Posts

Checkers Strategy: Iran’s Approach in the Geopolitical Game of the Middle East - by Dr. Babak Shafiee

Image
Source: Pakistantoday Iran’s Approach in the Geopolitical Game of the Middle East Dr. Babak Shafiee PhD in Geopolitics, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran The Middle East has emerged as a complex checkers board in recent years, where Iran, leveraging a strategy rooted in its cultural and historical legacy, plays a pivotal role in orchestrating the grand game of power. Checkers, a strategic game possibly invented or refined during the era of Nader Shah Afshar (1688–1747), is far more than mere entertainment; it reflects the tactical brilliance of Iranians, emphasizing patience, precise calculation, and the exploitation of fleeting opportunities for decisive leaps. Recent developments—such as the activation of the snapback mechanism by European countries, Israel’s actions in the region, and the strengthening of alternative alliances like the India-UAE partnership and the Saudi Arabia-Pakistan mutual defense pact—are all components of a broader strategy aimed at undermining Iran’s geopolit...
Post a Comment
Read more

Konflikt u Gazi iz perspektive Srbije - Branimir Đokić

Image
  naslov.rs Konflikt u Gazi iz perspektive Srbije Branimir Đokić, stručnjak za spoljnu politiku i konsultant Drama koja se već dve godine odigrava u pojasu Gaze i Izraelu pre toga, gotovo nikoga na svetu ne ostavlja ravnodušnim. Tako je i u Srbiji. Iako širom sveta imamo nažalost velike tragedije, Sudan je možda najdramatičniji primer, pitanje budućnosti palestinskog i jevrejskog naroda, te njihove mogućnosti da u miru žive jedni pored drugih, ali i pitanje velikih civilnih žrtava, nešto je što je kao i svuda u svetu i u Srbiji privuklo veliku pažnju. Ali i velike strasti. Često se postavlja pitanje, na čijoj si strani? Na strani pravde i budućnosti, najispravniji je odgovor. Ali to nije tako lako postići.  U Srbiji, iako ih to konkretno ne dotiče, građani žele da istaknu svoje mišljenje i svrstavaju se na strane. Obično oni koji su protivnici Zapada, odnosno kapitalizma, SAD, su oni koji podržavaju palestince, dok oni koji su više nacionalno obojeni ili prozapadni, podržavaju...
Post a Comment
Read more

The strike in Doha was a game-changer - by Dr. Ariel Admoni

Image
Source: mitvim.org.il The strike in Doha was a game-changer Short-Term Change versus Long-Term Change Dr. Ariel Admoni. Qatar's expert at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS) For many years, there was a prevailing assumption that Doha was off-limits. Attacks within its territory in the early 2000s were the acts of isolated individuals, one of them driven by personal instability. States did not strike there. This was due to the reliance of Islamist organizations and regimes on Doha—and the financial backing they received from it—as well as the West’s need for Doha, first and foremost the United States, with its CENTCOM base funded by Qatar at $300 million per year (according to the outgoing CENTCOM commander in June 2025). The first crack came during the Iran–Israel War, with Iran’s strike on the US base in Qatar. However, it was evident that this did not pose a serious threat to Doha. The Iranians emphasized that Qatar was not the target, and both before and aft...
Post a Comment
Read more

America - No Longer the Rebuilding Father - by Dr. Babak Shafiee

Image
  Source: Guardian America - No Longer the Rebuilding Father Dr. Babak Shafiee PhD in Geopolitics, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran The world today is witnessing the decline of the United States’ role as the “rebuilding father” that once lifted Japan and Germany from the ashes of World War II to economic heights. The Marshall Plan established America as the architect of the liberal order, but now the country has shifted from reconstruction to confrontation and suppression of rivals. This shift is evident in its policies toward Afghanistan, Israel, Turkey, and Qatar, which it may abandon in the future, much like Britain, the former superpower, abandoned Australia and Singapore after World War II. In its heyday, Britain, as a superpower, lost its empire after World War II due to economic and military exhaustion. The fall of Singapore in 1942 to Japan and the abandonment of Australia, which turned to America, marked Britain’s decline. Today, America shows similar signs. In Afghanista...
Post a Comment
Read more

From Kissinger’s Diplomacy to Trump’s Power Play - by Dr. Babak Shafiee

Image
source: axios.com America’s Strategic Shift: From Kissinger’s Diplomacy to Trump’s Power Play Dr. Babak Shafiee PhD in Geopolitics, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran Henry Kissinger, the mastermind behind U.S. foreign policy for decades, lived to see the erosion of the global order he meticulously crafted. In his final years, through writings and speeches, he urgently sought to steer American strategy back on course. The Architect of Proxy Warfare During the early Cold War, with the scars of World War II still fresh and nuclear arsenals casting a shadow of fear, Kissinger proposed a bold alternative to direct confrontation. In his seminal work, Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy, he introduced the concept of “limited conflicts”—what we now recognize as proxy wars. His vision allowed the U.S. to maintain global dominance without resorting to apocalyptic weapons, leveraging regional allies in conflicts from Vietnam to the Middle East and beyond. The Art of Triangular Diplomacy Kissin...
Post a Comment
Read more

Prospects for Regime Change in Iran: Myth or Reality? - by Dr. Eric Lob

Image
  Professor Dr. Eric Lob Associate Professor at Florida International University The probabilities of regime change in Iran in the post-war period appear to be low. Israel and the United States primarily targeted Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure and personnel. Despite threatening to assassinate Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in his bunker, they refrained from doing so and largely left the political establishment intact. One exception was Ali Shamkhani, Khamenei’s advisor, who oversaw five rounds of nuclear negotiations with the United States that Iran abruptly canceled after Israel had attacked it on June 13th. The fact that Israel targeted Shamkhani indicated that it intended to disrupt and sabotage the negotiations. President Donald Trump and his administration may have instructed Israel to spare Iran’s leadership to gain greater leverage in the negotiations within the context of coercive diplomacy. They may have also done so due to the American debacles in Afghanistan and...
Post a Comment
Read more

Russian propaganda against Uzbekistan in media after starting the war in Ukraine - by Saida Dariyeva

Image
  Source: caspian.institute  Saida Dariyeva Russian propaganda against Uzbekistan in the media after starting the war in Ukraine Zakhar Prilepin , a notable Russian public figure, made a startling  statement  during a press conference in Moscow on December 20, 2023. Advocating for the Soviet Union’s restoration and Russian language imposition in former Soviet states, his remarks have  resonated  deeply within public discourse in Uzbekistan. Prilepin’s televised remark that Russia could claim territories with significant Russian-speaking populations mentioned Uzbekistan in particular, given the large number of Uzbek labor migrants in Russia, and triggered widespread indignation.  Prilepin’s  exact words  as reported by local newspaper Daryo.uz:  I am actually sincerely advocating that these territories, from where migrant workers come to us, should be annexed and taught the Russian language on the spot, not here, but there, in Uzbe...
Post a Comment
Read more