By James M. Dorsey US President Donald Trump may envision himself as a Middle Eastern puppet master, only to find out that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Arab and Muslim leaders have played him. Even so, it is Hamas and the Palestinians who are likely to hold the bag, not Mr. Trump. The fact of the matter is that …
Muhammad Zahid Rifat Pakistan believes in having and maintaining cordial relations with all countries and in particular brotherly ties with the Islamic countries in accordance with the principles of the foreign policy as spelt out by the Quaidi-i-Azam. For sometime now, Pakistan has been endeavouring to promote and strengthen fraternal brotherly ties with all countries, particularly neighbouring countries and members …
By Dr. James M. Dorsey Despite its devastating human and physical cost, Israel’s effort to destroy Hamas has a whack-a-mole aspect. Even though Israel asserts it has killed 12,000 of Hama’s estimated 40,000 fighters and wounded or captured thousands more, Hamas retains a presence in swaths of Gaza. It has been able to re-establish itself, to varying degrees, in areas …
An open letter by Rabia Kramet Rizvi Dear mankind, I am a Muslim and the words of my Lord, who is not only my Lord but the Lord of Christians and Jews alike, call for tolerance and peace. Why do I say that? Because my Muslim scriptures say so in the Holy Quran. You call Him Yahweh, others call Him …
By Dr. James M. Dorsey The stakes in the Gaza war for the United States and President Joe Biden could not be higher. For the United States, it’s the ability to garner support for its positions on multiple issues, among which the Ukraine war looms large. Mr. Biden’s bear hug approach towards Israel has sparked widespread allegations of hypocrisy and …
Had there been a Palestinian representation, the Palestinian voice would have been President Mahmoud Abbas’s Palestine Authority, dominated by Al Fatah, Hamas’ archrival, further marginalized by the fighting. By Dr. James M. Dorsey Hamas, the Islamist militia that controls Gaza, will likely emerge a victor regardless of how the latest round of Israeli-Palestinian fighting ends. Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel, …
By Dr. James M. Dorsey An Indonesian push for a Southeast Asian return to values rooted in an ancient Indo civilisation amounts to an innovative attempt to manage polarisation. Exploiting its rotating chairmanship of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Indonesia this week inaugurated the ASEAN Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue. The dialogue opened by Indonesian President Joko Widodo …
By Dr. JAMES M. DORSEY The United Arab Emirates resembles US ‘Teflon President’ Ronald Reagan. Congresswoman Pat Schroeder awarded Mr. Reagan the label because nothing stuck to him while he was president in the 1980s – not the recession, not his interventions in Lebanon that cost the lives of 241 US Marines, not his plunging job approval rating. UAE …
By Dr. James M. Dorsey | For Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, religious reform has long been a question of when rather than if. Mr. Bin Salman’s potential embrace of religious, not just social and economic reform, could have far-reaching consequences for the role of religion in Saudi Arabia and religious soft power rivalry in the Muslim world. A …
By Dr. James M. Dorsey | At first, comparing Palestinian gunmen in the Israeli-occupied West Bank to rioting youth in France may resemble likening apples to pears. In many ways, it is. Youth in France are full-fledged French citizens demanding an end to disenfranchisement, marginalisation, alienation, racism and law enforcement and security force brutality. That is where Palestinians would like …
