In just 12 days, Ahmed al-Sharaa underwent a life-changing transformation from leading a banned jihadist organization to becoming the president of a state whose future trajectory directly impacts the overall stability of the Middle East. This meteoric ascent was utterly unforeseen; it blindsided all actors without exception.
If former US President Harry Truman were to see the image of European leaders gathered anxiously and warily before Trump at the White House after his summit with Putin in Alaska, he would realize that the doctrine he founded, and the international order built on it eight decades ago has vanished beyond return.
At a time when talk of normalizing ties between Israel and Arab states has started to become taboo again in the regional public domain due to the humanitarian crisis raging in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came out to affirm that he is fulfilling a “historical and spiritual mission” and is “very” committed to …
Between an interim Syrian president who is hedging his bets on regional alliances and an Israeli prime minister committed to preventing the emergence of an independent nation-state, Syrians today find themselves caught at the heart of a complex regional equation, despite the current wave of regional and international openness toward the new government in Damascus.
As Bashar al-Assad was defecting to Moscow heralding the end of Assad family’s 55 years of rule, Syria’s Kurds were harboring lofty ambitions. All the cards seemed to come together seamlessly for the Kurds to birth their long-aspired independent state or an autonomous region like the Iraqi Kurdistan at bare minimum.
The re-emergence of the idea to eliminate Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei reflects the growing strategic desperation within Israeli circles, as conventional deterrence fails to impose a decisive outcome.
Even after the United States military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, it is still premature to envision an end to the conflict between Iran and Israel.
