AboutArticles by Michael Jansen

We ourselves

13 Feb 2020

The rise of Ireland’s Sinn Fein in Saturday’s parliamentary poll has transformed the country’s two-party political system by empowering a major third party for the first time during a century of Irish...

Erdogan is a ‘spoiler’ in efforts to end the war in Syria

09 Feb 2020

The Syrian army’s capture of the strategic town of Saraqeb is a turning point in the protracted campaign for Idlib province, the remaining bastion of Al Qaeda’s Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham,...

Second Scottish referendum ‘must be legal and legitimate’

06 Feb 2020

Scotland’s Nicola Sturgeon has urged fellow countrymen and women not to demand an early independence referendum following Britain’s formal exit from the European Union (EU). She said now is the...

‘Deal of the Century’ Trump’s most destructive decision

04 Feb 2020

Just about all the decisions taken by Donald Trump since he moved into the White House have been motivated by his determination to be re-elected this fall. His...

Tahrir Square style protests still fire up Arabs

26 Jan 2020

Nine years and two days ago, Egyptian opposition activists called for demonstrations at two locations in Cairo. The occasion was National Police Day. Organisers expected 50 people to...

A Storm to Weather

23 Jan 2020

Unseasonal storms in the UAE, constant rain in sunny Cyprus, downpours in fire-devastated Australia and crippling snow falls in northern Canada should force climate change deniers to change their minds...

Uncertainty and instability in Iraq has increased

19 Jan 2020

The US assassination of Iranian Quds Force Commander Qassem Suleimani has exacerbated uncertainty and instability in Iraq and increased rather than diminished Iran’s influence in that country. Furthermore, US troops...

Battle of Collaterals

16 Jan 2020

Revelations about how the Pentagon handled the assassination of Iranian Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani should cause major concern among governments in this region and further afield. US generals prepared...

US mission in Iraq becomes occupation force

12 Jan 2020

By ignoring Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi’s call for the US to dispatch a team to Baghdad to establish a mechanism for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from...

Too cool a Fool

09 Jan 2020

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has shown himself to be totally inept when confronted with a crisis. He took his family to Hawaii for a holiday while his country was...

Michael Jansen

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