17 Jun 2025
Israel–Iran conflict: Moscow positions itself for advantage
Russia is once more on no-one’s side but its own.
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23 May 2025
Israeli embassy staff killings expose the limits of diplomatic protection
Transnational dangers are amplified by extremist ideologies online. -
21 Nov 2024
Cat-astrophe! What happens when dirty-minded North Koreans meet Iranian nuclear purrfidy
I spy an invisible cat. Two, in fact. -
15 Nov 2024
What does Trump’s return mean for America’s relations with Russia?
Whatever happens over the next four years, the underlying causes of Russia–US confrontation won’t go away. -
8 Oct 2024
When the friendly skies above go dark, rockets light up
How airspace closures signal the geopolitical strategies unfolding in the Middle East. -
7 Oct 2024
Trump would put personality over policy in the Middle East
Donald Trump’s overarching impulse towards the Middle East can be boiled down to: look strong, but don’t do too much. -
18 Sep 2024
Pager bombs: Precision warfare takes a personal turn in Lebanon
The implications of this attack stretch far beyond Hezbollah to future threats. -
7 Aug 2024
China’s high-stakes diplomacy: Managing Middle Eastern turmoil
Will Beijing exert more effort to calm the region and protect its economic interests and credibility? -
2 Jul 2024
Pariah states and the Olympic Games
With the Paris Games only weeks away, the controversy around athletes from “rogue” countries is set to intensify. -
17 Apr 2024
Iran-Israel: The escalation calculus
Iran’s weekend strike against Israel was thwarted, but how should we calculate its impacts? -
28 Nov 2023
Hamas's position is stronger than many think
Hamas has demonstrated surprising resilience and capability since its founding in 1987. It would be a mistake to believe it can be eliminated. -
20 Nov 2023
The war in Gaza has not destroyed normalisation … for now
Despite deepening hostilities, common strategic interests still bind Israel and most of the Arab states. -
16 Nov 2023
India’s Gaza dilemma
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict exposes a gap between New Delhi’s Global South leadership aspirations and its realpolitik. -
13 Nov 2023
1947 and now
Strife in the Middle East, hyper-partisans in the US Congress, and Russian troops on the march. We've been here before. -
10 Nov 2023
Israel-Palestine: It’s not too late for the two-state solution
But the world can’t expect Washington to make it happen. -
6 Nov 2023
Gaza and re-imagining international order
The events of the past month show that the usual recipes for global problem-solving are no longer fit for purpose. -
3 Nov 2023
Russia seeks benefit from the Gaza conflict
Moscow hopes the Middle East will distract the West from supporting Ukraine – but old troubles at home could stir again. -
1 Nov 2023
History repeats: A new (old) economic corridor emerges
Renewed connectivity between India, the Middle East and Europe shows how maps are temporary, but geography persists. -
12 Oct 2023
Israel–Palestine conflict once more the overriding issue of regional security
The Palestinian cause remained, but for the region had become a second or third-order issue among diplomatic normalisation and other pressing challenges. -
26 Sep 2023
Israel and Saudi Arabia: Finally, a New Middle East?
A deal with the Middle East’s two most significant powers could transform the volatile region, but the stakes are high. -
14 Oct 2022
The good oil: Israel and Lebanon strike a border deal
In a region where good news is rare, patient diplomacy can celebrate a win. -
25 May 2021
How Gaza occupies Indonesia’s identity wars
Israel-Palestinian issues have long featured in Jakarta’s worldview but with a domestic edge, too. -
21 May 2021
The challenge to the Abraham Accords
A reckoning over the Palestinian issue was always coming for those countries that normalised ties with Israel. -
13 Apr 2021
Iran-US-Israel: Boxing out of the shadows
Gradual progress in talks to revive the nuclear deal may be dealt a blow by a series of “grey-zone” attacks. -
15 Mar 2021
An oil spill nobody owns
A clandestine operation? Environmental terrorism? Israel and Iran both deny responsibility for a mysterious event. -
30 Nov 2020
The fallout of assassinating Mohsen Fakhrizadeh
The killing of the head of the Iranian nuclear program may make it even harder to revive the nuclear deal. -
26 Oct 2020
The other Arab diplomatic talks with Israel
Lebanon wants to settle its maritime borders to exploit rich oil and gas fields. Nothing more. -
16 Oct 2020
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: Increasingly deadly and destabilising
An eruption of bitter fighting in a seemingly intractable conflict is aggravating wider regional tensions. -
1 Sep 2020
Why is the “Arab street” so silent on the Israel-UAE deal?
Barely any outcry marked this latest shift, which probably reflects recognition of facts on the ground. -
21 Aug 2020
Hidden seams in the UAE-Israel deal
It’s all about Iran, right? Actually, the agreement has more to do with managing the US and China. -
17 Aug 2020
The essence of timing in politics
The UAE earned goodwill for a deal with Israel, but the US is still struggling to win backers for its hard line on Iran. -
9 Jul 2020
Cashing in the chips at the Trump casino
The prospect of a Biden administration has pro-US leaders in the Middle East seeking to keep their political “winnings”. -
21 Feb 2020
Australia and Israel should be partners in Asia
In a changing strategic landscape, likeminded countries have the chance to identify and grasp new opportunities. -
17 Feb 2020
Israel’s democracy: a systemic problem
Israel will go to the polls for the third time in less than a year. What makes it so hard for a clear winner to emerge? -
25 Sep 2019
Israel’s Arabs awaken to their electoral power
Arab Israelis have been slow to realise their potential pivotal role in the nation’s politics. That’s changing. -
12 Sep 2019
Will Israeli voters give Bibi a “get out of jail” card?
The corruption allegations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are the subtext to the elections on 17 September. -
15 Apr 2019
Israel’s elections: many messiahs, but only one king
Benjamin Netanyahu survived a scare, and why should anyone be surprised when a noble amateur loses to the ruthless pro? -
9 Apr 2019
How Israeli elections fit – and don’t quite match – global trends
Moderate centrism is out, while increasing nationalism seems to attract votes, even pushing aside a cloud of corruption. -
17 Dec 2018
Responses to Australia’s Israel capital decision
<p>How the world reacted to Scott Morrison’s decision to formally recognise West Jerusalem Israel’s capital.</p> -
16 Oct 2018
Australia’s Israel-Palestine conflict
This is actually one of those rare issues in Australian foreign policy where the two major parties quite often disagree.