James Dorsey Journalist Profile

Articles

Putting Humpty Dumpty Together in Syria

2 months ago | fairobserver.com | James Dorsey

In Syria, putting Humpty Dumpty together again is no mean task. Israel’s demolition of the ill-equipped Syrian military and the recent occupation of additional Syrian territory beyond the Golan Heights it conquered in the 1967 Middle East war is just one obstacle. So is a daunting list of challenges that, if unresolved, threaten the new Syrian rulers’ ability to rebuild an economy ravaged by 14 years of civil war and, potentially, the country’s territorial integrity.
Trump Predictably Throws Gasoline on Middle East Fires

2 months ago | intpolicydigest.org | James Dorsey

U.S. President Donald Trump has once again thrown a grenade into the delicate equilibrium of Middle Eastern politics, openly advocating for the forced removal of 1.5 million Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan. In doing so, he risks upending U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia and other key regional partners, inflaming tensions across the Muslim world, and potentially unraveling fragile ceasefire negotiations in Gaza.
How new fighting in Syria could change the Middle East again

Dec 9, 2024 | eastmojo.com | James Dorsey |Nanyang Technological

Renewed fighting in the dormant Syrian civil war has seen the situation deteriorate rapidly, with another long and bloody battle approaching. ...
Israel’s Wars Repeat the 1980s-On Steroids

Nov 25, 2024 | intpolicydigest.org | James Dorsey

Appalled by Israel’s carpet bombing of Beirut during the 1982 Lebanon war, U.S. President Ronald Reagan delivered an unvarnished message to Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. “I was angry. I told him it had to stop, or our entire future relationship was endangered. I used the word holocaust deliberately & said the symbol of his war was becoming a picture of a 7-month-old baby with its arms blown off,” Reagan recorded in his diary.
ICC arrest warrants Netanyahu and Gallant open a Pandora’s Box

Nov 24, 2024 | blogs.timesofisrael.com | James Dorsey

By James M. DorseyIsraeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s world just shrunk considerably. An International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza obliges the Court’s 124 members, or two-thirds of the world’s countries, to arrest Mr. Netanyahu on sight. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s world contracted similarly when the Court ordered his arrest in 2023 for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
Commentary: Israel’s carefully calibrated strike on Iran lowers risk of all-out war - for now

Oct 27, 2024 | channelnewsasia.com | James Dorsey

SINGAPORE: This weekend’s carefully calibrated Israeli retaliatory strike at Iranian military targets could lower the risk of an all-out Middle East war - for now - particularly if Iran decides not to respond. The Iranian military said as much by suggesting in a statement that Iran reserved the right to defend itself but may not respond to the attack if Israel agreed to ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon.
Sinwar's killing could signal deeper strategic problems for Israel ahead

Oct 24, 2024 | trtworld.com | James Dorsey

For the past year, Israel has depicted Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as a coward hiding in Gaza's fortified underground tunnels, shielded by 22 handcuffed Israeli hostages. But drone footage of the Hamas leader's last minutes released by the Israeli military showed a different Sinwar.
Saudi Arabia Sends Mixed Signals Concerning Iran

Oct 18, 2024 | whowhatwhy.org | James Dorsey

The controversial Lebanese Shiite cleric Mohammad Ali al-Husseini has emerged as a major obstacle to Saudi efforts to counter Iran’s axis of resistance, especially those in Lebanon. Mohammad Ali al-Husseini personifies the complexity of escalating tensions tearing the Middle East apart.
Commentary: Chinese support for Iran complicates relations with Israel and, possibly, Gulf states

Oct 14, 2024 | channelnewsasia.com | James Dorsey

SINGAPORE: A recent Chinese declaration of support for Iran in its conflict with Israel could prove to be a double-edged sword. The declaration put the final nail in the coffin of Chinese efforts to remain on the sideline of the Middle East’s multiple conflicts and maintain good relations with all in the region.
How Israel is destroying its own reputation

Oct 7, 2024 | malaysiakini.com | James Dorsey

COMMENT | Former US national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski warned in 2002 that Israel was losing its global standing as Israeli-Palestinian violence escalated during the second Intifada or uprising against Israeli occupation. At the time, Brzezinski, the former adviser to US presidents Lyndon Johnson and Jimmy Carter, seemed to overstate Israel's reputational problem. Today, his warning rings prophetic. "I think Israel's international position is very badly damaged.