Middle East

Confronting the Crossroads: Trump's Middle East Policy Dilemmas Ahead

As Donald Trump prepares to take office again in January 2025, reflecting on his previous administration's lessons will help shape effective strategies to address the complex challenges in the Middle East. If Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were to meet and speak with Trump before taking office, this engagement could signal a strong ...

20 Lebanese Among Forbes’ 30 Under 30: A Breath of Hope for the Youth

Twenty Lebanese have been named to Forbes Middle East’s list of influential people under 30 for the year 2024, among 153 laureates from 24 different countries who are notable for their inventiveness and impact in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) on the list. The 153 outstanding talents under 30 from 24 different countries were revealed ...

US-Iran Relations: What Awaits Tehran?

Iran faces mounting questions about how best to navigate its relationship with US President-elect Donald Trump ahead of his expected return to the White House on January 20, 2025. Tensions remain high following his first term (2016–2020), which was marked by the assassination of Quds Force Commander General Qassem Suleimani, one of Iran's most ...

Mojtaba Khamenei: The Shadow Prince of the Islamic Republic

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's second son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was chosen as his father's successor in September at a secret meeting of the Assembly of Experts, according to Israeli media outlet Yedioth Ahronot. The Assembly of Experts, whose members are 88 clerics elected by direct universal suffrage, is responsible for electing the next ...

Saudi Executes More Than 100 Foreigners in 2024

Saudi Arabia has executed more than 100 foreigners this year, according to an AFP tally indicating a sharp increase, which one rights group described as unprecedented. The latest execution, reported on Saturday in the southwestern region of Najran, was of a Yemeni national convicted of smuggling drugs into the Gulf kingdom, according to the ...

Why Fear the New When We Know the Old?

The idea of a "new Middle East" often takes on more weight than it deserves, as it is always associated with assumptions, fears, and troubling considerations as if this new Middle East is inherently an enemy of everything we know today. If we look back at World War I, when the concept of a "new Middle East" was first discussed before the ...

Hamas Official Says ‘Ready’ for Gaza Ceasefire, Urges Trump to ‘Pressure’ Israel

A senior Hamas official said Friday that the group is "ready for a ceasefire" in Gaza and urged US President-elect Donald Trump to pressure Israel to end the war. "Hamas is ready to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip if a ceasefire proposal is presented and on the condition that it is respected" by Israel, Hamas political bureau member Bassem ...

Loyalists and Powerhouses: Key Figures of the Trump Administration

RFK Jr., Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a longtime health and environmental campaigner, who at 70 proudly shows off his muscular body. But the scion of the famous US political dynasty is also a leading anti-vaccine activist and conspiracy theorist who has promoted the disproven idea that childhood vaccines cause autism and claimed ...

The Shadow of War on the Holiday Season!

As the year-end holidays approach, Lebanese expatriates who usually rush home to celebrate Christmas and New Year's with their families are now facing a grim reality. The ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel is profoundly affecting Lebanon, turning it from a place of festivities and celebrations into a war zone. This year, behind the ...

Trade Under Fire: How Are Imports Faring in Times of War?

The import of essential goods during wartime presents a major logistical and economic challenge for Lebanon. Importing companies, already weakened by multiple successive crises, are now facing exorbitant costs and increased risks in transport.   It's been around two months since the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah intensified, bringing a ...

'America First': What Economic Strategies Under Trump?

Donald Trump’s return to the White House would likely reinforce a protectionist and economically isolationist approach under the "America First" slogan, heightening challenges across international trade relations and geopolitical balances.   If Trump pursues a protectionist economic policy (America First) and adopts a more radical vision of ...