Articles
Why Hezbollah will be paying close attention to Sunday's elections in Lebanon
Hezbollah cannot take parliamentary seats for granted at a time when its regional adventures are causing uneasiness at home, writes Michael Young
Trump needs to define achievable political objectives in Syria
Washington might not be able to beat the Astana process devised by Russia but it could try to join it and affect its outcome, something it has avoided until now, writes Michael Young
Ankara is laying the groundwork for a large zone of influence inside Syria with far-reaching implications
Some have speculated Turkey might go further still and attempt to annex Syria’s border areas in some kind of neo-Ottoman impulse, writes Michael Young
The Trump administration: policy by impulse, not clear thinking
The US president doesn’t take decisions because they advance American interests, but because they go against what his predecessor did, writes Michael Young
How Trump has adopted the foreign policy tunnel vision of his predecessors
Washington has a tendency to enter conflicts according to a narrow agenda, only to find itself caught up in wider regional struggles for power, writes Michael Young
The domestic mood in Lebanon does not favour a new Hezbollah war
There are some complex realities at work inside the country, writes Michael Young
The winners and losers in Washington's new plan for Palestinians
American efforts to take Jerusalem and refugee status off the table will savage Palestinians' rights to negotiate their own future
In Lebanon, the military sends out an aggressive message about censorship
The country's political class seems oblivious to the consequences of this rising tide, writes Michael Young
Resolving resolution 242: the UN ruling at the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict
US administrations have successively chiselled away at the ruling. Trump is just the latest to do so
America's growing lack of interest in the Middle East comes at its peril
Trump has sought to portray himself as the anti-Obama but he suffers from the same faults as his predecessor, writes Michael Young
In Syria, the hard part may be about to begin as Assad, Russia and Iran eye each other warily
As long as Assad remains president, he will represent a major barrier to Syria’s normalisation, writes Michael Young
Seven years after the Arab Spring, what has happened to calls for positive change?
The West has been too reluctant to promote universal values, which is a basic instrument of international relations
America lacks a coherent plan to counter Tehran's regional influence
Donald Trump can’t change the balance of power in the region and not have a Syria policy, writes Michael Young
Lebanon must not get caught in the crossfire between Hizbollah and its critics
No matter what outsiders suggest as a remedy to the group's strength, pragmatism is the only way forward. Punishing the country is wrong
Lebanon's proportional representation law may suit politicians, but it may also shoot them in the foot
On the one hand, it will compel leading politicians in most districts to form alliances with their major rivals, but on the other hand, a potentially fragmented parliament will benefit Hizbollah
