2016 started off with Riyadh executing an influential Shia cleric, resulting in a massive diplomatic crisis with Iran. This is not the only risk taken by the Gulf monarchs recently, raising a question: Why is the monarchy, once so careful, now so proactive in their foreign policy? Continue reading The Saudi Dilemma
The gruesome attacks in Paris were framed by some as a significant change in politics, linking it to a Third World War, a “clash of civilisations“, and a possible invocation of the NATO’s 5th article. Despite all these voices stressing the huge impact, I do not see much changing for now. Continue reading How the Paris Attacks did NOT change international relations
The recent Turkish attacks on IS and PKK indicate that Erdogan’s regional strategy has failed, while Assad’s seems more likely to succeed. Continue reading Too Little, Too Late
Iran’s nuclear deal has the potential of changing US-Iranian relations as well as regional power dynamics – finally, after decades of disruptive clashes. Continue reading Stopped the Bomb