SCFR Online – Opinion: Concurrent with the official commencement of the United States’ economic war against our country, focusing on sanctions instruments, isolation, and economic pressure, what has now become increasingly important is the lack of alignment of other major global powers, especially China, with this policy.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The new US sanctions against Iran, despite extensive propaganda, face serious obstacles to success due to the ineffectiveness of sanctions tools and opposition from some of Tehran’s trading partners.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Following military failure, Trump has announced the implementation of sanctions and old economic pressures under the new label of “unprecedented economic operation” against Iran; however, Tehran can neutralize this blockade through four specific strategies.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Two contrasting narratives of Trump’s foreign policy – one “crisis as doctrine” and the other a “coherent doctrine” – present a complex picture of America’s attempt to redefine its role in the international system.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Makkah Pact, signed between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey under the motto “an attack on one is an attack on all,” is viewed by some analysts less as a full-fledged military coalition and more as an attempt to reduce security dependence on an external power and to establish a regional security mechanism.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The new US-Saudi nuclear agreement, despite legal and political ambiguities, could alter previous non-proliferation standards in West Asia and intensify nuclear competition, ushering it into a new phase.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Recent developments in Syria indicate an intensification of strategic rivalry between Turkey and the Israeli regime, but mutual considerations and the role of the United States have limited the likelihood of direct war.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The future of the so-called Trump peace plan for Gaza, despite claims of an agreement on Hamas’s disarmament, remains shrouded in ambiguity due to structural deficiencies and opposition from key actors.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An international affairs expert, referring to the ongoing dispute between Europe and America over Greenland, stated that Europe’s policy is based on increasing political, diplomatic, and even economic support for Denmark and Greenland, and it certainly will not move towards escalating tensions with America.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An analyst of U.S. affairs stated that while Donald Trump promised to revive the U.S. economy and restore the country’s industrial glory upon his return to the White House, the latest economic data indicate otherwise. The unemployment rate, which was 3.8% at the beginning of the new administration, has now risen to 4.3%, and factories and construction companies have laid off thousands of workers. Even revised statistics show that in June of this year alone, 13,000 jobs were lost. These developments highlight the gap between Trump’s campaign promises and the economic reality in the U.S.. This divide has overshadowed not only domestic politics but also the country’s economic and geopolitical future.
At the same time, Trump is attempting to shift pressures outward by leveraging geopolitical tools; an example is his threat to the European Union following the fines imposed on Google, an action many observers see as an effort to shift the agenda from domestic recession to external challenges. The question is whether these policies can pull the U.S. economy out of recession or if their consequences will ultimately spill over into the global economy.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), also known as the new and modern Silk Road, was launched in 2013 to connect Asia with Africa and Europe through land and maritime networks. Its purpose is to improve regional integration, revive land-based trade over sea and air, and foster economic growth. The project’s name was chosen by Chinese President Xi Jinping, inspired by the Silk Road, which was created 2,000 years ago during the Han dynasty. The Silk Road was, in fact, a vast ancient network of communication that included diverse trade routes connecting China through Eurasia to the Mediterranean Sea for centuries.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An international affairs analyst stated that the recent trade agreement between the United States and the European Union, signed on July 28, 2025, in Scotland, appears to have averted a full-scale tariff war. However, this agreement, shaped by Donald Trump’s pressures and threats to raise tariffs by up to 30%, reflects U.S. economic dominance over Europe more than it signifies mutual cooperation. The European Union’s commitment to purchasing $750 billion worth of energy and investing $600 billion in the U.S., along with accepting a 15% tariff on most European exports, raises serious questions about Europe’s economic independence and its implications for the global economy. Does this agreement mean stability for European trade, or does it represent a strategic surrender to the United States that will deepen existing rifts in the global order?
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A researcher on Lebanese affairs stated: Under intense US pressure, Lebanon’s current government is hastily finalizing the gas dossier in the Eastern Mediterranean; an action that benefits the US, the Israeli regime, and their allies, and may result in Lebanon losing approximately five thousand square kilometers of area containing its gas and oil wealth. In this regard, the Al-Akhbar newspaper wrote: What is happening today is not merely a maritime negotiation, but a battle over sovereignty and survival that is feared will end unilaterally at a bargaining table where there is no room for national interests.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A West Asia affairs analyst stated: The Syria-Turkey-Azerbaijan gas project goes beyond simple energy cooperation and must be evaluated within the context of regional power competition, efforts to redefine the political order in Syria, and the strengthening of the Turkish-Qatari-Azerbaijani axis in West Asia. An order whose future will largely depend on the stability of the Damascus government and Turkey’s ability to manage security, economic, and geopolitical crises simultaneously.
