Erdogan’s Idlib misadventure: Reality checks and hard lessons for Turkey

3 Apr 202018 Apr 2020

Posted originally to MintPress News on 3 April 2020. Even when viewed through the prism of Turkish interests, President Tayyib Erdogan’s escalatory actions in Syria’s Idlib governorate constitute now plainly…

How Iran’s statement on Delhi’s anti-Muslim violence sells Iran short

27 Mar 202020 Apr 2020

Posted originally to Express Tribune Blogs on 25 March 2020. At the expense of sounding morbid, one can say India’s state-abetted anti-Muslim pogrom in New Delhi earlier this month presented an opportunity…

Is Pakistan’s US-Centrism Ceding Regional Strategic & Economic Power To India?

13 Mar 202016 Nov 2020

Posted originally to OneWorld on 13 March 2020. The present Pakistani government’s attempts to jockey the US for support have been met with constant affirmation of the Indo-US alliance. The…

The New Contours of the Power Struggle for Syria’s Future – Three Part Series for MintPress News

3 Mar 202013 Mar 2020

Part one: Wealthy Gulf States Plan Big To Coax Syria Away from Iran Part two: Russia and Iran's Clashing Views for Syria's Future Part three: How a Subtle Turkey-Iran Entente…

Israel-GCC ties and the bizarre future of Hasbara

24 Feb 202025 Feb 2020

Posted originally to Express Tribune blogs on 24 February 2020. Hasbara is the Hebrew word for Israeli state propaganda and it has always been a top-heavy affair, relying less on…

Why Israel is in no position to forcibly implement the ‘Deal of the Century’

1 Feb 20201 Feb 2020

Posted originally to Express Tribune blogs on 1 February 2019. US President Donald Trump announced with the attendance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House the ‘Deal…

Pakistan: A candidate for supporting the ‘Deal of the Century’?

27 Jan 202027 Apr 2020

Posted originally to Express Tribune Blogs on 27 January 2019. While difficult to predict how Pakistan would react, the scenario where it is deemed suitable by the makers of the…

Emerging Turko-Israeli Rift Helps Turkey-Iran Entente

23 Jan 202027 Jan 2020

Posted originally to Islamabad Policy Institute on 23 January 2020. Israel has long possessed a capacity to force, whether by design or by consequence, the upending of regional alignment dynamics…

Rapid GCC requests for US-Iran de-escalation recall who really wants the war

17 Jan 202023 Jan 2020

Posted originally to Express Tribune blogs on 17 January 2020. The Gulf Arabs’ urgent engagement with the US to urge de-escalation with Iran from the current crescendo reached after the…

Lessons in tenacity: Why Pakistan should learn from Turkey

4 Jan 202017 Jan 2020

Posted originally to The Express Tribune on 4 January 2020. When faced with the seemingly unyielding support of its ostensible NATO ‘partners’ for Kurdish secessionists in the Syrian-Turkish border regions,…