by Ghassan Kadi In an article published on the Saker titled “Kurdish Autonomy; Partition or Masterplan”, and as the unsavoury prospect of establishing an independent Kurdish state in Syria was taking form, I emphasised that this scenario is avoidable, and at worst, if it had to happen, and if all cards were played correctly, then a seemingly impending disaster could be turned around and that any potential harm could be
by Ghassan Kadi As the world citizens watch with horror the escalation between the USA and Russia on one hand and with China on the other hand, and as they fear the worst; a nuclear holocaust, citizens of the Muslim World watch the escalation between Saudi Arabia and Iran and fear the “regional worst”, and that is an all-out Sunni Shiite strife. It must be remembered that even though Muslim
by Ghassan Kadi The sudden, unprovoked and coordinated outrage of Middle East regional powers, as well as international powers, against Qatar is something akin to a story in “Fables de La Fontaine”. With a bit of a twist, it resembles the story of “The Animals Seized with the Plague”. For the benefit of those who are unfamiliar with this fable, the animals convened to find out why they were struck
by Ghassan Kadi Like all Arabs of my age group, we all remember this war like it was yesterday. We remember how we huddled glued to our radios listening to military news reports and watching military parades and war songs on black and white TV screens, believing that the Arab armies of Egypt, Syria and Jordan were on a winning streak, not knowing that the war was really over before
by Ghassan Kadi A lot has been said and speculated on about the “real” objectives of Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia. Seasoned veteran British journalist/analyst and Middle East expert Robert Fisk sees it as an attempt to create a Sunni-style NATO to curb the Iranian expansion, and his speculation is on the money, but in realistic terms, what can this visit and its “aftermath” achieve? Despite the slump on crude
by Ghassan Kadi The more pre-election, post-election and even post-inauguration promises that President Trump breaks, the harder he makes it for himself to “Make America Great again”. But this narrative herein is not based on the political rhetoric and broken promises, rather, it is about a hypothetical scenario that questions if America is realistically able to bring Trump’s slogan to fruition. “Make America Great Again” is a catch phrase that
by Ghassan Kadi The weak and selfish French monarch Louis the XV is perhaps best known for his famous/infamous quote; “Après moi, le déluge” (after me, the flood). The weak and selfish monarch was at least wise enough to realize that during the time of his reign, the people of France had had enough of the ruthless yoke of absolute monarchy that his predecessor, Louis the XIV, epitomized in the
by Ghassan Kadi Trumps recent and sudden 180 degree turn on a number of international issues is mind-boggling, to say the least. But, if we connect the dots it becomes easier to get into the mind of the pragmatic billionaire-turned-President. First and foremost, we must thank Obama for the “if” state of mind he gave us about Trump. Many analysts, including myself, felt hopeful when Clinton was defeated and Trump
by Ghassan Kadi Barely two months into his office, Trump is still facing a very hostile environment around him both domestically and internationally. Many of his domestic election promises have been kept to the pleasure of some and dismay of others, but on the international front, his emerging policies are, for better and for worse, still developing. Some pundits believe that it is only a matter of time before Trump
by Ghassan Kadi In his recent article titled “Obama Out Not With a Bang, But a Whimper”, and in his regular eloquent and expressive style, Pepe Escobar nailed it. More need not be said about the Obama legacy, but this man, Obama, has had a personal effect on me, one that I cannot let go of without putting down on paper my own views of his infamous legacy. I am
by Ghassan Kadi Love or hate the Hippie era, it was definitely different, and it heralded the beginning of a new type of awakening in the West, and this time the awakening was not against the Western Church(es), but against the establishment. It is not by accident that this movement climaxed when the Vietnam War reached its zenith, and the more Johnson and later on Nixon intensified the US-led attack
by Ghassan Kadi My American friend Roger is a staunch Democrat supporter. He is in his seventies and has always voted Democrat. Him and I have had countless discussions over the many years that we have known each other. His paternal roots are Arabic and he sees himself to be on the “left” side of politics, anti-Israel lobby, anti-Empire, but of late, him and I have not been able to
by Ghassan Kadi In the closing article of “The Daesh Chronicles”; The Prognosis, I raised the alarm about the high likelihood of Daesh attacks increasing in frequency and domain of activity. I even warned that they may become daily events that the West will one day have to contemplate. In hindsight, I did not expect the escalation of those attacks to reach this threshold so soon, because daily attacks are
by Ghassan Kadi Is the genie finally out of the bottle? A myriad of seemingly unrelated events and loose ends are converging in a manner that points in the direction of a huge win for Russian diplomacy in the Middle East, and we only need to connect the dots to see this scenario unfolding. What dots, one might ask? Henry Kissinger made it law for America to protect Israel. In
by Ghassan Kadi As the world sits and watches the horrors of the American elections, many non-Americans are relieved that they don’t have to choose between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton; and for obvious reasons. Hillary comes from the old school of American politics; for bad or for worse. Her “reign”, if she makes it, will be a virtual continuation of the Obama administration. Even if she implements changes, and
by Ghassan Kadi When you close the door in the face of an evil like Daesh, another will find a way in through the window, and if you close the window, it will find a way through the keyhole. Such is the nature of insidious evil. Western evangelists are now pushing to get a foothold in Syria. They cloak themselves with disguises of support and friendship and use words that
by Ghassan Kadi The thirty year old Saudi Prince, Mohamed, son of incumbent King Salman has risen to prominence by way of mere chance. When I worked and lived in Riyadh back in 1979-1980, nearly every Saudi government office I ever walked into had at least one wall that featured the then four-tiered royal lineage. Back then, Khaled was king, so his portrait was the main one, followed by the
by Ghassan Kadi On global account, and especially when it comes to Syria, thanks, a great deal of thanks must be given to Russia, her people and leadership for the wonderful support. Thank you President Putin. Thank you so much. President Putin however, would not have backed a nation which was not strong in her resolve, one that does not have a determined army, and one that does not have
by Ghassan Kadi The world has got to realize that the ideology that underpins Daesh is coming to a head. It had been latent for a long time, and now it has fully awakened and will not put its case to rest before one of two things happen; either that it will get its way, or it will be crushed, both militarily and, most importantly, ideologically. And if the world
by Ghassan Kadi I will again reiterate, in this very first sentence, that Islam is a religion of wisdom and peace. But this same approach did not stop critics in the past from throwing accusations that I was insulting Islam and the Holy Quran, and I am certain that similar accusations will be made now. In reality however, those who are insulting Islam the most are the Muslims who commit