At a time when Syria is still grappling with extensive infrastructure problems and an energy crisis, the inauguration of the gas pipeline from Azerbaijan to Syria via Turkey, with Qatar’s financial support, has drawn the attention of regional analysts. This project, which in its first phase will transfer 3.4 million cubic meters of gas per day and will eventually reach a capacity of 6 million cubic meters per day, could add approximately 750 megawatts to Syria’s electricity generation capacity.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: In recent years, with the expansion of international sanctions and the intensification of economic pressures on specific countries, many have turned their attention to new financial technologies. Among these technologies, cryptocurrencies have garnered more attention than others. Media, economic actors, and even some politicians have referred to cryptocurrency as a potential tool for bypassing sanctions, as if these cryptocurrencies are the very keyword that unlocks the closed doors of the global banking system.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An American affairs analyst stated: Although only seven months have passed since the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term in the White House, the administration’s official narrative of economic performance has again become a contentious subject in American academic, media, and expert circles. Statistics recently released by the Trump administration on economic indicators appear to suggest economic revival, reduced inflation, and a strengthened labor market. However, when these statistics are juxtaposed with independent data and credible surveys, a different and concerning picture of the U.S. economy’s real condition emerges. Rising unemployment rates, declining employment growth, falling labor force participation, consumer inflation exceeding optimal levels, and widespread public dissatisfaction with living costs are the most significant indicators challenging the Trump administration’s narrative. This comes as Trump, repeating his “Make America Great Again” slogan, had promised that protective trade policies and heavy tariffs would increase domestic employment and enhance the competitiveness of U.S. industries. Yet according to many economists and market observers, these policies have not only failed to revive the economy but have instead increased production costs, burdened domestic consumers, and disrupted global supply chains.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A senior international security analyst stated: The Trump administration’s environmental deregulation policies will inflict serious and long-term damage on international security. The Donald Trump administration has adopted a controversial approach through extensive environmental deregulation policies, including revoking the 2009 scientific finding that identified greenhouse gases as a threat to public health. This decision, described by Lee Zeldin, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as “the largest deregulation in American history,” not only weakens global efforts to combat global warming but will also have more destructive repercussions in the realm of international security.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: The expansion of the BRICS group, particularly with the addition of influential powers such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt, has sparked a wave of concern in American policymaking circles, especially among conservative factions symbolized by Donald Trump. This fear does not stem merely from the increase in membership. Still, it is rooted in the coalition’s potential to challenge the Western-led economic and political order—particularly the dollar’s exclusive status as the global reserve and exchange currency.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Concurrent with the official commencement of the United States’ economic war against our country, focusing on sanctions instruments, isolation, and economic pressure, what has now become increasingly important is the lack of alignment of other major global powers, especially China, with this policy.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The new US sanctions against Iran, despite extensive propaganda, face serious obstacles to success due to the ineffectiveness of sanctions tools and opposition from some of Tehran’s trading partners.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Following military failure, Trump has announced the implementation of sanctions and old economic pressures under the new label of “unprecedented economic operation” against Iran; however, Tehran can neutralize this blockade through four specific strategies.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Two contrasting narratives of Trump’s foreign policy – one “crisis as doctrine” and the other a “coherent doctrine” – present a complex picture of America’s attempt to redefine its role in the international system.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Makkah Pact, signed between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey under the motto “an attack on one is an attack on all,” is viewed by some analysts less as a full-fledged military coalition and more as an attempt to reduce security dependence on an external power and to establish a regional security mechanism.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The new US-Saudi nuclear agreement, despite legal and political ambiguities, could alter previous non-proliferation standards in West Asia and intensify nuclear competition, ushering it into a new phase.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Recent developments in Syria indicate an intensification of strategic rivalry between Turkey and the Israeli regime, but mutual considerations and the role of the United States have limited the likelihood of direct war.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The future of the so-called Trump peace plan for Gaza, despite claims of an agreement on Hamas’s disarmament, remains shrouded in ambiguity due to structural deficiencies and opposition from key actors.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An international affairs expert, referring to the ongoing dispute between Europe and America over Greenland, stated that Europe’s policy is based on increasing political, diplomatic, and even economic support for Denmark and Greenland, and it certainly will not move towards escalating tensions with America.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An analyst of U.S. affairs stated that while Donald Trump promised to revive the U.S. economy and restore the country’s industrial glory upon his return to the White House, the latest economic data indicate otherwise. The unemployment rate, which was 3.8% at the beginning of the new administration, has now risen to 4.3%, and factories and construction companies have laid off thousands of workers. Even revised statistics show that in June of this year alone, 13,000 jobs were lost. These developments highlight the gap between Trump’s campaign promises and the economic reality in the U.S.. This divide has overshadowed not only domestic politics but also the country’s economic and geopolitical future.
At the same time, Trump is attempting to shift pressures outward by leveraging geopolitical tools; an example is his threat to the European Union following the fines imposed on Google, an action many observers see as an effort to shift the agenda from domestic recession to external challenges. The question is whether these policies can pull the U.S. economy out of recession or if their consequences will ultimately spill over into the global economy.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), also known as the new and modern Silk Road, was launched in 2013 to connect Asia with Africa and Europe through land and maritime networks. Its purpose is to improve regional integration, revive land-based trade over sea and air, and foster economic growth. The project’s name was chosen by Chinese President Xi Jinping, inspired by the Silk Road, which was created 2,000 years ago during the Han dynasty. The Silk Road was, in fact, a vast ancient network of communication that included diverse trade routes connecting China through Eurasia to the Mediterranean Sea for centuries.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An international affairs analyst stated that the recent trade agreement between the United States and the European Union, signed on July 28, 2025, in Scotland, appears to have averted a full-scale tariff war. However, this agreement, shaped by Donald Trump’s pressures and threats to raise tariffs by up to 30%, reflects U.S. economic dominance over Europe more than it signifies mutual cooperation. The European Union’s commitment to purchasing $750 billion worth of energy and investing $600 billion in the U.S., along with accepting a 15% tariff on most European exports, raises serious questions about Europe’s economic independence and its implications for the global economy. Does this agreement mean stability for European trade, or does it represent a strategic surrender to the United States that will deepen existing rifts in the global order?
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A researcher on Lebanese affairs stated: Under intense US pressure, Lebanon’s current government is hastily finalizing the gas dossier in the Eastern Mediterranean; an action that benefits the US, the Israeli regime, and their allies, and may result in Lebanon losing approximately five thousand square kilometers of area containing its gas and oil wealth. In this regard, the Al-Akhbar newspaper wrote: What is happening today is not merely a maritime negotiation, but a battle over sovereignty and survival that is feared will end unilaterally at a bargaining table where there is no room for national interests.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A West Asia affairs analyst stated: The Syria-Turkey-Azerbaijan gas project goes beyond simple energy cooperation and must be evaluated within the context of regional power competition, efforts to redefine the political order in Syria, and the strengthening of the Turkish-Qatari-Azerbaijani axis in West Asia. An order whose future will largely depend on the stability of the Damascus government and Turkey’s ability to manage security, economic, and geopolitical crises simultaneously.
