Middle East

Henry Barkey This current war with Hamas is a far more dangerous threat to Israel than the 1973 Yom Kippur War, almost exactly fifty years ago. In 1973, it was solely a military contest, one that the Israelis, despite suffering staggering losses, could manage to turn around. No …

The geopolitical processes in the world evolve quite torrentially. What’d be a result of the great Chinese Initiative ‘Belt and Road’? Only time will tell it. However, a certain well-argued skepticism takes place among many intellectuals. On October, 17-19, the Forum was held in the Chinese capital for …

Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh In the heart of the Middle East, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict continues to evoke strife, suffering and instability, casting a shadow over the prospects of regional harmony and global peace. Over the decades, the region has witnessed a cycle of violence, displacement and shattered lives, underscoring …

The story of one spymaster reveals what happened. In the summer of 1949, Chiang Kai-shek and his Republic of China (ROC) government appeared doomed. Shanghai and Nanjing, then China’s capital city, had fallen to Mao Zedong’s communist forces, and Chiang’s units all over China were collapsing under the …

If last weekend’s violence continues and intensifies, Lebanon may be dragged into the conflict. It has been over forty-eight hours since the large-scale Hamas offensive into southern Israel started on October 7, in what the organization calls Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Israeli cities and military targets were caught by …

Leon Hadar Pundits tend to analogize international crises, comparing them sometimes using apocalyptic terms to world events that have transformed the international system. Is this another Sarajevo? Munich? Cuban Missile Crisis? “War Shifts Global Dynamics,” proclaimed a recent front-page news report headline in The Wall Street Journal, suggesting …

If Israel gets bogged down in Gaza, which by no means cannot be ruled out, there is a high possibility that Hezbollah may open a second front. And that, in turn, can trigger a chain reaction that may spin out of control. Herein lies the danger if a …

Hussain Shahid The global economic landscape has undergone a tectonic shift in recent years. China’s meteoric ascent as an economic colossus has rewritten the rules of the game. As the world’s premier steel and aluminum exporter, China wields substantial influence over the dynamics of the global trade stage. …

Sarah Neumann The recent unexpected attack by Hamas and its allies in the “Axis of Resistance” against Israel has shattered the hopes of Europe for a peaceful and constructive role in the Middle East. This assault has demonstrated to Europe that its soft power of economy, culture, development, …