Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Jasim Al-Azzawi
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The tyranny of geography: Ukraine’s fatal gamble
Few conflicts in modern times better demonstrate the tyranny of geography than the war in Ukraine. At its center is Crimea, a peninsula whose ownership has been fought over for centuries-a sad reminder that, geopolitically, location largely determines destiny. Once the historical homeland of the Crimean Tatars, it was annexed…
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Iraq’s tightrope walk sharpens between American security and Iranian influence
Iraq enters 2025 facing the same unsparing question that has haunted it for two decades: can it remain a partner to Washington while sustaining the political and economic lifelines that tie it to Tehran? With Donald Trump back in the White House and reviving his “maximum pressure” doctrine, the space…
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Zohran Mamdani: The mayor who could redefine American politics
When New York’s incoming mayor Zohran Mamdani stood beside President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Friday, the encounter was far more revealing than anyone expected—not for what was said, but for what was betrayed. In a moment of unguarded political instinct, Trump posed what seemed like a casual…
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Cheney, Bush, and the crime against Iraq
The cathedral of amnesia In the Washington National Cathedral, America’s political elite gathered to sanctify Dick Cheney’s legacy. Presidents, vice presidents, and celebrities lined up to hail him. His family sang his praises. The pews were packed with dignitaries, their faces sombre, their words reverent. However, beneath those solemn hymns…
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Mr tough guy and the two farcical ceasefires
Israel’s relentless bombardment of Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon is no defensive reflex but a strategic doctrine. Targeting commanders, infrastructures, and supply routes reflects a long-term policy of attrition, aimed at crippling Hezbollah’s military capacity while keeping Lebanon politically constrained and diplomatically cornered. Farcical This is not war; it is…
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Holier than thou, now hollow: Hezbollah, Israel, and Tom Barrack’s ignominious fall
The Middle East, once again, is standing at a crucial crossroad. Hezbollah refuses to disarm. Israel vows it will force the issue. Washington, through its envoy Tom Barrack, has delivered an ultimatum, sounding less like diplomacy but rather like a loaded gun laid on the negotiating table. But beneath this…
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Europe’s hollow diplomacy: The illusion of accountability in Its dealings with Israel
As evidence piles up of Israel’s flouting of international law and humanitarian norms, Europe engages in a kind of ritual rhetoric, without taking action. The refrain — “We are reviewing our trade relations with Israel and may contemplate suspension of our trade agreements” — is a diplomatic cliché devoid of…
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The tragedy of premature reckoning: Hamas and the curse of peaking too soon
In the long march of liberation, timing is not a luxury; it is survival. Movements rise and collapse not solely on the justice of their cause but on their capacity for discipline, patience, and long-range vision. Revolutions do not perish for lack of zeal. They die when zeal outruns strategy,…
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The improbable statesman: Al-Sharaa’s White House gambit and the future of Syria’s sovereignty
In a scene unimaginable just months ago, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa strode into the White House this week, becoming the first Syrian leader to visit the United States. The arrival marked a stunning reversal of fortune for a man who, barely a year ago, led insurgent forces with a $10…
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Two narcissists, two scorpions in a bottle: When one cracks, the other shatters the illusion in a verbal blitz
The moment two men who believe that they alone possess the map of history get together, their alliance is undoubtedly built on shifting sands. Donald J. Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, two figures driven by hubris, standing at the apex of praise and power, now risk spectacular implosion. Their bromance was…
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The Epstein file claimed its first grand victim: Prince Andrew fell. Who’s next — Trump?