At a time when Syria is still grappling with extensive infrastructure problems and an energy crisis, the inauguration of the gas pipeline from Azerbaijan to Syria via Turkey, with Qatar’s financial support, has drawn the attention of regional analysts. This project, which in its first phase will transfer 3.4 million cubic meters of gas per day and will eventually reach a capacity of 6 million cubic meters per day, could add approximately 750 megawatts to Syria’s electricity generation capacity.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: In recent years, with the expansion of international sanctions and the intensification of economic pressures on specific countries, many have turned their attention to new financial technologies. Among these technologies, cryptocurrencies have garnered more attention than others. Media, economic actors, and even some politicians have referred to cryptocurrency as a potential tool for bypassing sanctions, as if these cryptocurrencies are the very keyword that unlocks the closed doors of the global banking system.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An American affairs analyst stated: Although only seven months have passed since the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term in the White House, the administration’s official narrative of economic performance has again become a contentious subject in American academic, media, and expert circles. Statistics recently released by the Trump administration on economic indicators appear to suggest economic revival, reduced inflation, and a strengthened labor market. However, when these statistics are juxtaposed with independent data and credible surveys, a different and concerning picture of the U.S. economy’s real condition emerges. Rising unemployment rates, declining employment growth, falling labor force participation, consumer inflation exceeding optimal levels, and widespread public dissatisfaction with living costs are the most significant indicators challenging the Trump administration’s narrative. This comes as Trump, repeating his “Make America Great Again” slogan, had promised that protective trade policies and heavy tariffs would increase domestic employment and enhance the competitiveness of U.S. industries. Yet according to many economists and market observers, these policies have not only failed to revive the economy but have instead increased production costs, burdened domestic consumers, and disrupted global supply chains.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A senior international security analyst stated: The Trump administration’s environmental deregulation policies will inflict serious and long-term damage on international security. The Donald Trump administration has adopted a controversial approach through extensive environmental deregulation policies, including revoking the 2009 scientific finding that identified greenhouse gases as a threat to public health. This decision, described by Lee Zeldin, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as “the largest deregulation in American history,” not only weakens global efforts to combat global warming but will also have more destructive repercussions in the realm of international security.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: The expansion of the BRICS group, particularly with the addition of influential powers such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt, has sparked a wave of concern in American policymaking circles, especially among conservative factions symbolized by Donald Trump. This fear does not stem merely from the increase in membership. Still, it is rooted in the coalition’s potential to challenge the Western-led economic and political order—particularly the dollar’s exclusive status as the global reserve and exchange currency.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An international affairs expert, referring to the ongoing dispute between Europe and America over Greenland, stated that Europe’s policy is based on increasing political, diplomatic, and even economic support for Denmark and Greenland, and it certainly will not move towards escalating tensions with America.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An analyst of U.S. affairs stated that while Donald Trump promised to revive the U.S. economy and restore the country’s industrial glory upon his return to the White House, the latest economic data indicate otherwise. The unemployment rate, which was 3.8% at the beginning of the new administration, has now risen to 4.3%, and factories and construction companies have laid off thousands of workers. Even revised statistics show that in June of this year alone, 13,000 jobs were lost. These developments highlight the gap between Trump’s campaign promises and the economic reality in the U.S.. This divide has overshadowed not only domestic politics but also the country’s economic and geopolitical future.
At the same time, Trump is attempting to shift pressures outward by leveraging geopolitical tools; an example is his threat to the European Union following the fines imposed on Google, an action many observers see as an effort to shift the agenda from domestic recession to external challenges. The question is whether these policies can pull the U.S. economy out of recession or if their consequences will ultimately spill over into the global economy.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), also known as the new and modern Silk Road, was launched in 2013 to connect Asia with Africa and Europe through land and maritime networks. Its purpose is to improve regional integration, revive land-based trade over sea and air, and foster economic growth. The project’s name was chosen by Chinese President Xi Jinping, inspired by the Silk Road, which was created 2,000 years ago during the Han dynasty. The Silk Road was, in fact, a vast ancient network of communication that included diverse trade routes connecting China through Eurasia to the Mediterranean Sea for centuries.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An international affairs analyst stated that the recent trade agreement between the United States and the European Union, signed on July 28, 2025, in Scotland, appears to have averted a full-scale tariff war. However, this agreement, shaped by Donald Trump’s pressures and threats to raise tariffs by up to 30%, reflects U.S. economic dominance over Europe more than it signifies mutual cooperation. The European Union’s commitment to purchasing $750 billion worth of energy and investing $600 billion in the U.S., along with accepting a 15% tariff on most European exports, raises serious questions about Europe’s economic independence and its implications for the global economy. Does this agreement mean stability for European trade, or does it represent a strategic surrender to the United States that will deepen existing rifts in the global order?
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A researcher on Lebanese affairs stated: Under intense US pressure, Lebanon’s current government is hastily finalizing the gas dossier in the Eastern Mediterranean; an action that benefits the US, the Israeli regime, and their allies, and may result in Lebanon losing approximately five thousand square kilometers of area containing its gas and oil wealth. In this regard, the Al-Akhbar newspaper wrote: What is happening today is not merely a maritime negotiation, but a battle over sovereignty and survival that is feared will end unilaterally at a bargaining table where there is no room for national interests.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A West Asia affairs analyst stated: The Syria-Turkey-Azerbaijan gas project goes beyond simple energy cooperation and must be evaluated within the context of regional power competition, efforts to redefine the political order in Syria, and the strengthening of the Turkish-Qatari-Azerbaijani axis in West Asia. An order whose future will largely depend on the stability of the Damascus government and Turkey’s ability to manage security, economic, and geopolitical crises simultaneously.
