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Showing posts from September, 2025

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

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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...

Konflikt u Gazi iz perspektive Srbije - Branimir Đokić

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  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...

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

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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...

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

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  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...

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

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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...