In Depth

by Jonathan Cook – First appeared on Middle East Eye | 11 November 2019 13:09 UTC | Last update: 2 days ago Israeli software used on Palestinians is producing new cyber weapons that are rapidly being incorporated into global digital platforms Digital age weapons developed by Israel to oppress Palestinians are rapidly being …

  A few hundred protesters gathered in front of Kuwait’s parliament last week to demand institutional reforms and action against state corruption. By Arthur Blok* | Antiestablishment demonstrations are relatively rare in the state of Kuwait. Last week’s protesters demanded an end to the perceived unwillingness of the state to …

The league tables created by conservative thinktanks show that neoliberalism is about ringfencing economic power   by Quinn Slobodian* – First appeared in The Guardian |   Two of the “freest economies” in the world are on fire. According to indexes of “economic freedom” published annually separately by two conservative …

The CSIS isn’t optimistic about the end of Islamic radicalism with the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi—and his replacement by Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurash.  They note, “What factors have contributed to the resurgence of jihadist violence? And what are the implications following the death of al-Baghdadi? In answering these questions, …

By Adham Saouli, Senior Lecturer, School of International Relations, University of St Andrews   The national uprising that has engulfed Lebanon since mid-October is historic and revolutionary. Protests have continued across Lebanon, even after Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned on October 29 saying he wanted to give the country a “positive shock”. The …

By Dr. Haytham Mouzahem   On October 17, 2019, protests erupted in most Lebanese cities, particularly in the center of Beirut, rejecting a $ 6-a-month WhatsApp tariff plus new taxes on gasoline and a 15% VAT increase. Soon, most of the Lebanese people from different classes, regions and sects reacted …

By: Ibrahim Al-Alou     Father Henri De Laulanie 1920-1995 Pioneer of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI).   Rice production is a heavy consumer of water and fertilizers plus its footprint on greenhouse gas emissions that accounts for 1.5% of all emissions worldwide. To produce rice is a huge …

1 – What do you associate with the presence of the States in Iraq? And why is Washington not taking serious steps to destroy the remnants of takfiri in northwestern Iraq? According to the confessions issued by the most important personalities in the United States, including President Trump that America …

Dr. Haytham Mouzahem, head of Beirut Centre for Middle East Studies talks to International Affairs Review on the current situation in Syria and the Turkish military operations and the implications for the region.   Please walk us through what is happening right now in north east Syria. Turkey has been invading areas …

By Firas Samuri   On October 7, 2019, the U.S. President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of American troops from northeast Syria, where the contingent alongside Kurdish militias controlled the vast territories. Trump clarified that the decision is connected with the intention of Turkey to attack the Kurdish units, posing …

Everybody Betraying Everybody in Syria Graham E. Fuller (grahamefuller.com) 16 October 2019 Just what have we witnessed in the recent events in Syria? It’s hard to know, given the avalanche of superficial and over-the-top headlines in most US media: betrayal of the Kurds, handing Syria over to Russia, caving to …

More than seven million eligible voters both in Tunisia will head to the polls Sunday to elect a new parliament in a fiercely contested election.   By Arthur Blok* Despite a lingering economic crisis Tunisia has worked hard in the past years to remain an island of political openness in …

 By Ammo.com – With American military personnel now entering service who were not even alive on 9/11, this seems an appropriate time to reexamine the events of September 11, 2001 – the opaque motives for the attacks, the equally opaque motives for the counter-offensive by the United States and its …

September 24, 2019 by Graham E. Fuller • Blog • Tags: International Conflict, US foreign policy • Graham E. Fuller (grahamefuller.com)   I’ve recently had discussions with friends over whether US domestic issues should outweigh those of foreign policy in the coming elections. The urgency of domestic issues are of …

Detained media magnate Nabil Karoui and academic Kaïs Saïed made it through to the second round of Tunisia’s presidential election, the countries independent Electoral Commission announced earlier this week. THE LEVANT NEWS EXCLUSIVE – By Arthur Blok* | Just 45 percent of the roughly seven million strong electorate turned up …

By Seyed Hossein Mousavian   Tehran should abandon the nuclear deal and suspend its membership of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Then real talks with the US can begin US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the landmark Iran nuclear agreement, and his pursuit of the ill-advised “maximum pressure” policy, have taken …

Tunisia will head to the polls Sunday to elect a new president. More than seven million eligible voters both in Tunisia and abroad can choose from 26 presidential candidates in a fiercely contested election. By Arthur Blok* | Tunisia’s first democratically elected president Beji Caid Essebsi died on July 25 …

By Emad El-Din Aysha, PhD     I made the mistake of watching a horror movie once late, late at night. Had drunk a cappuccino earlier in the day so I couldn’t sleep and I thought watching one would keep me sharp. And, knowing me, I agreed to go along …

If planting more trees can replenish forests and remove carbon dioxidefrom the atmosphere, then could we also repopulate the Arctic with ice? That’s a question posed by a team of Indonesian designers with an eye-catching response to the climate crisis: iceberg-making submarines. The idea, recently named runner-up in an international design competitionappealing …

Interview with Federico Pieraccini, Independent Geopolitical Analyst Specialized in International Relations, Conflicts, Politics and Strategies at the Strategic Culture Foundation. The interview was conducted by Damir Nazarov, a Russian journalist based in Moscow.   1 – The USA has an advantage in all major types of weapons of mass destruction. Why …

By Dr. Aqel Salah*     This study discusses the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip and the continuing Israeli war by all means against Hamas. The study is based on a fundamental question: Is the war on Gaza aimed at rocket warheads or the head of Hamas? In order …

