English Newsletter Aug 17

Al Majalla focused on the US-Iran negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as last week’s cover story. For his part, Alex Vatanka penned a piece titled Washington's war, Tehran's waiting game. In it, he says, “The US is betting that a sustained blockade can force Iran to make concessions on Hormuz. Iran is betting that rising economic pressure from the strait's closure will force the US to blink first.” For his part, Abdelrahman Ayas looks at the economic impact. “Any agreement that restores traffic through the strait will bring much-needed relief to the global economy, but repairing the damage wrought by war—and restoring confidence—will take far longer,” he writes.

For his part, Christopher Phillips asks: Is multipolarity helping or hindering Iran? Read his piece to find out. Meanwhile, Al Majalla also profiles the new Iranian war cabinet, explaining what the appointments say about the Islamic Republic's future direction.

Branching out, Zaid bin Ali al-Fadhi writes on the new Saudi-Turkish-Pakistan alliance, arguing that the choice of Mecca, the holiest city in Islam, as the venue sends a clear message about its intentions. And five years after America’s humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan, Ibrahim Hamidi writes that: “Unlike the Taliban approach with the US, Sharaa’s approach in Syria was one that distinguished between victory and vengeance— between hostility towards Assad and relations with Russia.” Meanwhile, Haid Haid explains why Syria's new bylaws are a good step forward, but warns they be exploited if parliamentary leadership uses its extensive powers to limit scrutiny of the executive branch.

And Amr Emam looks at the possible reasons why Ethiopia’s volatile Tigray region has erupted yet again in violence, pointing out that supporters of the region’s warring parties are as close as next door and as far away as Israel.  And this week in Profile, Kamal Alam pens a piece titled Tucker Carlson: America’s right-wing insurgent-in-chief.  “The former Fox News presenter, who now wields more influence over US politics than he did at the network, has become one of Trump’s staunchest critics, in part over Israel,” he says.

Back to business and economy, Abdul Fattah Khattab explains Why cotton fibres could be key in the global arms race, writing: “War is driving demand for munitions, and the fibres from cotton seeds are used to produce artillery shells. With only a few producers, demand is soaring.” And finally, in Culture, Fadi El-Abdallah traces the evolution of Taqāsīm, the solo improvisation musical form indigenous to the Middle East, while Noureddine Bassaadi explains how the advent of technology and social media has hindered, but also helps preserve, Amazigh oral traditions in Algeria.