Author: Steven Sahiounie

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Iraq and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region are experiencing upheaval and crisis. In order to fully understand the issues faced, Steven Sahiounie of MidEastDiscourse interviewed Dr. Mahmoud Al-Hashemi, the Director of the Union Center for Strategic Studies, of Iraq. 1. Steven Sahiounie (SS): With the halt in oil exports from the Kurdistan Region costing Iraq over $28 billion and recent drone attacks prompting U.S. intervention, how are Erbil-Baghdad tensions reshaping the region’s political and economic stability? Dr. Mahmoud Al-Hashemi (MAH): The persistent tendency among the political class in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq toward independence…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator A multifaceted global boycott campaign, spanning consumer goods, agricultural exports, arms sales, and academic cooperation, is inflicting substantial and sustained economic damage on Israel. Driven by international outcry over the war in Gaza, this movement has evolved from grassroots consumer activism to formal governmental sanctions, leading to closed businesses, plummeting exports, and unprecedented diplomatic isolation for the Israeli economy. The Rise of BDS and Consumer Power The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, formally launched in 2005 by over 170 Palestinian organizations, has matured into a potent economic force. Initially a symbolic tool against…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Lebanon finds itself at a pivotal moment as internal debates intensify over the future of Hezbollah’s weapons, amid escalating threats from Israel and American diplomatic pressure. Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, recently expressed openness to discussing disarming Hezbollah within the framework of the Lebanese constitution, emphasizing the need for calm, consensual dialogue. His remarks came in response to the controversial visit of Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi to southern Lebanon, which Berri condemned as a “provocation.” Israel is currently occupying parts of Southern Lebanon since invading on October 1, 2024, marking the sixth…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator The Hague/Rotterdam. In a significant development for Syria’s war-ravaged economy, the Dutch energy trading giant Vitol is preparing to load the first shipment of Syrian crude oil since the lifting of Western sanctions. This move signals a potential turning point for the country’s energy sector, which has endured over a decade of destruction and disruption due to conflict. According to a Bloomberg source familiar with the matter, the world’s largest independent oil trader will ship the crude to a refinery in Italy. The loading operation is scheduled to commence imminently. This landmark shipment follows…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator In a dramatic escalation of political tensions in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, Lahur Sheikh Jangi, leader of the opposition “People’s Front Party,” was arrested alongside two of his brothers following a violent confrontation with security forces in Sulaymaniyah. The operation, which unfolded in the early hours of Friday morning, resulted in multiple casualties and has drawn both domestic and international concern. The recent armed conflict in Sulaymaniyah was the result of a deep and long-standing political and familial power struggle within the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). Sheikh Jangi was once co-president of the PUK…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator According to the Syrian state media, a US-led coalition has captured a senior member of the ISIS group in Atmeh, in the province of Idlib. The exact identity of the man has yet to be disclosed, but many believe it may be the ISIS supreme leader, Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi. Qurashi was named the fifth and current caliph of the ISIS on August 3, 2023. The pre-dawn raid included landing special commandos from helicopters in Atmeh, on the Turkish border. According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, Qurashi was taken away, while…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reignited controversy by publicly endorsing the vision of a “Greater Israel,” a concept rooted in biblical and Talmudic narratives that has long been associated with expansionist ambitions. In a striking moment at the UN General Assembly on September 22, 2023, Netanyahu unveiled a map of Israel that included both Gaza and the West Bank, signaling a bold reassertion of territorial claims. The idea of “Greater Israel” has been championed by the Israeli far-right, notably Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionism party and current finance minister. In 2016,…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator On August 8, President Donald Trump hosted a White House summit between Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev and the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, which resulted in a preliminary peace deal to end the decades-long conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) is a corridor which could become a mammoth transport hub between Turkiye, Azerbaijan and Central Asia.The flow of Central Asian hydrocarbons to Turkiye and Europe, could boost the regional economy, at the expense of Russia and China.Armenia was hesitant to allow Azeri access to the corridor, but Trump reassured Pashinyan,…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator On August 10, Israel deliberately targeted a tent near Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza, killing two Al Jazeera journalists, Anas Al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqa. Killed with them were photojournalists Ibrahim Zaher, Moamen Alaiwa, and camera assistant Mohammed Noufal. A sixth journalist succumbed to his injuries the following morning. The attack occurred in an area heavily populated by press teams covering the ongoing conflict. The office confirmed that the total number of journalists killed since the beginning of the war on Gaza has now reached 238. Israel does not want their citizens, or the world,…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Beirut, August 2025 — The U.S. has welcomed the Lebanese government’s recent decisions to fully implement the terms of the ceasefire agreement with Israel, originally announced in November 2024. U.S. envoy to the region, Tom Barrack, expressed support via social media, stating that President Donald Trump’s administration is “ready to help Lebanon build a future of economic development and peace with its neighbors.” He also cited Secretary of State Marco Rubio, emphasizing that the U.S. aims to support a “strong Lebanese state capable of confronting Hezbollah and disarming it.” The Israeli government remains focused…