Crisis
After four weeks of war, it is obvious that the U.S. and Israel have enjoyed extraordinary military success in eliminating much of Iran’s leadership and military capabilities. However, Iran’s regime has succeeded at a political (at least rhetorical) and economic level – first by simply surviving the onslaught and second by exercising its stranglehold on […]
... written on Apr 01 2026Just a few years ago, Pakistan faced diplomatic and economic uncertainty – even isolation. For years, during the Cold War and War on Terror, the U.S. counted on Pakistan as an ally. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) worked closely with Pakistan’s army and intelligence services in its hunt for the al Qaeda militants responsible for Sept. […]
... written on Mar 30 2026Were there diplomacy talks between the U.S. and Iran – either directly or indirectly – to end the war in the Middle East? Trump proudly said “yes” whilst Tehran said “no”. As strange as it may sound, both Trump and Tehran did not lie. A back-channel diplomacy had indeed occurred, but Iran was not officially […]
... written on Mar 25 2026About a week after a joint U.S.-Israel military strike on Iran, sending global oil prices above US$100 a barrel, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim started to panic. He immediately warned that the government’s subsidies to maintain RON95 petrol at RM1.99 per litre can last for only two months. That was the clearest hint that his […]
... written on Mar 24 2026Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have given mixed and confusing signals on how long the Iran War would go on. By now, Tehran should realize that it was a tactic to keep the regime guessing. It’s part of psychology warfare – pretending to be weak and disunited to let the enemies’ guard down. It also […]
... written on Mar 21 2026Regardless of whether it’s democracy or communism, people should not be overly obsessed with worshipping their leaders. Blind support, which often leads to absurd loyalty, would produce dictatorships, which in turn have a habit of slipping into a comedy show. In 1937, after Joseph Stalin delivered a speech at a Communist Party conference, the hall […]
... written on Mar 19 2026Did Iran really think Donald Trump would surrender after the regime has disrupted one of the world’s most important waterways, the Strait of Hormuz? Not only is Tehran suspected of the attacks on at least 16 foreign commercial ships in the Persian Gulf area since the war began on February 28, but it is also jamming signals […]
... written on Mar 15 2026Iran has weaponized the Strait of Hormuz to create a global oil crisis. As a result, crude oil prices skyrocketed to almost US$120 a barrel on Monday, before fell on Tuesday sparked by President Trump’s comment that the war would be over “very soon.” Brent, the global benchmark, was still 27% higher than on the eve […]
... written on Mar 12 2026Russia is arguably the “only winner”, if not one of the biggest winners, in the ongoing US-Israel war with Iran. Not only does the conflict trigger a spike in oil prices, which translates into stronger revenues for Russia, which remains one of the world’s largest oil exporters despite Western sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine, […]
... written on Mar 10 2026Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab states like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had thought that it was safer to be on friendly terms with a hostile Iran rather than confront it. When China brokered a deal in March 2023 to restore diplomatic relations between two bitter rivals in the Middle East, Saudi and Iran, the peace proposal […]
... written on Mar 09 2026
