AboutArticles by Michael Jansen

Certain catastrophe

28 Sep 2023

In the early hours of Sept.11, Storm Daniel’s downpour burst two fragile Libyan dams. A seven-metre wall of water swept through the centre of Libyan coastal city of Derna, drowning 10,000-20,000...

Assad’s China visit a beginning of a new era of relationship

24 Sep 2023

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s journey to China has achieved far more than deepening close relations between Damascus and Beijing. Having been ostracised and isolated during his country’s civil and proxy...

A mysterious return

21 Sep 2023

US chief negotiator on the Iran nuclear deal Robert Malley disappeared months ago after being mysteriously stripped of security clearance and placed on unpaid leave. Although there has been no...

UN readies for hot-button climate change debate

17 Sep 2023

The UN General Assembly is set to open debate in its 78th session tomorrow. The over ambitious theme of this session is, “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action...

Life in limbo

14 Sep 2023

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has warned that the continuous flow of Syrian refugees into his country threatens the country’s independence and could disrupt its delicate demographic balance. He could...

US’ Kurd policy full of contradictions

10 Sep 2023

Sunni Arab tribesmen have delivered a hard knock to the US-Kurdish project in Syria’s oil hub and resource-rich Deir al-Zor province. The fragile Kurdish-Arab partnership in Deir al-Zor has been...

An ironic fact

07 Sep 2023

It is ironic that Donald Trump, who has an alleged record of racism and misogyny, is under challenge in court by three Black women, New York Attorney General Letitia James,...

Donald Trump: Instigator-in-chief of conspiracies

03 Sep 2023

Donald Trump is instigator-in-chief of conspiracies which swirl around the legitimacy of US elections. He began the campaign of dismissing the result of any contest which he did not win...

Bella’s stance

31 Aug 2023

Palestinian-Dutch-US supermodel Bella Hadid has triumphed in her verbal skirmish with Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. She triumphed by adopting a moral position in response to his statement on...

Challenges push displaced Syrians to the brink

27 Aug 2023

Cypriot police have arrested five Syrians suspected of operating a people smuggling operation which brings to the island Syrian migrants and asylum seekers from Lebanon and Syria. Another four Syrians...

Michael Jansen

The author, a well-respected observer of Middle East affairs, has three books on the Arab-Israeli conflict.