Despite Iran’s increasing political power in the Middle East particularly after the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and the escalation of the war in Syria, its options, to engage in a direct confrontation with Israel, are dependent on financial and military factors.
Highly unusual events have been rocking the small, but strategically important Caspian nation of Azerbaijan during the last week. An attempt on the life of Elmar Veliyev, the mayor of the nation´s second city, Ganja, took place on July 3. Although seriously wounded, the mayor
The Trump administration has used rolling back Iran’s “malign” influence in the Middle East as a mantra to justify its aggressive approach to the country. The US withdrawal from the nuclear agreement, known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is couched in
Like a typical adolescent, bent on asserting his phallic worth through projecting raw force right and left – thereby creating a constant scene – Turkey would remain interesting as a site of constant political and economic drama or tragedy, depending on who you
Recent years have seen a rise of what could be described as Arab neoconservatives: ambitious leaders such as the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed. Their distinctive feature is a heavy
The shocking resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, on the 4th of November radically altered the political landscape of West Asia. The declaration was made in Riyadh, and it triggered both a political crisis in Lebanon and rumors speculating whether or not Hariri was
Alireza Shojaian invited our Arts and Culture contributor, Christiane Waked to his studio to discuss what it is like to be an Iranian painter in Beirut. C.W: Through your paintings, we feel like you belong to another space, dimension or even century. Do
At the beginning of July, two members of the Azerbaijani parliament, Qudrat Hassanguliyev and Fazil Gezenferoglu, launched a verbal attack against Iran. They accused Tehran of meddling in the internal affairs of a South Caucasus nation and supporting Armenia, which occupies Azerbaijani territory in the context of
Signed on 24 July 1923, the Lausanne Treaty divided Kurdistan between Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Azerbaijan. Even though we are entering its 94th anniversary now, one serious aspect of the Treaty has often, wittingly or unwittingly, been omitted. The dominant narrative maintains
“Our nation is Art nation” that is our motto at “The New Eastern Politics” where boundaries have no limits with our Art and Culture contributor, Christiane Waked who spoke with the Iranian sculptor Mojtaba Ramzi about art, life and the meaning of the