Assad

The Vacuum Narrative: A Tool of Subjugation or Security?

The myth of post-regime chaos fuels authoritarian survival: fear of a vacuum blocks real democratic change in Syria, Yemen, and beyond.

ISIS 2.0: New Islamism in Syria and Iraq

ISIS-linked jihadist factions resurge in post-Assad Syria as a deadly church attack signals a dangerous new extremist consolidation.

Poker Face: Russia’s Transactional Game

Putin promised partnership to Iran, friendship to Israel, and mediation to Trump; Moscow's Middle East strategy is beautifully duplicitous.

Trump May Have Found His Match in the UAE

Donald Trump visits Abu Dhabi in a new era of US-Gulf diplomacy, blending business with diplomacy in the Middle East, as the UAE redefines U.S.-GCC ties.

Abu Dhabi Recalibrates Relations with Syria’s New Leadership

UAE backs Syria’s new leadership with reconstruction aid as al-Sharaa visits Abu Dhabi, signaling shifting Gulf dynamics post-Assad.

Popular

Gulf Airlines Sell Reassurance as Their Core Summer Product

Emirates and Etihad are not simply selling seats this summer; they are selling the idea that the Gulf is safe enough to book, and those are very different products.

Gibraltar Border Opens, but the Real Test Starts Now

The new Gibraltar treaty removes a border that had become economically absurd, but its real success will depend on whether Britain, Spain and the EU can turn symbolic relief into durable trust.

Football Becomes Another Front in the Falklands Dispute

Argentina's win over England has reignited old grievances over the Falklands, though the celebration conceals a claim with little new diplomatic leverage.

The Iran War Outlives Its Architects

With Khamenei dead and Graham gone, the Iran war is spreading through runways, courts, and homemade drone fleets.

How Germany’s Taliban Pact Built a Recruiting Ground

Bonn's Taliban-run consulate is now hiring unpaid interns, the direct product of a deportation bargain Berlin struck last year to speed removals back to Kabul.