In a widely expected move, Syrian President Bashar Assad announced that he would run for the presidential election scheduled early next month. Holding elections amid the Syrian conflict is in defiance of the international community, which has spent the better part of the last th

It has been a while since the dormant “open crisis” in Maan erupted. Observers often argue that the quietness of the city is deceptive.

The Israeli-Palestinian peace process is often held hostage to the imperatives of Israel’s domestic politics. An Israeli premier cannot push for peace persistently and secure his or her political survival at the same time. Less than two decades ago, Yitzhak Rabin lost his

Once again it appears that the American efforts to inject life in the peace process are running aground. Neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis are capable or willing to offer the concession necessary for building enough trust to jump-start a peace process. But this time aro

It is hard to avoid the conclusion that Syrian President Bashar Assad never thought of stepping down, even when many suspected that his days were numbered. The international community may have put pressure on him, but he opted to buy time to decide the matter on the ground. Not

In response to the killing of a Jordanian jurist by an Israeli soldier last week, Jordan’s Lower House of Parliament demanded on Wednesday that the government expel Israel’s ambassador, pull out Jordanian ambassador from Tel Aviv and release former army soldier Ahmed

Far from being calm, the Gulf region is witnessing new developments that have the potential of rocking the GCC boat. Tensions between allies in the Gulf region broke out a week ago when three key Gulf countries (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates) pulled their am

In a meeting with senior government officials two days ago, King Abdullah expressed his principled position that he would never accept turning Jordan into the “alternative homeland” for the Palestinians. Jordan is host to 40 per cent of Palestinian refugees who had t

The conditions required to support a thriving and functioning democracy (such as a democratic culture) do not exist in present-day Jordan. And yet, there are many activists who push for genuine reform. Unfortunately, Jordan has failed to seize the opportunity offered by the A