At a time when Syria is still grappling with extensive infrastructure problems and an energy crisis, the inauguration of the gas pipeline from Azerbaijan to Syria via Turkey, with Qatar’s financial support, has drawn the attention of regional analysts. This project, which in its first phase will transfer 3.4 million cubic meters of gas per day and will eventually reach a capacity of 6 million cubic meters per day, could add approximately 750 megawatts to Syria’s electricity generation capacity.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: In recent years, with the expansion of international sanctions and the intensification of economic pressures on specific countries, many have turned their attention to new financial technologies. Among these technologies, cryptocurrencies have garnered more attention than others. Media, economic actors, and even some politicians have referred to cryptocurrency as a potential tool for bypassing sanctions, as if these cryptocurrencies are the very keyword that unlocks the closed doors of the global banking system.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An American affairs analyst stated: Although only seven months have passed since the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term in the White House, the administration’s official narrative of economic performance has again become a contentious subject in American academic, media, and expert circles. Statistics recently released by the Trump administration on economic indicators appear to suggest economic revival, reduced inflation, and a strengthened labor market. However, when these statistics are juxtaposed with independent data and credible surveys, a different and concerning picture of the U.S. economy’s real condition emerges. Rising unemployment rates, declining employment growth, falling labor force participation, consumer inflation exceeding optimal levels, and widespread public dissatisfaction with living costs are the most significant indicators challenging the Trump administration’s narrative. This comes as Trump, repeating his “Make America Great Again” slogan, had promised that protective trade policies and heavy tariffs would increase domestic employment and enhance the competitiveness of U.S. industries. Yet according to many economists and market observers, these policies have not only failed to revive the economy but have instead increased production costs, burdened domestic consumers, and disrupted global supply chains.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A senior international security analyst stated: The Trump administration’s environmental deregulation policies will inflict serious and long-term damage on international security. The Donald Trump administration has adopted a controversial approach through extensive environmental deregulation policies, including revoking the 2009 scientific finding that identified greenhouse gases as a threat to public health. This decision, described by Lee Zeldin, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as “the largest deregulation in American history,” not only weakens global efforts to combat global warming but will also have more destructive repercussions in the realm of international security.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: The expansion of the BRICS group, particularly with the addition of influential powers such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt, has sparked a wave of concern in American policymaking circles, especially among conservative factions symbolized by Donald Trump. This fear does not stem merely from the increase in membership. Still, it is rooted in the coalition’s potential to challenge the Western-led economic and political order—particularly the dollar’s exclusive status as the global reserve and exchange currency.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Concurrent with the official commencement of the United States’ economic war against our country, focusing on sanctions instruments, isolation, and economic pressure, what has now become increasingly important is the lack of alignment of other major global powers, especially China, with this policy.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The new US sanctions against Iran, despite extensive propaganda, face serious obstacles to success due to the ineffectiveness of sanctions tools and opposition from some of Tehran’s trading partners.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Following military failure, Trump has announced the implementation of sanctions and old economic pressures under the new label of “unprecedented economic operation” against Iran; however, Tehran can neutralize this blockade through four specific strategies.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Two contrasting narratives of Trump’s foreign policy – one “crisis as doctrine” and the other a “coherent doctrine” – present a complex picture of America’s attempt to redefine its role in the international system.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Makkah Pact, signed between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey under the motto “an attack on one is an attack on all,” is viewed by some analysts less as a full-fledged military coalition and more as an attempt to reduce security dependence on an external power and to establish a regional security mechanism.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The new US-Saudi nuclear agreement, despite legal and political ambiguities, could alter previous non-proliferation standards in West Asia and intensify nuclear competition, ushering it into a new phase.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Recent developments in Syria indicate an intensification of strategic rivalry between Turkey and the Israeli regime, but mutual considerations and the role of the United States have limited the likelihood of direct war.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The future of the so-called Trump peace plan for Gaza, despite claims of an agreement on Hamas’s disarmament, remains shrouded in ambiguity due to structural deficiencies and opposition from key actors.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An international affairs expert, referring to the ongoing dispute between Europe and America over Greenland, stated that Europe’s policy is based on increasing political, diplomatic, and even economic support for Denmark and Greenland, and it certainly will not move towards escalating tensions with America.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An analyst of U.S. affairs stated that while Donald Trump promised to revive the U.S. economy and restore the country’s industrial glory upon his return to the White House, the latest economic data indicate otherwise. The unemployment rate, which was 3.8% at the beginning of the new administration, has now risen to 4.3%, and factories and construction companies have laid off thousands of workers. Even revised statistics show that in June of this year alone, 13,000 jobs were lost. These developments highlight the gap between Trump’s campaign promises and the economic reality in the U.S.. This divide has overshadowed not only domestic politics but also the country’s economic and geopolitical future.
At the same time, Trump is attempting to shift pressures outward by leveraging geopolitical tools; an example is his threat to the European Union following the fines imposed on Google, an action many observers see as an effort to shift the agenda from domestic recession to external challenges. The question is whether these policies can pull the U.S. economy out of recession or if their consequences will ultimately spill over into the global economy.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), also known as the new and modern Silk Road, was launched in 2013 to connect Asia with Africa and Europe through land and maritime networks. Its purpose is to improve regional integration, revive land-based trade over sea and air, and foster economic growth. The project’s name was chosen by Chinese President Xi Jinping, inspired by the Silk Road, which was created 2,000 years ago during the Han dynasty. The Silk Road was, in fact, a vast ancient network of communication that included diverse trade routes connecting China through Eurasia to the Mediterranean Sea for centuries.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An international affairs analyst stated that the recent trade agreement between the United States and the European Union, signed on July 28, 2025, in Scotland, appears to have averted a full-scale tariff war. However, this agreement, shaped by Donald Trump’s pressures and threats to raise tariffs by up to 30%, reflects U.S. economic dominance over Europe more than it signifies mutual cooperation. The European Union’s commitment to purchasing $750 billion worth of energy and investing $600 billion in the U.S., along with accepting a 15% tariff on most European exports, raises serious questions about Europe’s economic independence and its implications for the global economy. Does this agreement mean stability for European trade, or does it represent a strategic surrender to the United States that will deepen existing rifts in the global order?
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A researcher on Lebanese affairs stated: Under intense US pressure, Lebanon’s current government is hastily finalizing the gas dossier in the Eastern Mediterranean; an action that benefits the US, the Israeli regime, and their allies, and may result in Lebanon losing approximately five thousand square kilometers of area containing its gas and oil wealth. In this regard, the Al-Akhbar newspaper wrote: What is happening today is not merely a maritime negotiation, but a battle over sovereignty and survival that is feared will end unilaterally at a bargaining table where there is no room for national interests.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A West Asia affairs analyst stated: The Syria-Turkey-Azerbaijan gas project goes beyond simple energy cooperation and must be evaluated within the context of regional power competition, efforts to redefine the political order in Syria, and the strengthening of the Turkish-Qatari-Azerbaijani axis in West Asia. An order whose future will largely depend on the stability of the Damascus government and Turkey’s ability to manage security, economic, and geopolitical crises simultaneously.