The Epstein scandal was never a sordid story of sex and power alone. An indictment of how proximity to money and influence once guaranteed impunity in a decaying global order, it is a mirror held up. Those guarantees are crumbling. Prince Andrew was the first grand domino to fall. His…
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Fighting in the dark: How intelligence penetration forced Iran’s hand
The War itself might have lasted twelve days. Still, Iran will be living with its echoes for years, not with the missiles or the scorched targets, but with the knowledge that during those twelve days the regime discovered the enemy within: spies, sabotage, and assassination of the regime’s key figures.…
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President Trump, say goodbye to your dream of winning the Nobel Peace Prize
Donald Trump’s self-congratulatory claim that he “ended nine major wars” is a refrain of his post-presidential mythmaking. He speaks of peace like a stage magician speaks of miracles — with flourish, confidence, and an eye to applause. He boasts that he “ended eight wars” and that his deals are monuments…
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Hizballah’s last stand: Disarmament, defiance, and Tehran’s shadow over Lebanon
As Lebanon approaches parliamentary elections in May 2026, the country stands at a crossroads. Hizballah, the mighty image of Lebanese politics and Middle Eastern resistance, has been left battered and isolated politically after its latest confrontation with Israel. But even in its weakened position, the organization remains defiant—retaining its weapons…
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The Kurds and the tyranny of geography
For a people without a country, the dream of statehood is not merely political—it is existential. The Kurds, a mountainous people of shepherds and warriors, are the largest ethnic group in the world without a state. Numbering between 40 and 45 million, they are scattered across Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and…
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The triad of war crimes, BDS, and global condemnation haunting Israel’s future
The three ghosts—war crimes, BDS, and global condemnation—will torment Israel for the next few decades, troubling its conscience and eroding its legitimacy. They are not transient criticisms, but eternal indictments that cut across borders and generations. Charges of war crimes bear moral stains that no diplomatic smokescreen can gloss over.…
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Hello Britain, are you happy now with the misery you inflicted on the Palestinians?
Allow me to respond. The world accuses you of eighty years of suffering, dispossession, exile, and death — of creating a catastrophe that spread cancer-like across generations. Gaza, Jenin, Deir Yassin. These are not single atrocities, but stepping stones to a century of calamity hatched in Whitehall salons. You lit…
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Swiss cheese diplomacy: Trump’s hollow peace parade in Jerusalem
Donald Trump’s speech to the Israeli Knesset was less a diplomatic address than a narcissistic spectacle—a pageant of self-congratulation masquerading as statesmanship. He strutted through Jerusalem like a messianic salesman, peddling peace while barely uttering the word “Palestinian.” Twice, in passing. That’s all the people of Gaza got from the…
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Hail to the chief: Trump lands in Egypt to reap the glory, rescue Netanyahu, and rewrite the ending of the Gaza story
In a move dense with symbolism and political calculation, President Donald Trump is in Egypt to celebrate the handover of Israeli hostages by Hamas. What is cast as a diplomatic triumph is, in reality, a performance piece designed to salvage reputations rather than achieve peace. For two brutal years, Israel—with…
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The delusional ceasefire and the inevitable resumption of fighting
The world has greeted the new ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinians with cautious optimism. However, beneath the diplomatic courtesy and carefully selected words lies an unpleasant fact: this agreement is built on sand. The ceasefire, hailed by world leaders as a breakthrough, is no more than a temporary…
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Iraq at the crossroads: A vote for change or history repeated?
With parliament scheduled to cast ballots on 11 November 2025, Iraq is at a juncture that extends far beyond the vote. Two fundamental questions underlie the essence of this turning point: Is Baghdad capable of gaining genuine sovereignty over its security apparatus by eliminating the Popular Mobilisation Force and its…
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The price was high, the return is priceless: How the war on Gaza unmasked Israel
Ever since 7 October 2023, a painful question has haunted every soul. Was the immense price paid by Palestinians worth it? For months, this question was a hushed whisper. Today, it has become a deafening scream echoing from every pulpit. And there is only one group of people with the…
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A US general, British PM, Netanyahu, and the paradox of war crimes
In 1945, US General Curtis LeMay offered a rare moment of candor. As his bombers incinerated Japanese cities, he told his crews, “If we lose, we’d all be tried as war criminals.” It was not a confession. It was a calculation. LeMay understood what most prefer to forget: in war,…
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Round two: Why the next Israel-Iran War will shatter the Middle East
Three months after a hastily brokered ceasefire ended 12 days of confrontation between Iran and Israel, a false calm settles over the Middle East. But behind the facades, both armies are studying the unprecedented exchange of fire in June that would make any round two conflict apocalyptically worse than round…