Tag Archive | Iran
Posted on June 21, 2020. Tags: coronavirus, COVID-19, EU, Iran, Middle East, nuclear deal, Sanctions, Trump, UN, US foreign policy
The deadly impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Iran has given a new focus to the ongoing debate about the purpose, effectiveness and relevance of US sanctions imposed on the country. Many leaders, political figures, and organisations have questioned the continuance of these sanctions. These include the UN Secretary General, the UN Special Rapporteurs on […]
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Posted in Iran, Middle East, US, World
Posted on February 25, 2018. Tags: House of Saud, Iran, MBS, Middle East, Mohammed bin Salman, Oil, oil and, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, yemen civil war
A new country is gradually emerging from the desert terrain of Saudi Arabia. Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS as the Crown Prince is commonly known, is at the helm. At 32 years of age, Mohammed bin Salman is the youngest minister of defence in the world, and is offering an ambitious programme of economic, religious, […]
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Posted in corruption, Economic Security, Global Economy, Saudi Arabia, World
Posted on May 23, 2018. Tags: Economics, EU, Iran, Middle East, nuclear deal, Politics, Trump, U.S., United States
The withdrawal of the Trump Administration from the Iran nuclear deal was a long time coming. Concluded in 2015 after months of negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 countries (United States, France, United Kingdom, Russia, China and Germany), the agreement seemingly provided a win-win outcome both in terms of the international community’s desire to rein […]
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Posted in Economics, Global Economy, Iran, Middle East, US, World
Posted on September 9, 2017. Tags: Abdüllah Öcalan, Ali Sistani, Iran, Iraq, ISIS, KRG, Kurdish, kurdistan, Kurds, Middle Eastern Christians, Muqtada Sadr, PKK, secession, Shi'a, Shiism, Shiite, Turkey
An alliance between Kurdish leftists and Iraqi militias shows why it’s dangerous to overestimate Iran’s role in the so-called “Shia crescent.” In light of the breakdown of state structures in Iraq and Syria, it’s tempting to try to build narratives that portray entire ethnic groups or sects as pawns of great powers like Iran, as […]
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Posted in Conflict, Iran, Iraq, Islam, Middle East, Religion, Security Issues, Syria, Terrorism, Turkey, World
Posted on July 5, 2017. Tags: Al Jazeera, Bahrain, Doha, GCC, Iran, Middle East, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
Grievances between Qatar and much of the rest of Middle East go back decades and help explain the schism that burst into the open recently and led to the widespread boycott of Qatar. Take the case of bad blood between Bahrain and Qatar. Bahrain is still angered over Qatar’s attempts to use its vast funds […]
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Posted in Conflict, Middle East, Saudi Arabia, World
Posted on May 7, 2016. Tags: Barack Obama, Civil Society, Diplomacy, Foreign Policy, Gulf, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, London, Middle East, Nuclear Weapons, Obama, Oil, Palestinian Israeli Conflict, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, U.S. Foreign Policy
I sat down with the U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission for the U.K., Minister Elizabeth Dibble, to discuss the Obama visit, the Middle East and the complex Iran-Saudi relationship. The Obama Visit to the U.K. D.M.: You touched on President Obama’s visit in your talk and what he said about the EU referendum. What for […]
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Posted in Conflict, Interviews, Iran, Israel, Israeli Palestinian Conflict, Middle East, Political Security, Saudi Arabia, Security Issues, Syria, US, World, Yemen
Posted on May 16, 2017. Tags: Hezbollah, Iran, ISIS, Islam, Islamism, Khamenei, Sectarianism, Shi'a, Sunni, Syria, Terrorism
Critics of Iran Thus far, the Trump administration has adopted a harsher stance towards Iran than the Obama Administration. In a recent press statement, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reiterated the common statement that “Iran remains a leading state sponsor of terror”. More recently in Astana, the agreement between Russia, Turkey, and Iran to create […]
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Posted in Iran, Israeli Palestinian Conflict, Middle East, Political Security, Saudi Arabia, Terrorism, World
Posted on July 11, 2012. Tags: Africa, Culture, Iran, Mohammed Mossadegh, Richard Nixon, U.S. Foreign Policy, United States
“It is reasonable to argue that but for the coup, Iran would be a mature democracy. So traumatic was the coup’s legacy that when the Shah finally departed in 1979, many Iranians feared a repetition of 1953, which was one of the motivations for the student seizure of the U.S. Embassy. The hostage crisis, in […]
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Posted in Africa, Culture, Europe, Middle East, Security Issues, World
Posted on February 16, 2012. Tags: Caucasus, Georgia, Iran, Russia, Soviet Union, Stalin, Turkey, USSR, World
The South Caucasus is a tribally divided region, rich in natural resources, that could wield considerable influence if unified, and could economically compete with Russia and the West. When asked to describe “the Caucasus”, most people reply with a blank stare. Some might guess you are referring to one of the more unusual facets of […]
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Posted in Middle East, Russia, Security Issues, World
Posted on August 27, 2015. Tags: Gun control, Guns, Iran, Middle East, Obama, Second Amendment, Virginia shooting
The shooting of journalist Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward live on breakfast television in Virginia was unimaginably horrific. Sadly, even the harrowing screams of Ms Parker in her last seconds are unlikely to change the U.S. debate about guns, but they should. These TV journalists were not operating in certain parts of Syria, Iraq, or Libya where they […]
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Posted in US, World
Posted on March 28, 2015. Tags: Business, Economics, Iran, Khamanei, Oil, Rouhani, Saudi Arabia, World
Garnering over 50 percent of the vote, Hassan Rouhani assumed a decisive victory on June 2013 and became Iran’s new president after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s eight year long reign. Vowing to pull the country out of its sanction filled, depressed economy, he won the elections by a landslide. Less than three months ago, during a December […]
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Posted in Economic Security, Economics, Global Economy, Iran, Middle East, Security Issues, World
Posted on March 15, 2015. Tags: AIPAC, Charlie Hebdo, Congress, Danish Cartoons, Denmark, Dome of the Rock, Foreign Policy, George Washington, Iran, Islam, Israel, Israel Lobby, J Street, James Madison, Jerusalem, Jewish Voice for Peace, John Boehner, Mecca, Muslims, Netanyahu, Obama, Palestinian Israeli Conflict, Palestinians, Republicans, Shin Bet
This article was first published in The Huffington Post on 3rd March 2015. One of the defining precepts of the American Republic from its earliest days to today has been that the president of the United States represents the country in its dealings with the world. It is a view which the Supreme Court unambiguously […]
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Posted in Iran, Middle East, US, World
Posted on December 26, 2013. Tags: Al Qaeda, Iran, Iraq, ISIS, Maliki
Every December, California based analyst Joel Wing and I discuss the coming 12 months in Iraq. Joel has been the author of the Musings on Iraq blog since 2008, providing detailed analysis of political, economic and security developments in Iraq. His work is frequently cited by leading journals and news outlets. The last year in […]
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Posted in Conflict, Interviews, Iraq, Middle East, Security Issues, Syria, Terrorism, World