Articles

Israeli politicians routinely make shockingly racist comments about Palestinians that most Americans would condemn. So why does the U.S. continue to send Israel nearly $4 Billion a year? MOHAMED MOHAMED Israel and its Zionist supporters do not hesitate to peddle propaganda claiming that it is “the Middle East’s sole democracy.” …

Moustafa Kamel* On stage and screen, we are fond of happy endings, but in the unfolding environmental drama, staring Mother Earth versus Humanity, the ending is bound to be disastrous. This is a different kind of drama altogether. For one thing, it is real. Competing with Hollywood counterparts, governments, societies, …

As the country enters treacherous territory, it must prioritise measures that arrest economic and institutional collapse to avert a far worse crisis. Amer Bisat* Lebanon’s economic crisis is almost two years old, and the country has entered treacherous territory. While an ambitious economic reform plan is still the best path out of …

After they seized Kabul, the Taliban will seek to extend their dominion and represent a menace to the world for years to come. Hany Ghoraba* “Fortis fortuna adiuvat” is a Latin proverb meaning “fortune favours the brave or the bold”. This old Roman saying seems to have eluded US President …

Paul Stronski* The ongoing withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan is transforming diplomatic and security dynamics in Central Asia, creating opportunities for Russia and China to enhance their engagement with increasingly anxious governments in the region. The resurgence of the Taliban that began in the spring, and their takeover of …

News that the Amazon rainforest is no longer a carbon sink puts a further big question-mark against the EU-Mercosur trade deal. Isabel Schatzschneider* The Amazon serves as the largest rainforest on Earth and a home to one in ten known species, accounting for nearly a third of the world’s primary forest. …

Jasser al-Shahed* Will the new UN special envoy to Yemen, Swedish diplomat Hans Grundberg, succeed where his predecessor Martin Griffiths failed? This is the question on everyone’s minds as the time approaches for Grundberg to assume his duties. It follows calls from analysts and commentators to reassess the strategies used …

James Zogby* I remember Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity: “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. I’ve been thinking about this quote in relation to the recent bizarre behaviour of all the parties involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel, the US government, and the major …

Can the Conference on the Future of Europe be a turning point from a mere economic union to one of social rights?   Susanne Wixforth* and Lukas Wiehler* The pandemic has had a deep impact on European societies. Poverty, unemployment and inequality have risen across the European Union. Unskilled and …

Recognition of the EU’s gravitational pull on ‘global Britain’, and so any rapprochement, will take many years. Paul McGrade* The post-Brexit relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union has been characterised by sour and suspicious competition. But can the UK maintain its resistance to full implementation of the Protocol on …