AboutArticles by Michael Jansen

‘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 turn up...

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...

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...

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...

Trump’s action on Soleimani personal in nature

05 Jan 2020

Donald Trump took the decision to slay Iran’s Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani for personal reasons rather than in defence of the US. Trump’s two predecessors George W. Bush and...

A means to an end

02 Jan 2020

Although a poor potential candidate, former US vice president Joe Biden remains front runner for the Democratic party’s nomination to stand against Republican Donald Trump in the November 2020 presidential...

The huge, rightful uprising must succeed

29 Dec 2019

If acted upon, the threat to resign issued by President Barham Salih would plunge Iraq into even greater peril than the country is already experiencing. He warned that he would...

Michael Jansen

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