Google Play game incites players to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader

Other stages of the game include boss fights against several IRGC commanders and clerics, including General Qassem Soleimani and Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati

By restricting Moscow’s moves, Erdogan is playing Russian roulette

If closing part of Turkish airspace to Russian planes is an indication of Ankara's new direction, it may prove fatal for Turkey across several fronts.

Meta overturns decision to remove ‘Death to Khamenei’ posts

The Metaverse company explained that the phrase is not a literal threat to the Iranian supreme leader

US flexes muscle in Persian Gulf, to no avail

A panicked US tries to insert itself into West Asia's tsunami of political, economic, and diplomatic shifts, but is anybody listening?

Sweden agrees to extradite Turkish national in bid for NATO entry

The extradition is part of Stockholm's bid to join NATO

Tyranny on the waters: The UAE-Israeli occupation of Yemen’s Socotra Island

The transformation of Yemen’s strategically-located Socotra Island into an Emirati-Israeli military intelligence hub has raised concerns for the Ansarallah movement and its allies, significantly increasing the geopolitical stakes of the Yemen war.

Global South: Gold-backed currencies to replace the US dollar

The adoption of commodity-backed currencies by the Global South could upend the US dollar’s dominance and level the playing field in international trade.

Why the CIA attempted a ‘Maidan uprising’ in Brazil

The failed coup in Brazil is the latest CIA stunt, just as the country is forging stronger ties with the east.

Why BRI is back with a bang in 2023

As Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative enters its 10th year, a strong Sino-Russian geostrategic partnership has revitalized the BRI across the Global South.

‘Peaceful modernization’: China’s offering to the Global South

Xi Jinping just offered the Global South a stark alternative to decades of western diktats, war, and economic duress. 'Peaceful modernization' will establish sovereignty, economy, and independence for the world's struggling states

Oil cuts: A perfect storm in US foreign policy 

The Biden administration’s poor dealings with oil producing countries will have major political and economic ramifications for the west

Israel deploys advanced warning system against anti-tank weapons

Despite the battle-proven effectiveness of the Trophy system, ATGMs remain a potent threat against Israel's military forces

‘Samarkand Spirit’ to be driven by ‘responsible powers’ Russia and China

The SCO summit of Asian power players delineated a road map for strengthening the multipolar world

With eye on the CIA, Moscow cracks the whip at Israel 

The Jewish Agency is Israel's life source and the Kremlin shut it down this month. The fallout may be a measurable schism between Moscow and Tel Aviv, in which the latter has a lot to lose.

Putin revs up Russia’s consequential ties with Iran, Turkey

All eyes will be on Iran's Astana Summit next week, as geopolitical events accelerate Moscow’s drive to boost relations with Tehran and Ankara

Turkey and NATO: a vital alliance, with limits

With deepening global polarization, can Ankara retain its foreign policy autonomy within NATO?

US ‘coercive diplomacy’ with Saudi Arabia

While a carrot may advance US interests infinitely better than a stick at this sensitive juncture in US-Saudi relations, all indications are that Biden will resort to the stick.

Iran makes gains as Israel, Turkey test Moscow’s limits on Ukraine

Under pressure to side with the west on Ukraine, Israel and Turkey risk falling out with Russia – which will benefit Iran in the long-term.

Will Lebanon’s Arab tribes fill Saudi Arabia’s ‘Hariri void’ in upcoming elections?

The Arab Tribe Federation of Lebanon has grown into a powerful political force that may be poised to replace the Future Movement as Saudi Arabia’s main Sunni political ally

In snub to Washington, UAE reaches out to Russia

Washington's geopolitical cards are dwindling rapidly. The high-level UAE visit to Moscow this week has consolidated OPEC+ support for Russia in the energy war now raging between east and west.

At Moscow meeting, Russia and Iran choreograph new moves

Tehran and Moscow appear to have dispensed with thorny setbacks to their relationship and look set to strike comprehensive new bilateral and multilateral arrangements

Saudi Arabia and the UAE: Two rival allies

Once staunch allies, MbS and MbZ can't seem to see eye-to-eye on regional matters anymore, and so a competition for primacy is underway.

Crisis in confidence: Israelis versus their army

The killing of an Israeli army sniper last month has unleashed widespread public discontent, with Israelis competing to criticize their armed forces and its commanders.

Meet the Anglo-Turkish oil company with an iron grip on KRG oil

The Kurdistan Regional Government has sold its soul to Turkish oil predators and Iraq is paying the price. Genel Energy is one such company, and the debt it has generated holds the country in hock.

Another Western assault on Afghanistan will backfire inside Europe

The Taliban are being pressured to create an inclusive government; whether it happens is anyone's guess. But sanctions and destabilization should not be the objective of foreign parties, as Europe will pay the consequences.

Qatar’s first-ever election unsettles its neighbors 

Qatar's maiden Shura Council elections are being heavily scrutinized for their potential domestic and regional ramifications. While voter eligibility criteria has caused ripples within the country, some Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) neighbors fear the Qatari vote will widen demands for representative government among their own citizens.

Tension with Riyadh and tea in Tel Aviv – what is MbZ’s real goal in the region?

Who is MbZ, why is he punching above his weight, and what are his global aspirations? We take a deep dive into the calculations of this enigmatic Gulf emir.