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Jan 16, 2025 | 
newstatesman.com | Rajan Menon
Israel and Hamas have reached agreement on a ceasefire, with Qatar and Egypt serving as mediators and the representative of President Joe Biden (Brett McGurk) and President-elect Donald Trump (Steve Witkoff) playing pivotal roles. Though the text has not been released yet Qatar’s Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, summarised the main provisions during a press conference yesterday (16 January).
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Jan 13, 2025 | 
foreignpolicy.com | Rajan Menon
Argument An expert's point of view on a current event.
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Dec 18, 2024 | 
unherd.com | Rajan Menon
GeopoliticsIsraelJolaniPoliticsrestofworldSyriaTurkey The House of Assad endured for over half a century, but crumbled in 10 days. Ba’athism is dead and Abu Mohammed al-Jolani now finds himself the de facto leader of a government in Damascus, led by his rebel coalition Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). It’s a denouement he may have dreamed of but likely never expected. For now, Jolani can bask in the euphoria and gratitude sweeping his country.
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Dec 16, 2024 | 
nytimes.com | Rajan Menon
Como alternativa, una coalición de países voluntarios podría comprometerse a proteger a Ucrania. El problema es que Ucrania querrá que Estados Unidos esté entre los garantes. Considera que la OTAN es esencialmente una garantía de protección estadounidense y no considerará fiable ninguna coalición a menos que esté fortalecida por soldados y armamento estadounidenses.
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Dec 16, 2024 | 
nytimes.com | Rajan Menon
Mr. Trump's statements and the people he has picked for the most senior positions in foreign policy and national security suggest that American military power will increasingly be directed toward the Asia-Pacific to counter China. Moreover, for simple geographic reasons, Ukraine's security will always matter more to Europeans than to Americans.
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Dec 8, 2024 | 
newstatesman.com | Rajan Menon
A new political chapter has opened in Syria. President Bashar al-Assad has fled to Moscow, where he has been granted asylum. And the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led by Abu-Mohammed al-Golani, the nom de guerre of Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, has captured Damascus, barely ten days after launching its offensive on 27 November. Brace for numerous theories about why Assad’s regime fell suddenly, with little more than a whimper, and even claims that its downfall was inevitable.
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Nov 27, 2024 | 
newstatesman.com | Rajan Menon
The truth about this ceasefire deal between Israel and the government of Lebanon is that Lebanon’s leaders could not have signed it had Hezbollah balked. And beyond the relief for the civilian population, who are understandably celebrating, there is a strategic reality beneath this development. What made it possible for France and the United States to succeed as mediators and – if all goes well – end a total of 14 months of war, was a convergence of interests between Israel and Hezbollah.
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Nov 8, 2024 | 
newstatesman.com | Rajan Menon
While addressing the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on 5 September, Vladimir Putin, in yet another attempt to sow confusion in American politics, remarked that while his “favourite” candidate in the presidential contest was Joe Biden, “he was removed from the race, and he recommended all his supporters to support Ms Harris.
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Oct 28, 2024 | 
newstatesman.com | Rajan Menon
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are widely seen by friend and foe alike as among the world’s most powerful military machines. Yet Israel’s leaders habitually present their country as besieged by hostile nations bent on its destruction. This narrative persists even though some of the most important states in the Middle East – Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan – scarcely fit this description anymore and, moreover, are aligned with the United States, Israel’s principal protector.
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Oct 18, 2024 | 
newstatesman.com | Rajan Menon
He had been on Israel’s most wanted list for years. More than any other Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar was the mastermind of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on 7 October last year. It was the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, a horrific and spectacular operation that left 1,200 dead and 250 taken hostage.