At a time when Syria is still grappling with extensive infrastructure problems and an energy crisis, the inauguration of the gas pipeline from Azerbaijan to Syria via Turkey, with Qatar’s financial support, has drawn the attention of regional analysts. This project, which in its first phase will transfer 3.4 million cubic meters of gas per day and will eventually reach a capacity of 6 million cubic meters per day, could add approximately 750 megawatts to Syria’s electricity generation capacity.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: In recent years, with the expansion of international sanctions and the intensification of economic pressures on specific countries, many have turned their attention to new financial technologies. Among these technologies, cryptocurrencies have garnered more attention than others. Media, economic actors, and even some politicians have referred to cryptocurrency as a potential tool for bypassing sanctions, as if these cryptocurrencies are the very keyword that unlocks the closed doors of the global banking system.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An American affairs analyst stated: Although only seven months have passed since the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term in the White House, the administration’s official narrative of economic performance has again become a contentious subject in American academic, media, and expert circles. Statistics recently released by the Trump administration on economic indicators appear to suggest economic revival, reduced inflation, and a strengthened labor market. However, when these statistics are juxtaposed with independent data and credible surveys, a different and concerning picture of the U.S. economy’s real condition emerges. Rising unemployment rates, declining employment growth, falling labor force participation, consumer inflation exceeding optimal levels, and widespread public dissatisfaction with living costs are the most significant indicators challenging the Trump administration’s narrative. This comes as Trump, repeating his “Make America Great Again” slogan, had promised that protective trade policies and heavy tariffs would increase domestic employment and enhance the competitiveness of U.S. industries. Yet according to many economists and market observers, these policies have not only failed to revive the economy but have instead increased production costs, burdened domestic consumers, and disrupted global supply chains.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A senior international security analyst stated: The Trump administration’s environmental deregulation policies will inflict serious and long-term damage on international security. The Donald Trump administration has adopted a controversial approach through extensive environmental deregulation policies, including revoking the 2009 scientific finding that identified greenhouse gases as a threat to public health. This decision, described by Lee Zeldin, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as “the largest deregulation in American history,” not only weakens global efforts to combat global warming but will also have more destructive repercussions in the realm of international security.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: The expansion of the BRICS group, particularly with the addition of influential powers such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt, has sparked a wave of concern in American policymaking circles, especially among conservative factions symbolized by Donald Trump. This fear does not stem merely from the increase in membership. Still, it is rooted in the coalition’s potential to challenge the Western-led economic and political order—particularly the dollar’s exclusive status as the global reserve and exchange currency.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Concurrent with the official commencement of the United States’ economic war against our country, focusing on sanctions instruments, isolation, and economic pressure, what has now become increasingly important is the lack of alignment of other major global powers, especially China, with this policy.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The new US sanctions against Iran, despite extensive propaganda, face serious obstacles to success due to the ineffectiveness of sanctions tools and opposition from some of Tehran’s trading partners.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Following military failure, Trump has announced the implementation of sanctions and old economic pressures under the new label of “unprecedented economic operation” against Iran; however, Tehran can neutralize this blockade through four specific strategies.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Two contrasting narratives of Trump’s foreign policy – one “crisis as doctrine” and the other a “coherent doctrine” – present a complex picture of America’s attempt to redefine its role in the international system.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Makkah Pact, signed between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey under the motto “an attack on one is an attack on all,” is viewed by some analysts less as a full-fledged military coalition and more as an attempt to reduce security dependence on an external power and to establish a regional security mechanism.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The new US-Saudi nuclear agreement, despite legal and political ambiguities, could alter previous non-proliferation standards in West Asia and intensify nuclear competition, ushering it into a new phase.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Recent developments in Syria indicate an intensification of strategic rivalry between Turkey and the Israeli regime, but mutual considerations and the role of the United States have limited the likelihood of direct war.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The future of the so-called Trump peace plan for Gaza, despite claims of an agreement on Hamas’s disarmament, remains shrouded in ambiguity due to structural deficiencies and opposition from key actors.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An international affairs expert, referring to the ongoing dispute between Europe and America over Greenland, stated that Europe’s policy is based on increasing political, diplomatic, and even economic support for Denmark and Greenland, and it certainly will not move towards escalating tensions with America.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An analyst of U.S. affairs stated that while Donald Trump promised to revive the U.S. economy and restore the country’s industrial glory upon his return to the White House, the latest economic data indicate otherwise. The unemployment rate, which was 3.8% at the beginning of the new administration, has now risen to 4.3%, and factories and construction companies have laid off thousands of workers. Even revised statistics show that in June of this year alone, 13,000 jobs were lost. These developments highlight the gap between Trump’s campaign promises and the economic reality in the U.S.. This divide has overshadowed not only domestic politics but also the country’s economic and geopolitical future.
At the same time, Trump is attempting to shift pressures outward by leveraging geopolitical tools; an example is his threat to the European Union following the fines imposed on Google, an action many observers see as an effort to shift the agenda from domestic recession to external challenges. The question is whether these policies can pull the U.S. economy out of recession or if their consequences will ultimately spill over into the global economy.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), also known as the new and modern Silk Road, was launched in 2013 to connect Asia with Africa and Europe through land and maritime networks. Its purpose is to improve regional integration, revive land-based trade over sea and air, and foster economic growth. The project’s name was chosen by Chinese President Xi Jinping, inspired by the Silk Road, which was created 2,000 years ago during the Han dynasty. The Silk Road was, in fact, a vast ancient network of communication that included diverse trade routes connecting China through Eurasia to the Mediterranean Sea for centuries.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An international affairs analyst stated that the recent trade agreement between the United States and the European Union, signed on July 28, 2025, in Scotland, appears to have averted a full-scale tariff war. However, this agreement, shaped by Donald Trump’s pressures and threats to raise tariffs by up to 30%, reflects U.S. economic dominance over Europe more than it signifies mutual cooperation. The European Union’s commitment to purchasing $750 billion worth of energy and investing $600 billion in the U.S., along with accepting a 15% tariff on most European exports, raises serious questions about Europe’s economic independence and its implications for the global economy. Does this agreement mean stability for European trade, or does it represent a strategic surrender to the United States that will deepen existing rifts in the global order?
