The forthcoming elections in Iraq furnish a portrait of an Arab country that has no equivalent in most of the country's Arab neighbours, which are plagued by instability and disintegration.
To both the government and the Iraqi electorate, these (...)
The forthcoming elections in Iraq furnish a portrait of an Arab country that has no equivalent in most of the country's Arab neighbours, which are plagued by instability and disintegration.
To both the government and the Iraqi electorate, these (...)
London has suffered its worst year of terrorist activity since 2005. On Saturday night, 3 June, 10 people were killed including three terrorists, and 48 injured, 21 of them are in critical condition, taking the number of victims to 39 dead and 214 (...)
The Middle East is seen from a distance as the most dangerous region in the world; as the main source of terrorism and illegal immigration in the 21st century. It is no secret that the dispute over EU immigration policy was one of the reasons behind (...)
What was originally planned as a “military picnic” in Yemen has now become a frightening nightmare for the Saudi military and its allies. The political and military stalemate in the country is making the situation more worrying every day. The Saudis (...)
Russia is rising from beneath the debris of its humiliating defeat in the Cold War. The country that was once the centre of an empire and fell apart without a single bullet being fired is now trying to come back to centre-stage.
Russia does not give (...)
The Middle East security order should not be determined by the Arab states and Israel alone and should not be dictated by the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Ignoring other very important players, mainly Iran and Turkey, could result in a new cold war in the (...)
The search for peace in the Middle East will never end. The region that once was moving towards some sort of Arab independence (during the rise of Arab nationalism) is now falling apart. Non-Arab players, non-state actors, old and new Arab regimes (...)
Although the fight for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not over yet, it seems that it is fading away. On the one hand, the current US administration is not enthusiastic about it, and EU foreign policy looks in disarray (...)
Egypt's foreign policy makers are facing new realities. The most difficult is the regional shift in the Middle East in favour of Iran and its allies. But this is only one of many. Others include the threat of proliferation of terrorism in the (...)
The United States is a great power, no doubt about it, but diminishing global influence is on the cards and more weapons will not buy influence. After all, look at the situation in Crimea or in Syria, where Russian intervention can't be matched by (...)
The international and US media, opinion poll agencies and the American political class and establishment all got it wrong. They did not think the unthinkable and deliberately tried to ignore the real issues that drove frustrated voters to vote for (...)
Some officials think that money (or extra resources) is a precondition for reform. They are wrong because the spirit of reform is the use of the same amount of resources differently to achieve more growth and prosperity for all. Sometimes, money can (...)
Go global or get lost. This is not just a slogan: it's a way of life in the age of globalisation. National economic borders have fallen and national protectionist policies are things related to the past. It doesn't matter whether a country is big or (...)
Two days of talks in the White House and in Camp David between GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) leaders and US President Barack Obama (13-14 May 2015) were long enough to illustrate dimensions of United States foreign policy in the Middle East. These (...)
The US-GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) Summit in Camp David that started yesterday is a very strong sign that our part of the world is far from secure. GCC leaders are seeking help from the United States against a nuclear Iran.
US President Barack (...)
With Operation Decisive Storm, gone are the decades of political stagnation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The sons of the founder of the kingdom, the late King Abdul-Aziz, are moving away from political power.
Despite the fact that King Salman bin (...)
Politicians and military leaders know exactly when a war may begin. They decide its start date. However, there is no guarantee that they will be able to decide its end. Operation Decisive Storm is not an exception. It was launched after a lot of (...)
The Middle East is by all means the most unsettled, violent and unpredictable area in the world. It is so because of its ailing regimes, decaying regional system and corrupt public life. The area has proved stubborn and resistant to peaceful (...)
Does Egypt face a demographic time bomb? Yes and No. Yes, if policymakers remain stuck on the same narrow path followed in the last 60 years or so. No, if policymakers realise that the world has changed and they have to invent new policies in order (...)
The time has come for thinkers, academics and policymakers to revisit views that are considered “given facts” on many basic issues relating to development. No matter how strongly established, our views about development must be revised, as poverty (...)
Egypt's dream of becoming a regional economic hub has landed on solid ground. Three days of talks and debate between leaders of large multinational companies and Egyptian officials in Sharm El-Sheikh have proved fruitful.
The question now is not how (...)
Egyptians are deeply disappointed. After two revolutions in three years, they have not yet gained the least of what they are asking for: development, social justice, freedom and human dignity. Beware of them when they get angry! When they find that (...)
Five active variables are shaping today's political scene in Egypt. First, there is the government in its wide structure, representing the presidency, the Cabinet and their loyal political forces. Second, we have the political opposition within the (...)
Political forces of the 25 January Revolution are colliding head to head. Islamists, including the Muslim Brotherhood, Salafis and Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya are on one side, while seculars or civil forces, including liberals, nationalists and leftists (...)