brief and direct on its surface, the statement carries long-term …

Fatemeh Aman Oman’s Duqm port cannot replace India’s dependence on Iran’s Chabahar. But it can help challenge Pakistan in the Indian Ocean. India’s expanding presence along Oman’s coastline has unfolded without announcements, declarations, or diplomatic spectacle. Indian naval vessels have been making increasingly regular port calls to Oman, …

Rameen Siddiqui  The final week of 2024 delivered a stark message: the era of easy money is over. In a synchronized pivot, the world’s major central banks turned hawkish—the Bank of Japan hiked rates to a thirty-year high, and the ECB signaled an end to easing. This monetary …