Category: Middle East / Asia

By Alfred Nobel’s original intent, the Peace Prize should go to those who actually end wars, not those who merely talk about it. In 2025, Trump has brokered real agreements between sworn enemies and stepped directly into the world’s most dangerous conflicts…

President Trump’s return to office has marked a fundamental departure from conventional foreign policy approaches that have dominated Washington for decades. His first six months demonstrate how unorthodox methods — transactional negotiations, direct pressure and strategic leverage — can achieve breakthroughs that traditional diplomatic playbooks consistently failed to deliver…

North Korea has become one of Moscow’s most reliable military suppliers — not because of its technological prowess, but because its nuclear arsenal shields it from meaningful Western retaliation…

As Israel escalates its confrontation with Iran, Donald Trump faces a defining foreign policy test. The choice before him is not between diplomacy and war. Diplomacy has largely been exhausted; war, in some form, is already underway. The real question is more consequential and more concrete: should the United States supply Israel with its most formidable non-nuclear weapon, the 30,000-pound bunker buster, which only America has the air power capability to deliver…

The global sukuk market for Islamic finance faces a pivotal moment. A new framework from the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) threatens to destabilise a $1tn market that has become a vital funding source for sovereigns and corporates across the Middle East, Asia and beyond. The spiritual imperative behind proposed changes to AAOIFI’s Shariah Standard 62 is deeply respected. They seek to make sukuk debt appear less like debt with charged interest, something that is prohibited under Islamic law. However, the real-world effects could fracture a market that has flourished precisely because of its consistency and investor confidence. The stakes for global Islamic finance could not be higher…

If America wants to stay competitive, it must rethink its approach to Africa, and fast…

As Donald Trump heads back to the White House, leaders across the Middle East anticipate the revival of a pragmatic partnership centered on economic growth, security, and regional stability. Trump’s first term resonated with Gulf leaders and beyond, emphasizing results over ideology—a stark contrast to the Biden administration. His tenure’s signature accomplishments, including the Abraham Accords, a robust stance on Iran, and business-driven diplomacy, are seen as a roadmap for renewed progress in the region…

The dramatic fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad marks a watershed moment in the tumultuous history of the Middle East. Mr. Assad’s regime, sustained for years by the external lifelines of Russia and Iran, finally crumbled under the weight of its contradictions and the enduring pressures of civil war. For the United States, his fall underscores critical lessons about our foreign policy failures and raises urgent questions about the road ahead…

Trump’s coming trade war will drive more supply chains out of China, opening opportunities for select others to fill the gaps…