As China increases its presence in the Indian Ocean and the Maldives, New Delhi cannot afford to relax. Since assuming power in November 2023, President Mohamed Muizzu’s foreign policy has ruffled feathers in New Delhi. After asking India to remove its military personnel from the archipelagic state, the …
Read More »A Turn of the Tide: Turkey’s Local Elections Disappoint President Erdogan
There is no doubt that Erdogan’s mismanagement of the economy has been the driving force behind popular discontent. In Sunday’s local elections, the Turkish people voted with their pockets. The parliamentary and presidential elections last May were far from fair. The winner could have been the popular mayor …
Read More »Jordan: An Unproductive Rentier Economy
Eng. Saleem Al Batayneh The economic crisis in Jordan has reached a critical point, and it is high time we acknowledge the flaws in the country’s economic management. Jordan has become an unproductive rentier economy, heavily reliant on debt and sustained by loans and aid just to stay …
Read More »The Next Chapter of Artificial Intelligence
The looming question for 2024: how far will the current artificial intelligence boom take us? Artificial intelligence (AI has become the primary driver of the stock market surge in 2023, despite worries and anxieties on Capitol Hill about the technology’s unregulated status. The fear that it will turn …
Read More »Will China Push the U.S. Dollar Out of the Middle East?
For Gulf states, balancing the use of the dollar and the renminbi will become a way of maintaining strategic neutrality amid global geopolitical fragmentation. As China’s geo-economic influence expands across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), countries in the region are becoming acutely aware of the risks …
Read More »The Arab World’s Cry for Change: Exploring the Desperation
Eng. Saleem Al Batayneh The Arab world finds itself at a critical juncture, with its people expressing disillusionment and longing for a different path forward. The yearning for colonialism, guardianship, and mandate is not a desire for subjugation, but rather a desperate plea for relief from the oppressive …
Read More »German Self-Righteousness and the European Battle Over Energy Policy
Germany loves to sit on its moral high horse and, when it believes to recognize misconduct, quickly resorts to condescension and public lecturing. We Germans love to sit on our moral high horse. We feel comfortable up there and love to look down on other nations as sinners, …
Read More »It is Not Just Ukraine and Gaza: Joe Biden’s Wars are Just Beginning
Uncertainty about American leadership has encouraged dictators to believe war works. It is a truism across administrations: Unexpected crises define foreign policy legacy. For Jimmy Carter, it was Iran’s Islamic Revolution and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Ronald Reagan faced the Marine Barracks bombing in Lebanon, followed two …
Read More »Hamas’ Delusional War Propaganda
Despite immense destruction and suffering in Gaza, Hamas still depicts an effective and victorious battle against Israel. “Abu Obaida” is the nom de guerre of the military spokesman of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas. Clad in a green military uniform and a red keffiyeh, he …
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