The capturing the Iraqi city of Mosul by ISIL inaugurated a new bloody chapter in the modern history of the Arab Orient, one that could end with the redrawing of national boundaries in the heart of the Arab region
The power vacuum began emerging (...)
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's current visit to Egypt stands out from its predecessors by virtue of its symbolic value. This is his first trip outside Turkey since his victory in the parliamentary elections that were held last month (...)
The visit by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Egypt is an opportunity to put relations between the two countries on new foundations, writes Mustafa El-Labbad
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's current visit to Egypt stands (...)
On March 19th, Egyptians flocked heavily to the voting polls for the first time in sixty years, for the purpose of a referendum on amending some articles in the 1971 Constitution which Hosni Mubarak had used to rule Egypt for three decades. (...)
What will Iran look like 10 years from now, asks Mustafa El-Labbad *
What will Iran be like in 2020? If predicting the future is difficult enough in view of the plethora of factors that need to be taken into account, the task is all the more (...)
While the tactical aftermath of Israel's attack on the Mavi Marmara will play out in the coming weeks, the strategic aftermath is profound and sets the tone of a new era in the region, writes Mustafa El-Labbad*
The disastrous Israeli interception of (...)
Washington appears out-manoeuvred as Iran strikes with others the nuclear deal the West only recently offered, writes Mustafa El-Labbad*
Last week, Turkey and Brazil moved to defuse the Iranian nuclear crisis. Taking up their initiative, Iran has (...)
Seven years after the US-led invasion of Iraq, everything points to the growing influence of Iran in Iraqi politics, writes Mustafa El-Labbad*
The seventh anniversary of the occupation of Iraq was marked by a fierce set of parliamentary elections (...)
Pundits reacted with horror to the idea that the Arab nation should forge ties with its near neighbours, though the vision is overdue and correct, writes Mustafa El-Labbad*
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa's initiative, unveiled at the Arab (...)
As millions of Iraqis went to the polls this week to elect the country's new parliament, the winner of the regional contest for power in Iraq has been Iran, concludes Mustafa El-Labbad
Millions of Iraqis flocked to the polling stations on Sunday to (...)
By way of two executions of Iranian opposition figures, ostensibly a signal to domestic and foreign protagonists, Iran has lost the advantage of years of shrewd diplomacy and regional manoeuvring, writes Mustafa El-Labbad*
Iran has thrust itself (...)
The lesson of a recent diplomatic spat is that Tel Aviv needs Ankara much more than Ankara needs Tel Aviv, writes Mustafa El-Labbad
Israel lost its most important diplomatic face- off since the end of the Cold War recently when it was forced to (...)
Crucial battles are currently underway in Iran's religious and political establishment, away from the reach of the television cameras, writes Mustafa El-Labbad
The final days of 2009 brought a dramatic shift in Iran's domestic equation, creating a (...)
As internal political conflicts intensify, Iran will be subjected to ever more stringent scrutiny of its nuclear programme and subsequent sanctions, writes Mustafa El-Labbad
Iran was hurtled into the New Year by repercussions of the protests that (...)
As negotiations between Iran and the permanent members of the UN Security Council over the country's nuclear programme continue in Geneva, Iran may be winning the upper hand, writes Mustafa El-Labbad
The first round of negotiations between Iran and (...)
Political conflict in Iran has moved from the streets to the corridors of power, with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad facing conservative opposition to his choice of cabinet, writes Mustafa El-Labbad*
Iran is on the threshold of a new phase (...)
While victory appears to be Ahmadinejad's, political realities on the ground betray a reconfiguration of the conservative current in a way that leaves him little room for manoeuvre, writes Mustafa El-Labbad
With all the minute details, subtle shades (...)
Whereas his predecessor was brash and outwitted, Obama's diplomacy is already upping the ante on Iran, writes Mustafa El-Labbad
Intensive US diplomatic activity in the region over the past two weeks strongly suggests a shift in US plans with respect (...)
While street protest may have decreased, Iran's presidential election crisis is not over yet, writes Mustafa El-Labbad
Rafsanjani couldn't have timed his move better. Speaking from the pulpit in Tehran University last Friday, addressing a (...)
While street protest may have decreased, Iran's presidential election crisis is not over yet, writes Mustafa El-Labbad
Rafsanjani couldn't have timed his move better. Speaking from the pulpit in Tehran University last Friday, addressing a (...)
Though Iran's regional star is in the ascendant, it is still locked in the jaws of a far greater geostrategic struggle -- that between Russia and the United States, writes Mustafa El-Labbad*
With help from supporters and police, President Mahmoud (...)
The real struggle in Iran is not happening in the street, backed by foreign powers, but within the core of the Iranian establishment, writes Mustafa El-Labbad
While the world has been following the dramatic developments taking place in Iran, Arab (...)
Iran's revolution continues to fascinate and surprise the world, Mustafa El-Labbad reports
As the dramatic events in Iran continue to unfold, political analysts around the world are puzzling over what turn the reformist protest will take next. Many (...)
In Tehran, Mustafa El-Labbad watches as the regime faces what could be its most dangerous foe yet, calls for change that originate not from outside but are being raised on Iranian streets
Iranians have now turned their attention to the Guardian (...)
One needs to understand the broader, "strategic" mind that guides Iran before grasping the significance of lower contests for the presidency, writes Mustafa El-Labbad
The 10th presidential polls in Iran drew to a close with the victory of the (...)