Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Jasim Al-Azzawi
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China’s spectacular rise
Following President Nixon’s historic visit to China in the early 1970s, many believed that fostering economic ties with China would pave the way for stronger alliances and mutual benefit. This initial optimism about economic integration with China was rooted in the assumption that a rising, prosperous China would inevitably integrate…
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Israel’s image: From darling of the West to global pariah
For 77 years, Israel has enjoyed the unwavering support and admiration of the West, frequently championed as the only democracy in the Middle East. Israel built its reputation on technological innovation, military prowess, and a perceived alignment with Western values. The United States, in particular, has long treated Israel as…
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The phantom ceasefire: Why a second strike on Iran seems inevitable
A Pause, Grossi’s red flags, and unfinished job In late June, US and Israeli forces declared a halt in their operations against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. But among seasoned observers, this pause is seen less as a peace effort and more as a tactical breather. Experts have dubbed it a phantom…
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Netanyahu’s Gaza gambit: A last stand or strategic folly?
As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushes forward with his plan to conquer the remaining 25 per cent of the Gaza Strip, the move is being met with fierce resistance, not just from the international community but from within Israel’s own military and political establishment. The plan, approved by the…
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The seeds of intervention – American exceptionalism and the 1953 Coup in Iran
The question of why the United States often seems quicker to resort to military intervention than diplomacy is one of the most lasting and unsettling questions. The late President Jimmy Carter called the US the most “warlike” country on earth, and lamented his country’s thirty wars, conflicts, and assassinations since…
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Starvation as strategy: Netanyahu’s war crimes and America’s shame
Moral outrage and political tsunami The pièce de résistance in the political tsunami that swept across parliaments, streets of world capitals, and podiums, culminating in a cascade of recognitions for Palestine, was Israel’s starvation campaign. A deliberate deprivation that tore through the veil of diplomatic neutrality. When images of emaciated…
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From rust to rockets: The battle to modernise Iran’s legacy air force
The recent 12-day war between Israel and Iran dramatically exposed the gaping vulnerabilities in Iran’s air defence capabilities. Israeli F-35, F-15, and F-16 jets operated with near impunity, bombarding critical Iranian sites, including airbases, nuclear facilities like Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz, and vital industrial and energy infrastructure. The Israeli Air…
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Israel at a crossroads: Warnings from within on war crimes and the cost of denial
Moral unravelling “Israel is losing its soul,” warned Gideon Levy, whose columns in Haaretz have long served as moral indicators in Israeli discourse. He is not a lonely voice in the wilderness. His lament is echoed by his colleague, journalist and author Amira Hass, and by Haaretz’s editorial board, which…
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Winners and losers of the 7 October War
The Middle East conflict escalated after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, disrupting the region and prompting global reflection. The war has produced notable winners and losers. Let’s start with the losers. Main losers Israeli narrative For 77 years, Israel meticulously cultivated an image of victimhood, presenting itself as…
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The Netanyahu paradox: Palestine’s unlikeliest, most potent advocate
For nearly 77 years, the Israeli narrative has eclipsed the Palestinian perspective. In the aftermath of World War II, a profound sense of Western guilt over the Holocaust paved the way for the creation of Israel. This new state, however, quickly evolved into what many now describe as a colonial,…
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Not in our name: Jewish voices of conscience challenge US support for Israel’s Gaza War
A growing Jewish movement across the United States is rejecting Israel’s war in Gaza, asserting that Judaism must never be invoked to justify state violence. “Judaism commands us to pursue justice, not to justify injustice.” — Prof. Susannah Heschel A weekly ritual of dissent Each Friday at dusk, as Shabbat…
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The AI mirage: How artificial intelligence fueled a war against Iran
An unverified AI-generated threat assessment triggered a preemptive US strike on Iran, exposing the dangers of outsourcing national security decisions to speculative algorithms and geopolitical manipulation, while revealing how intelligence distortion and technological overreach can escalate regional conflicts and undermine global stability. When US missiles slammed into Iranian nuclear facilities…
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Pinprick sanctions and empty threats: Why Netanyahu isn’t losing sleep
The European Union and the United States are threatening Israel with sanctions over its war on Gaza. But the measures are symbolic, the outrage is performative; and Netanyahu knows it. When Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to collapse Netanyahu’s government over the possibility of food aid reaching starving civilians…
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Netanyahu’s desperate gamble: Striking Iran to escape the noose?
After nearly two years of a brutal war in Gaza, Netanyahu’s political edifice appears to be crumbling. His declared objective of eliminating Hamas remains elusive, and the fate of Israeli hostages hangs precariously in the balance. Public confidence has plummeted, and the military is facing unprecedented losses amid profound political…
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Israel has crossed the Rubicon and the reckoning is coming
The brutal Israeli war on Gaza has done more than reshape the physical landscape of the besieged enclave; it has irrevocably altered the global political and moral landscape. In less than two years, the edifice of eighty years of Zionist propaganda and carefully constructed global brainwashing has not merely cracked,…