Trump's appeal to Iranians to seize their freedom once American and Israeli strikes are finished fundamentally misreads a people whose history has taught them key lessons
The Gulf states are showing that their security is indivisible and that they will pursue their defence from any that offer it, creating a new 'strategic autonomy' borne of the Trump era.
The experienced French envoy had front-row seats as relations between Beijing and Moscow blossomed, but as she recalls from her days studying in China: it wasn't always so.
There are signs that a new Pacific-Atlantic trade corridor financed by Beijing to bypass any US naval blockade of the Panama Canal will reorient Latin America towards Asia.
Gone are the days when Washington could wax lyrical about democracy while toppling governments and supporting authoritarians. With Venezuela and others, it needs a new playbook.
In rainy season, living in a wobbly structure is a step up from a tent that can flood. But while it offers some relief, it could also collapse over the heads of those seeking refuge behind its walls.
There was visible warmth when the US and Syrian presidents met in the Oval Office last month, with some even speculating a Trump visit to Damascus. But there is much to do before that happens.
When Israel killed a Hezbollah military chief in late November, one GBU-39 bomb failed to detonate, leaving Washington worried that its adversaries could reverse engineer it
Following the unprecedented attacks on Qatar, Gulf leaders have pledged to forge a unified defence front, marking a historic shift from cautious neutrality to collective security
What began as a locally rooted trade in coca leaves and opium evolved into a transnational system of cartels that challenged governments, corrupted institutions, and destabilised countries
Military strategists have long warned that war should be waged only if those waging it know what they want to achieve. Herein lies a problem: Washington's war aims in Iran are incoherent.
Tehran isn't likely to easily fold if/when Trump attacks. This means that the longer a military confrontation drags out, the more untenable Washington's position becomes.
The conflict has forced Russia to scale back its global footprint and NATO to boost its defence spending. Meanwhile, China and Middle powers have emerged as key beneficiaries.
Natural resources like solar, wind, and water are set to provide 36% of global electricity production this year. Even for sceptics like Donald Trump, the trends are unmistakable.
Some point to his possible links to Mossad through his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, whose father was a known Israeli spy, and assert that he blackmailed powerful figures to exert influence
Al Majalla - London
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