by Omar Ahmed

The renewed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region has the propensity to draw in regional powers such as Iran, Russia and Turkey, and thus become a proxy war in the South Caucasus. The conflict is one that is already progressing towards outright war as fighting has now escalated, with cities being bombed, a rising death toll and allegations of cluster bombs being used.

Dear Yogi Adityanath Ji,

When you became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in March 2017, I likened it to Confucius coming to power in China in 500 BC. You also came close to Plato’s concept of the philosopher king, although the experiment of religious leaders holding political power was never a success anywhere in the world.

by Feras Abu-Helal

The popular protests in many Egyptian cities over the past two weeks cannot be considered as normal events, regardless of their size and spread. This is because merely participating in demonstrations means facing possible imprisonment or death under an oppressive and authoritarian regime that does not give any weight to basic human rights.

by Elif Selin Calik

Turkey’s 21st-century geopolitical strategy is called the Blue Homeland. It is the brainchild of retired Rear Admiral Cem Gurdeniz, who talked to MEMO about Turkey’s eastern Mediterranean policy, which envisions Turkey ignoring the internationally-recognised coastal rights of islands and laying exclusive claim to huge chunks of the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas.

by Ramzy Baroud

Overwhelmed by uncontrollable circumstances, the Greek government is bracing for another financial crisis that promises to be as terrible as the last one in 2015.

by Dr Amira Abo el-Fetouh

I did not expect a courageous response from the so-called Arab league regarding the UAE-Israel normalisation agreement, because the dead cannot talk, and the Arab League is basically dead and buried after rejecting the draft Palestinian resolution to condemn the deal. It did so despite the fact that such normalisation is a departure from the resolutions of Arab and Islamic summits and the peace initiative that the organisation itself adopted at the 2002 Beirut summit.

by Motasem A Dalloul

As the tension over maritime borders in the East Mediterranean was escalating between Turkey and Greece, France stepped up with a big stick in support of its fellow EU member and threatened Turkey. President Emanuel Macron said that the government in Ankara “is no longer a partner.”

by Jamal Zahalka

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a number of crises. On a personal level, the most serious are the corruption charges against him. If found guilty, he will be out of office, labelled as a corrupt prime minister and possibly even imprisoned.

by Mahan Abedin

The decision by Iran and China to embark on what amounts to a 25-year strategic partnership has touched off a flurry of analysis and speculation around the world. The agreement – which has yet to be formalised – is set to transform Iran’s foreign policy outlook by triggering a move towards the East.

by Muhammad Hussein

Not since Napoleon stepped foot on the shores of Alexandria in July 1798, embarking on his short-lived invasion of Egypt, has a Frenchman so imperiously sought to topple a native regional power in the eastern Mediterranean while still appealing to the local population.

by Deepak Joshi

India’s draconian Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 (CAA), and the Modi Government’s authoritarian response to protests and dissent, got a mention in the New South Wales parliament of Australia. Australian Greens Senator Mr David Shoebridge MLC moved a motion against CAA on Thursday 27 August 2020 that calls for review of Australia’s trade links with India over concern for human rights violations.

The motion called upon the Australian Government to:

by Ramona Wadi

Predictably, Donald Trump’s Senior Adviser Jared Kushner exhibited no historical discernment when justifying the normalisation of relations between Israel and the UAE, and how this will affect the Palestinian people’s political rights.