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A researcher on Lebanese affairs stated: Under intense US pressure, Lebanon’s current government is hastily finalizing the gas dossier in the Eastern Mediterranean; an action that benefits the US, the Israeli regime, and their allies, and may result in Lebanon losing approximately five thousand square kilometers of area containing its gas and oil wealth. In this regard, the Al-Akhbar newspaper wrote: What is happening today is not merely a maritime negotiation, but a battle over sovereignty and survival that is feared will end unilaterally at a bargaining table where there is no room for national interests.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A West Asia affairs analyst stated: The Syria-Turkey-Azerbaijan gas project goes beyond simple energy cooperation and must be evaluated within the context of regional power competition, efforts to redefine the political order in Syria, and the strengthening of the Turkish-Qatari-Azerbaijani axis in West Asia. An order whose future will largely depend on the stability of the Damascus government and Turkey’s ability to manage security, economic, and geopolitical crises simultaneously.
At a time when Syria is still grappling with extensive infrastructure problems and an energy crisis, the inauguration of the gas pipeline from Azerbaijan to Syria via Turkey, with Qatar’s financial support, has drawn the attention of regional analysts. This project, which in its first phase will transfer 3.4 million cubic meters of gas per day and will eventually reach a capacity of 6 million cubic meters per day, could add approximately 750 megawatts to Syria’s electricity generation capacity.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: In recent years, with the expansion of international sanctions and the intensification of economic pressures on specific countries, many have turned their attention to new financial technologies. Among these technologies, cryptocurrencies have garnered more attention than others. Media, economic actors, and even some politicians have referred to cryptocurrency as a potential tool for bypassing sanctions, as if these cryptocurrencies are the very keyword that unlocks the closed doors of the global banking system.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An American affairs analyst stated: Although only seven months have passed since the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term in the White House, the administration’s official narrative of economic performance has again become a contentious subject in American academic, media, and expert circles. Statistics recently released by the Trump administration on economic indicators appear to suggest economic revival, reduced inflation, and a strengthened labor market. However, when these statistics are juxtaposed with independent data and credible surveys, a different and concerning picture of the U.S. economy’s real condition emerges. Rising unemployment rates, declining employment growth, falling labor force participation, consumer inflation exceeding optimal levels, and widespread public dissatisfaction with living costs are the most significant indicators challenging the Trump administration’s narrative. This comes as Trump, repeating his “Make America Great Again” slogan, had promised that protective trade policies and heavy tariffs would increase domestic employment and enhance the competitiveness of U.S. industries. Yet according to many economists and market observers, these policies have not only failed to revive the economy but have instead increased production costs, burdened domestic consumers, and disrupted global supply chains.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A senior international security analyst stated: The Trump administration’s environmental deregulation policies will inflict serious and long-term damage on international security. The Donald Trump administration has adopted a controversial approach through extensive environmental deregulation policies, including revoking the 2009 scientific finding that identified greenhouse gases as a threat to public health. This decision, described by Lee Zeldin, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as “the largest deregulation in American history,” not only weakens global efforts to combat global warming but will also have more destructive repercussions in the realm of international security.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: The expansion of the BRICS group, particularly with the addition of influential powers such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt, has sparked a wave of concern in American policymaking circles, especially among conservative factions symbolized by Donald Trump. This fear does not stem merely from the increase in membership. Still, it is rooted in the coalition’s potential to challenge the Western-led economic and political order—particularly the dollar’s exclusive status as the global reserve and exchange currency.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Concurrent with the official commencement of the United States’ economic war against our country, focusing on sanctions instruments, isolation, and economic pressure, what has now become increasingly important is the lack of alignment of other major global powers, especially China, with this policy.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The new US sanctions against Iran, despite extensive propaganda, face serious obstacles to success due to the ineffectiveness of sanctions tools and opposition from some of Tehran’s trading partners.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Following military failure, Trump has announced the implementation of sanctions and old economic pressures under the new label of “unprecedented economic operation” against Iran; however, Tehran can neutralize this blockade through four specific strategies.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Two contrasting narratives of Trump’s foreign policy – one “crisis as doctrine” and the other a “coherent doctrine” – present a complex picture of America’s attempt to redefine its role in the international system.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Makkah Pact, signed between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey under the motto “an attack on one is an attack on all,” is viewed by some analysts less as a full-fledged military coalition and more as an attempt to reduce security dependence on an external power and to establish a regional security mechanism.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The new US-Saudi nuclear agreement, despite legal and political ambiguities, could alter previous non-proliferation standards in West Asia and intensify nuclear competition, ushering it into a new phase.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Recent developments in Syria indicate an intensification of strategic rivalry between Turkey and the Israeli regime, but mutual considerations and the role of the United States have limited the likelihood of direct war.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The future of the so-called Trump peace plan for Gaza, despite claims of an agreement on Hamas’s disarmament, remains shrouded in ambiguity due to structural deficiencies and opposition from key actors.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An international affairs expert, referring to the ongoing dispute between Europe and America over Greenland, stated that Europe’s policy is based on increasing political, diplomatic, and even economic support for Denmark and Greenland, and it certainly will not move towards escalating tensions with America.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An analyst of U.S. affairs stated that while Donald Trump promised to revive the U.S. economy and restore the country’s industrial glory upon his return to the White House, the latest economic data indicate otherwise. The unemployment rate, which was 3.8% at the beginning of the new administration, has now risen to 4.3%, and factories and construction companies have laid off thousands of workers. Even revised statistics show that in June of this year alone, 13,000 jobs were lost. These developments highlight the gap between Trump’s campaign promises and the economic reality in the U.S.. This divide has overshadowed not only domestic politics but also the country’s economic and geopolitical future.
At the same time, Trump is attempting to shift pressures outward by leveraging geopolitical tools; an example is his threat to the European Union following the fines imposed on Google, an action many observers see as an effort to shift the agenda from domestic recession to external challenges. The question is whether these policies can pull the U.S. economy out of recession or if their consequences will ultimately spill over into the global economy.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), also known as the new and modern Silk Road, was launched in 2013 to connect Asia with Africa and Europe through land and maritime networks. Its purpose is to improve regional integration, revive land-based trade over sea and air, and foster economic growth. The project’s name was chosen by Chinese President Xi Jinping, inspired by the Silk Road, which was created 2,000 years ago during the Han dynasty. The Silk Road was, in fact, a vast ancient network of communication that included diverse trade routes connecting China through Eurasia to the Mediterranean Sea for centuries.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An international affairs analyst stated that the recent trade agreement between the United States and the European Union, signed on July 28, 2025, in Scotland, appears to have averted a full-scale tariff war. However, this agreement, shaped by Donald Trump’s pressures and threats to raise tariffs by up to 30%, reflects U.S. economic dominance over Europe more than it signifies mutual cooperation. The European Union’s commitment to purchasing $750 billion worth of energy and investing $600 billion in the U.S., along with accepting a 15% tariff on most European exports, raises serious questions about Europe’s economic independence and its implications for the global economy. Does this agreement mean stability for European trade, or does it represent a strategic surrender to the United States that will deepen existing rifts in the global order?
