Strategic Council Online – The Vice President of the Washington based Middle East Institute (MEI), Gerald M. Feierstein says that growth of Chinese influence in the Persian Gulf is more a recognition of China’s growing economic and commercial power than it is a reflection of declining U.S. influence.
Strategic Council Online – A Tehran University professor, referring to some dichotomies in the foreign policy of the United Arab Emirates, said: “The UAE wants to play a role greater than the limits of its capacity and geography. It wants to connect to different axes at the same time and be present on occasionally contradictory fronts in order to legitimize its existence and status.
Strategic Council Online: Following recent incident in Mediterranean waters between Turkish and French navies, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has ordered an investigation into this unprecedented incident in the military relations between the two member states. The announcement of the arrest of members of a French spy network by Ankara, who were gathering information on Turkish soil, once again showed another questionable reflection of the internal developments of the NATO alliance and the deep differences in relations between its members.
Abolghasem Delphi – Former Ambassador to France
Strategic Council Online: According to the agreement reached between the United States and the Taliban in March 2018, the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan will begin and by mid-July (July 2020) the number of US combat troops will reach 8600 persons. This is happening at a time when the bilateral security agreement between the United States and the Afghan government is still valid. In addition, in recent months, the activities of terrorist groups in Afghanistan have not diminished, but in addition to the Taliban’s spring attacks, ISIS terrorist activities in Afghanistan are taking civilian tolls from among the oppressed people of Afghanistan, and the atmosphere of insecurity has not changed. Although the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan is important, it may have significant implications for the future of Afghanistan and the region, given the shortcomings and negligence in fulfilling their commitments, especially in the field of training Afghan forces. Americans should accept responsibility and pay the damages.
Seyed Mostafa Hashemi – Afghan Affairs Expert
Strategic Council Online: An expert on West Asian affairs said that the Syrians have shown that they have no consideration or reservation for improving relations with the Arab states around them, adding that the Americans do not want an improvement of relations between Syria and Arab states and are exerting pressures so that Damascus would not return to the Arab fold.