REGIONS

Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh On October 18, Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled the outlines of a new Israeli security doctrine built around military superiority, pre-emptive action and the principle of striking perceived threats before they mature. Five days later, an attack in Hebron that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three …

By Roya Bagher A proposal to forgive student debt in exchange for enlistment in a potential US ground force against Iran raises a fundamental question about the relationship between military power and public willingness to fight. If such a proposal gains traction, it would suggest that the challenge …

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi’s tour from Riyadh to Kuwait, Beirut, and Damascus is more than a series of routine diplomatic visits. It reflects Baghdad’s attempt to reposition itself in a region where security concerns increasingly overlap with economic interests, traditional alliances are being reshaped, and regional …

With just five days remaining before Israel’s October 27 election, speculation is mounting over whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could launch another military confrontation with Iran. Amid stalled negotiations, heightened military activity and competing political pressures in Washington and Jerusalem, the region faces a familiar but dangerous question: …

Libya’s eastern parliament has approved the 2019 maritime agreement with Turkey, marking a significant shift in the country’s fractured political landscape. The decision, adopted on October 20, 2026, reverses years of opposition by the eastern camp aligned with military commander Khalifa Haftar and opens a new chapter in …

By Saleem Al-Batayneh Former Jordanian Member of Parliament It is difficult for any Arab who possesses the capacity for independent thought and critical analysis to look at the intellectual darkness enveloping much of the Arab world without feeling profound sadness and frustration. The depth of this darkness varies …

Qatar, Türkiye, Pakistan, and Indonesia signed a “multilateral” military memorandum ofunderstandingyesterday, Wednesday, named “Badr,” according to a statement by the QatarNews Agency. The statementsaid that the four countries “complement one another” andthat the memorandum would enable themto “leverage each country’s capabilities in the fieldof defense manufacturing.” It also …

Hadi Elis The United States entered its war with Iran possessing something few militaries in history have had at comparable scale: extraordinary technological superiority, an enormous intelligence architecture and increasingly sophisticated artificial-intelligence systems capable of processing information at speeds no human organization could match. Artificial intelligence has become …

By Dan Steinbock Thanks to some AI executives, the Trump administration had an opportunity to foster global AI cooperation. By contrast, it gave green light to existential risks. On September 29, 2026, President Trump convened the chief executives of several of the world’s most powerful technology companies at …