Geopolitics

Shehab Al-Makahleh Russian recent initiative to mediate between Iran and Saudi Arabia has come as a surprise and has left many queries about what Moscow could do in order to bridge the gap between Tehran and Riyadh. The Middle East is in a process of a geopolitical makeover …

Shehab Al Makahleh In a rare qualitative step since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis, Jordanian Parliament Speaker Atif Al Tarawneh met with his Syrian counterpart Hamouda Al Sayegh in Saint Petersburg, where the 137th international parliamentary meeting is being held. Commenting on the Syrian conflict, Al Tarawneh …

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi arrived to Riyadh on Saturday to attend inaugural meeting of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council, a body said to cover two countries’ cooperation in political, economic, security and cultural fields. Meanwhile, in Baghdad Saudi Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih’s met with his Iraqi counterpart Jabar al-Luaibi, …

By Shehab Al-Makahleh To vote for independence or not, that is the question in Kurdistan and Scotland. Both cases are loaded with huge geopolitical implications. In Iraqi Kurdistan a non-binding referendum was held on the 25th of September, in which the Kurds were asked to decide whether to …

ANALYSIS / By Firas Al-Atraqchi As US media continues to speculate on the motives behind the tragic mass shooting in Las Vegas and the press in the UK critique Prime Minister Theresa May’s latest policy speech, there have been significant changes in Middle Eastern alliances. On Friday, Saudi Arabia’s …

Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh  The long-awaited, historic visit of King Salman to Russia this week will demonstrate the scale of dialogue and coordination the two countries seek to achieve to strengthen their bilateral relations. The visit has great symbolism, with billboards installed in Moscow to welcome King Salman to …

Shehab Al-Makahleh Saudi Arabia’s King Salman will head an official delegation on October 4-7, 2017 to have meetings with Russian president Vladimir Putin and senior government officials, the first ever visit by a Saudi King to Moscow since the foundation of the Kingdom. The visit, which has been …

ANALYSIS/COMMENTARY Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Ankara on September 28 for key talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, including recent developments in Iraq and Syria and bilateral relations. At the same time, following months of strained relations between the two NATO-states, on Thursday German military has …

OPINION Shehab Al-Makahleh • Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on September 28, 2017. The two leaders are expected to dovetail their positions over regional issues before Turkish Special Forces get the nod to intervene in Idlib, the last stronghold …