Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

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A woman casts her vote during Kurds independence referendum in Kirkuk, Iraq September 25, 2017. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani

Kurdish Secession and Mysteries of Identity

by Amir Taheri | Oct 6, 2017 | Opinion

An old Arab adage asserts that there is always something good in whatever happens. The secession referendum held in the autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq is no exception. It has added to tension in the region, awakened many old demons and diverted attention from more...

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Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques arrives in Russia (SPA)

Saudi Arabia and Russia are not Foes

by Salman Al-dossary | Oct 5, 2017 | Opinion

With steady steps, Russia returned over the past decade to the Middle Eastern arena. This coincides with the development of its relations with Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, the Syrian regime, and surely Iran. However, Moscow’s relations with Saudi Arabia were going through...

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A Qatar Airways plane is seen in Doha, Qatar June 5, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer

Why Has Qatar Chosen Defiance?

by Abdulrahman Al-Rashed | Oct 4, 2017 | Opinion

Qatar has adopted one concept within its response to the Arab Quartet that has decided to boycott it: do all that it can to thwart their plan and force them to reconcile with it. It has become closer to Iran and has restored relations with Hezbollah. It’s funding...

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Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah (L) shakes hands with Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza City October 2, 2017. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

Gaza Opens its Doors after Years of Deprivation

by Abdulrahman Al-Rashed | Oct 4, 2017 | Opinion

Gaza’s leadership finally welcomed the Palestinian Authority with arms wide open to end their dispute. This is a very important political and humanitarian agreement credited for the government of Egyptian President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi, the first in a decade who...

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Alexander Gauland and Alice Weidel, the Alternative for Germany party’s leading politicians, in Berlin on Wednesday. Credit Gregor Fischer/Deutsche Presse-Agentur, via Associated Press

Return of the German Volk

by Roger Cohen | Oct 4, 2017 | Opinion

BERLIN— The Volk is back in its tribal sense. That was the message of Alexander Gauland, a leading politician of the extremist Alternative for Germany (or AfD) party, when he vowed on election night to “take back our country and our Volk!” Volk means people. Sure it...

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Ahmad al-Assir speaks during a news conference at his office in Sidon, southern Lebanon, May 14, 2012. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho/File Photo

Newton’s Third Law in a Country Held Captive

by Eyad Abu Shakra | Oct 3, 2017 | Opinion

I would have preferred today to write something about the Iraqi Kurdistan referendum and its likely consequences; as it presents a true landmark regardless how one looks at it. However, the sentences passed by Lebanon’s Military Court against the hardline sheikh Ahmad...