US Foreign Policy

By Maria Papageorgiou, Newcastle University (The Conversation) – The US president, Donald Trump, claimed he was able to secure deals totalling more than US$2 trillion (£1.5 trillion) for the US on his tour of the Gulf states in May. Trump said “there has never been anything like” the amount of jobs and money these agreements […]

China

Ukraine, Gaza, Iran and Trump: Is the World on the Brink of a Major Disaster?

Farhang Jahanpour

Oxford (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – The reports of the past few days are extremely worrying. The acrimonious and open split between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk will have major repercussions for US politics and for the rest of Trump’s presidential term. Consequently, it will also have a negative impact on international politics, […]

Donald Trump

Yemen: US Strikes on Port an Apparent War Crime

Human Rights Watch

April Attack Killed 80 Civilians; Aid Delivery Hindered Human Rights Watch – (Beirut) – US military strikes on the Ras Issa Port in Hodeidah, Yemen, on April 17, 2025, caused dozens of civilian casualties and significant damage to port infrastructure, Human Rights Watch said today. The attack should be investigated as a war crime. As […]

Donald Trump

Starving Babies: The Self-Liquidation of U.S. Global Soft Power

Alfred W. McCoy

( Tomdispatch.com ) – With the Oval Office looking more like a middle school classroom every day, let’s recall the way, once upon a time, we responded to childhood taunts from a playground bully. You remember how it goes. Your nemesis says mockingly that you’re a this-or-that and you shout back: “Takes one to know […]

Iran

As US Pushes For Zero Enrichment, Iran Insists It Won’t Give Up Nuclear Program

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By RFE/RL’s Radio Farda and Kian Sharifi ( RFE/RL ) – US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff declared that the Donald Trump administration’s “red line” in the nuclear talks with Iran is Tehran’s ability to enrich uranium at any level, prompting Iran to say it will continue enrichment “with or without a deal.” “We cannot allow […]

Donald Trump

The Gulf States have Long Boosted US Economic Dominance, even if not every President Got a Free Private Jet

The Conversation

By Adam Hanieh, University of Exeter (The Conversation) – After signing a US$142 billion (£107 billion) arms deal with Saudi Arabia, Donald Trump said the US bond with that country was “more powerful than ever”. He was also reportedly quite pleased with the gift of a private jet from Qatar. But these arrangements are just […]

Donald Trump

For all Trump’s new Mideast Contracts, Two Big Deals Elude Him

Shahram Akbarzadeh

By Shahram Akbarzadeh, Deakin University (The Conversation) – US President Donald Trump’s visit to Arab states in the Middle East this week generated plenty of multibillion-dollar deals. He said more than US$1 trillion (A$1.5 trillion) worth of deals had been signed with Saudi Arabia alone, though the real total is likely much lower than that. […]

Featured

Are Cyberattacks and Iran’s Port Explosion the First Salvo in Disrupting U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks?

Ibrahim Al-Marashi

Iran, Israel, the US, Russia, and China are interconnected by rumors of cyberattacks and sabotage By Mohammad Eslami and Ibrahim Marashi | – Braga, Portugal and San Marcos, Ca. (Special to Informed Comment, Feature) – As negotiations between Iran and the United States entered a critical third round, an unexpected disaster struck one of Iran’s […]

Genocide

Biden never pressured Israel for Ceasefire, as Israeli Officials boast of exploiting US Support

Middle East Monitor

by Nasim Ahmed ( Middle East Monitor ) – The administration of former US President, Joe Biden, knowingly allowed Israel’s genocide in Gaza to continue long after it had lost any clear military objective, with senior officials in Washington privately admitting it amounted to “killing and destroying for the sake of killing and destroying”. […]