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A researcher on Lebanese affairs stated: Under intense US pressure, Lebanon’s current government is hastily finalizing the gas dossier in the Eastern Mediterranean; an action that benefits the US, the Israeli regime, and their allies, and may result in Lebanon losing approximately five thousand square kilometers of area containing its gas and oil wealth. In this regard, the Al-Akhbar newspaper wrote: What is happening today is not merely a maritime negotiation, but a battle over sovereignty and survival that is feared will end unilaterally at a bargaining table where there is no room for national interests.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A West Asia affairs analyst stated: The Syria-Turkey-Azerbaijan gas project goes beyond simple energy cooperation and must be evaluated within the context of regional power competition, efforts to redefine the political order in Syria, and the strengthening of the Turkish-Qatari-Azerbaijani axis in West Asia. An order whose future will largely depend on the stability of the Damascus government and Turkey’s ability to manage security, economic, and geopolitical crises simultaneously.
At a time when Syria is still grappling with extensive infrastructure problems and an energy crisis, the inauguration of the gas pipeline from Azerbaijan to Syria via Turkey, with Qatar’s financial support, has drawn the attention of regional analysts. This project, which in its first phase will transfer 3.4 million cubic meters of gas per day and will eventually reach a capacity of 6 million cubic meters per day, could add approximately 750 megawatts to Syria’s electricity generation capacity.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: In recent years, with the expansion of international sanctions and the intensification of economic pressures on specific countries, many have turned their attention to new financial technologies. Among these technologies, cryptocurrencies have garnered more attention than others. Media, economic actors, and even some politicians have referred to cryptocurrency as a potential tool for bypassing sanctions, as if these cryptocurrencies are the very keyword that unlocks the closed doors of the global banking system.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An American affairs analyst stated: Although only seven months have passed since the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term in the White House, the administration’s official narrative of economic performance has again become a contentious subject in American academic, media, and expert circles. Statistics recently released by the Trump administration on economic indicators appear to suggest economic revival, reduced inflation, and a strengthened labor market. However, when these statistics are juxtaposed with independent data and credible surveys, a different and concerning picture of the U.S. economy’s real condition emerges. Rising unemployment rates, declining employment growth, falling labor force participation, consumer inflation exceeding optimal levels, and widespread public dissatisfaction with living costs are the most significant indicators challenging the Trump administration’s narrative. This comes as Trump, repeating his “Make America Great Again” slogan, had promised that protective trade policies and heavy tariffs would increase domestic employment and enhance the competitiveness of U.S. industries. Yet according to many economists and market observers, these policies have not only failed to revive the economy but have instead increased production costs, burdened domestic consumers, and disrupted global supply chains.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A senior international security analyst stated: The Trump administration’s environmental deregulation policies will inflict serious and long-term damage on international security. The Donald Trump administration has adopted a controversial approach through extensive environmental deregulation policies, including revoking the 2009 scientific finding that identified greenhouse gases as a threat to public health. This decision, described by Lee Zeldin, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as “the largest deregulation in American history,” not only weakens global efforts to combat global warming but will also have more destructive repercussions in the realm of international security.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: The expansion of the BRICS group, particularly with the addition of influential powers such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt, has sparked a wave of concern in American policymaking circles, especially among conservative factions symbolized by Donald Trump. This fear does not stem merely from the increase in membership. Still, it is rooted in the coalition’s potential to challenge the Western-led economic and political order—particularly the dollar’s exclusive status as the global reserve and exchange currency.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Concurrent with the official commencement of the United States’ economic war against our country, focusing on sanctions instruments, isolation, and economic pressure, what has now become increasingly important is the lack of alignment of other major global powers, especially China, with this policy.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The new US sanctions against Iran, despite extensive propaganda, face serious obstacles to success due to the ineffectiveness of sanctions tools and opposition from some of Tehran’s trading partners.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Following military failure, Trump has announced the implementation of sanctions and old economic pressures under the new label of “unprecedented economic operation” against Iran; however, Tehran can neutralize this blockade through four specific strategies.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Two contrasting narratives of Trump’s foreign policy – one “crisis as doctrine” and the other a “coherent doctrine” – present a complex picture of America’s attempt to redefine its role in the international system.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Makkah Pact, signed between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey under the motto “an attack on one is an attack on all,” is viewed by some analysts less as a full-fledged military coalition and more as an attempt to reduce security dependence on an external power and to establish a regional security mechanism.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The new US-Saudi nuclear agreement, despite legal and political ambiguities, could alter previous non-proliferation standards in West Asia and intensify nuclear competition, ushering it into a new phase.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Recent developments in Syria indicate an intensification of strategic rivalry between Turkey and the Israeli regime, but mutual considerations and the role of the United States have limited the likelihood of direct war.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The future of the so-called Trump peace plan for Gaza, despite claims of an agreement on Hamas’s disarmament, remains shrouded in ambiguity due to structural deficiencies and opposition from key actors.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An international affairs expert, referring to the ongoing dispute between Europe and America over Greenland, stated that Europe’s policy is based on increasing political, diplomatic, and even economic support for Denmark and Greenland, and it certainly will not move towards escalating tensions with America.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An analyst of U.S. affairs stated that while Donald Trump promised to revive the U.S. economy and restore the country’s industrial glory upon his return to the White House, the latest economic data indicate otherwise. The unemployment rate, which was 3.8% at the beginning of the new administration, has now risen to 4.3%, and factories and construction companies have laid off thousands of workers. Even revised statistics show that in June of this year alone, 13,000 jobs were lost. These developments highlight the gap between Trump’s campaign promises and the economic reality in the U.S.. This divide has overshadowed not only domestic politics but also the country’s economic and geopolitical future.
