The tripartite Anglo-American-French missile strikes against targets in Syria that aimed to punish the Syrian government and deter it from using chemical weapons should briefly stop the use of these barbaric instruments of war, as has happened previously.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif’s proposal for moving towards new security arrangements in the Middle East is an important gesture that should be read in two contrasting ways, for it faithfully reflects the Arab region’s double perception of Iran as a noble friend,

For most of the past two centuries, Egypt has been the epicentre, litmus test, proving ground, and mother of cultural and political trends across the Arab region — so we should all be worried by the events of the past month that systematically throttled, indicted, intimated, deta

The start of another calendar year brings with it the opportunity to look back and look ahead to try to understand the trends that define our Arab region.

The crushing irony for Palestinians today is that their cause remains widely supported by over 120 governments and billions of ordinary men and women around the world, yet the Palestinian leadership is a case study in hapless incompetence that verges on national shame.

Of the many fascinating reports in Michael Wolff’s "Fire and Fury" book on the Donald Trump White House, perhaps most troubling for Americans and for the world were the new insights into how the United States today shapes its Middle East policies.

Does it make any difference that the 57 member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) unanimously declared a few days ago that Arab East Jerusalem is the occupied capital of a Palestinian state, in response to US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem

For all its drama, controversy, and importance, the expected American government decision this week to formally recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and perhaps move its embassy must be appreciated within the wider context of how Washington makes Middle East policy decisi

It has been a full century since the birth of the state system of the modern Arab world, largely at the hands of foreign powers, and anyone who wishes to keep track of its turbulent changes today must watch Syria most of all.Syria is not the most powerful country in the region, g