By Damir Nazarov   While Erdogan seeks to hold meetings with Putin and sometimes Rouhani in relation to Syria every two months, the Turkish occupants are actively pursuing a policy of assimilation of the Syrian cities captured during two interventions. For example, on the twelfth of February, the deputy governor of …

The National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Settlements said in his latest weekly report , that Israeli elections is to be held on next Sept. 17th, settlers voices calling for intensifying settlements and annexing Areas C to apply full sovereignty on settlements built in the occupied West Bank. Moreover, …

“Who Lost Turkey?” Graham E. Fuller (grahamefuller.com) 5 August 2019 Here we go again, another phase of witch-hunting over “Who lost —-(fill in the blanks) country.” It was once who lost China in 1949, then Cuba in 1959, then Iran in 1979, and others. The latest iteration is now “Who …

By Lamis Jdid* | In 2008, Thomas Friedman wrote a book that was considered a revolutionary way of rethinking our planet earth explaining the social and ecological challenges facing us and its serious consequences that could threaten life on earth. Spreading awareness on the impact we have on our planet …

By Seyed Hossein Mousavian The underlying assumptions on the part of Trump administration to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) were the following: 1) by implementing the “maximum pressure” policy, Iran’s oil exports would reach zero; its financial transactions would be fundamentally hindered and Iran’s economy would collapse; …

By Emad El-Din Aysha, PhD     It’s being taken as a given that the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is going to be built on the Blue Nile and that the downstream countries, Sudan and Egypt, are going to have to face the consequences. If the so-called Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam …

By Hossein Mousavian*   In May 2018, the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was designed to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and had been agreed on after 12 years of exhaustive negotiations. The US began to impose new economic and …

By Gouthama Siddarthan   When my book, ‘I travagli politici del viaggio nel tempo’ – (Translation by Davite Mana), was published in Italian, it was Domenico Attianese, who for the first time introduced it. It was thanks to his introduction that my book hogged a widespread attention. Also, Vincenzo Barone …

By Faris Samuri   Recently the U.S. President Donald Trump formally launched his 2020 re-election campaign in front of a large crowd in Orlando, Florida. The campaign is gaining momentum. We have already seen the celebrities and politicians speeches, preliminary ratings and even the economic models of the New York …

Exhibitions are a powerful way to showcase your brand and the products/services you offer. But you must make sure that the system you choose works for your business. Not only will the wrong exhibition display fail to attract visitors, but it can also jeopardize your hard-earned brand reputation and become …

By Graham E. Fuller | Is American foreign policy,  so long drifting towards collapse and irrelevance, about to be revolutionized? An article written by veteran journalist Stephen Kinzer in the Boston Globe today contains exciting news with revolutionary implications for US foreign policy, America’s place in the world, and a …

According to the International Institute for Iranian Studies, a Saudi think tank based in Riyadh, the US maximum pressure strategy to lower Iranian oil exports to zero has led Iran “reacting in an aggressive manner and exposing itself further regionally and internationally, with it engaging in a number of belligerent …

By Graham E. Fuller  (grahamefuller.com) 6 June 2019 The “Deal of the Century”—Trump’s modestly named new proposal for peace  between Israel and the Palestinians—has long been said to be nearing completion. Ongoing turmoil in Israeli politics makes that presumed launch date  less certain. But whether or not Bibi Netanyahu will …

By Seyed Hossein Mousavian*   There is copious academic research on why the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is mired in ethnic and sectarian violence. However, the specific question of what workable models can be presented that would not only be effective in ending conflicts but also bring …

By Dr. Haytham Mouzahem* — A year ago, I was invited to a closed seminar with an Iranian diplomat in Beirut, which brought together some 12 researchers and journalists to discuss the implications of the US sanctions imposed by US President Donald Trump on Iran following its withdrawal from the …

By Dr. Haytham Mouzahem — The Nakba of Palestine took place due to the Israeli occupation of most of Palestine and the creation of “Israel” entity on May 15, 1948. The 71st anniversary of the Nakba comes this year, weeks before the announcement of the U.S. administration of its peace …

By Hossein Mousavian and Abdulaziz Sager*   We write as citizens and foreign policy veterans of two countries that most Americans presume are locked in mortal combat: Iran and Saudi Arabia. In fact, after decades of proxy conflict and frozen ties between our countries, we believe now is the time …

May 2, 2019 by Graham E. Fuller • Blog • Tags: China, East Asia, Japan, nuclear weapons, US • Japanese Nukes—On the Horizon? Graham E. Fuller (bozorgg@aol.com) Membership in the nuclear club is jealously guarded. The fewer the members the better. And the latest member to work his way in …

By Elias Farhat* In the aftermath of the 9,11 attacks, the US under president George W. Bush announced the Global war on terror. This terror was recognized as al-Qaeda and its offshoot Taliban.  Al Qaeda owned the ideology, the mobilization and sleeper cells all around the world, while Taliban owned …

By Areej Zaher*   Apparently, the machine of war is not going to stop in the near future, while its transforming from armed conflict and bloodshed to economical and social conflicts when powerful countries are fighting each other on Syrian territory to get the lion’s share of its treasures and …

American president Donald Trump remains a strong supporter of the Saudi-led war in Yemen. At the same time the military intervention garners unconditional support at the home front. By Arthur Blok* Trump issued the second veto of his presidency earlier this week halting a congressional resolution that would have sought …

  Hello, Mr.Gouthama, welcome to Melange ! Could you please tell us about you and what you are ?   From the International arena, you welcome me and my writings. I thank you and International readers of sci-fi as well on behalf of Tamil.   I am primarily a fiction writer …

By Abdallah Ahmad* — The problem is that we deal with is a nonlinear and dynamic international relations environment, it is clear that in the short and medium term (from one to four to five years) the course of the world order will be determined, It is also clear that …