At the same time, Trump is attempting to shift pressures outward by leveraging geopolitical tools; an example is his threat to the European Union following the fines imposed on Google, an action many observers see as an effort to shift the agenda from domestic recession to external challenges. The question is whether these policies can pull the U.S. economy out of recession or if their consequences will ultimately spill over into the global economy.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), also known as the new and modern Silk Road, was launched in 2013 to connect Asia with Africa and Europe through land and maritime networks. Its purpose is to improve regional integration, revive land-based trade over sea and air, and foster economic growth. The project’s name was chosen by Chinese President Xi Jinping, inspired by the Silk Road, which was created 2,000 years ago during the Han dynasty. The Silk Road was, in fact, a vast ancient network of communication that included diverse trade routes connecting China through Eurasia to the Mediterranean Sea for centuries.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An international affairs analyst stated that the recent trade agreement between the United States and the European Union, signed on July 28, 2025, in Scotland, appears to have averted a full-scale tariff war. However, this agreement, shaped by Donald Trump’s pressures and threats to raise tariffs by up to 30%, reflects U.S. economic dominance over Europe more than it signifies mutual cooperation. The European Union’s commitment to purchasing $750 billion worth of energy and investing $600 billion in the U.S., along with accepting a 15% tariff on most European exports, raises serious questions about Europe’s economic independence and its implications for the global economy. Does this agreement mean stability for European trade, or does it represent a strategic surrender to the United States that will deepen existing rifts in the global order?
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A researcher on Lebanese affairs stated: Under intense US pressure, Lebanon’s current government is hastily finalizing the gas dossier in the Eastern Mediterranean; an action that benefits the US, the Israeli regime, and their allies, and may result in Lebanon losing approximately five thousand square kilometers of area containing its gas and oil wealth. In this regard, the Al-Akhbar newspaper wrote: What is happening today is not merely a maritime negotiation, but a battle over sovereignty and survival that is feared will end unilaterally at a bargaining table where there is no room for national interests.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A West Asia affairs analyst stated: The Syria-Turkey-Azerbaijan gas project goes beyond simple energy cooperation and must be evaluated within the context of regional power competition, efforts to redefine the political order in Syria, and the strengthening of the Turkish-Qatari-Azerbaijani axis in West Asia. An order whose future will largely depend on the stability of the Damascus government and Turkey’s ability to manage security, economic, and geopolitical crises simultaneously.
At a time when Syria is still grappling with extensive infrastructure problems and an energy crisis, the inauguration of the gas pipeline from Azerbaijan to Syria via Turkey, with Qatar’s financial support, has drawn the attention of regional analysts. This project, which in its first phase will transfer 3.4 million cubic meters of gas per day and will eventually reach a capacity of 6 million cubic meters per day, could add approximately 750 megawatts to Syria’s electricity generation capacity.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: In recent years, with the expansion of international sanctions and the intensification of economic pressures on specific countries, many have turned their attention to new financial technologies. Among these technologies, cryptocurrencies have garnered more attention than others. Media, economic actors, and even some politicians have referred to cryptocurrency as a potential tool for bypassing sanctions, as if these cryptocurrencies are the very keyword that unlocks the closed doors of the global banking system.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An American affairs analyst stated: Although only seven months have passed since the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term in the White House, the administration’s official narrative of economic performance has again become a contentious subject in American academic, media, and expert circles. Statistics recently released by the Trump administration on economic indicators appear to suggest economic revival, reduced inflation, and a strengthened labor market. However, when these statistics are juxtaposed with independent data and credible surveys, a different and concerning picture of the U.S. economy’s real condition emerges. Rising unemployment rates, declining employment growth, falling labor force participation, consumer inflation exceeding optimal levels, and widespread public dissatisfaction with living costs are the most significant indicators challenging the Trump administration’s narrative. This comes as Trump, repeating his “Make America Great Again” slogan, had promised that protective trade policies and heavy tariffs would increase domestic employment and enhance the competitiveness of U.S. industries. Yet according to many economists and market observers, these policies have not only failed to revive the economy but have instead increased production costs, burdened domestic consumers, and disrupted global supply chains.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A senior international security analyst stated: The Trump administration’s environmental deregulation policies will inflict serious and long-term damage on international security. The Donald Trump administration has adopted a controversial approach through extensive environmental deregulation policies, including revoking the 2009 scientific finding that identified greenhouse gases as a threat to public health. This decision, described by Lee Zeldin, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as “the largest deregulation in American history,” not only weakens global efforts to combat global warming but will also have more destructive repercussions in the realm of international security.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: The expansion of the BRICS group, particularly with the addition of influential powers such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt, has sparked a wave of concern in American policymaking circles, especially among conservative factions symbolized by Donald Trump. This fear does not stem merely from the increase in membership. Still, it is rooted in the coalition’s potential to challenge the Western-led economic and political order—particularly the dollar’s exclusive status as the global reserve and exchange currency.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Concurrent with the official commencement of the United States’ economic war against our country, focusing on sanctions instruments, isolation, and economic pressure, what has now become increasingly important is the lack of alignment of other major global powers, especially China, with this policy.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The new US sanctions against Iran, despite extensive propaganda, face serious obstacles to success due to the ineffectiveness of sanctions tools and opposition from some of Tehran’s trading partners.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Following military failure, Trump has announced the implementation of sanctions and old economic pressures under the new label of “unprecedented economic operation” against Iran; however, Tehran can neutralize this blockade through four specific strategies.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Two contrasting narratives of Trump’s foreign policy – one “crisis as doctrine” and the other a “coherent doctrine” – present a complex picture of America’s attempt to redefine its role in the international system.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Makkah Pact, signed between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey under the motto “an attack on one is an attack on all,” is viewed by some analysts less as a full-fledged military coalition and more as an attempt to reduce security dependence on an external power and to establish a regional security mechanism.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The new US-Saudi nuclear agreement, despite legal and political ambiguities, could alter previous non-proliferation standards in West Asia and intensify nuclear competition, ushering it into a new phase.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Recent developments in Syria indicate an intensification of strategic rivalry between Turkey and the Israeli regime, but mutual considerations and the role of the United States have limited the likelihood of direct war.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The future of the so-called Trump peace plan for Gaza, despite claims of an agreement on Hamas’s disarmament, remains shrouded in ambiguity due to structural deficiencies and opposition from key actors.