Author: Steven Sahiounie

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator On January 9, a ceasefire was in effect from 3 am. to 9 am. in order to allow for the safe evacuation of the Syrian Defense Forces (SDF) fighters who were embedded in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods of Aleppo, Syria’s largest city and industrial capital. The Ministry of Defense declared a ceasefire “out of concern for civilian safety and to prevent further military escalation within residential neighborhoods.” According to the statement, the ceasefire granted Kurdish fighters a deadline to withdraw from the neighborhoods until 9:00 a.m. Fighters were permitted to carry only…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Just two days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met U.S. President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, quiet but significant steps toward rebuilding parts of the Gaza Strip began—without any formal public announcement, contractual framework, or reference to disarmament. These developments have raised serious political and security questions inside Israel and across the region. According to an article by Israeli journalist Anna Barsky published in Maariv, the Qatar Fund for Development announced the resumption of operations at the Hamad Rehabilitation and Prosthetics Hospital in northern Gaza, while simultaneously opening a new branch in the southern…

Steven Sahiounie, Journalist and political commentator Protests are rapidly expanding across Iran, spreading from major commercial centers to universities and provincial cities, underscoring the depth of the country’s economic crisis and placing the government’s newly declared conciliatory approach toward dissent under its first major test. What began as demonstrations by merchants in Tehran’s mobile phone market—one of the sectors most sensitive to currency fluctuations—has now extended to major universities, including the University of Tehran, Shahid Beheshti University, Sharif University of Technology, and academic institutions in Isfahan and Yazd, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency. Currency Collapse Fuels Public Anger…

By: Dragana Trifković, General Director of the Center for Geostrategic Studies (Serbia) Organized media campaigns aimed at discrediting individuals or groups with independent political views — through labels such as “Russian spies,” “extremists,” “conspiracy theorists,” and similar — are neither accidental nor merely the result of isolated voices. They are part of a broader phenomenon of political communication, information warfare, and conflict within the public information space. In European countries, especially in times of political crisis and geopolitical confrontation, segments of the executive branch, security services, or media centers connected to them use the media to marginalize critics by portraying…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator After weeks of destroying ships said to be carrying drugs from Venezuela, US President Donald Trump posted on social media the capture and arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a daring US military operation in Caracas. US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Maduro has been indicted in New York on drugs and weapons charges. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a Republican senator Maduro will stand trial in the US and that he anticipates no further military action. According to the Venezuelan constitution, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator A wave of volatile security events has swept across Syria recently, highlighting the fragility of the peace one year into the post-Assad era. While the new administration celebrates significant counter-terrorism victories—including the high-profile arrest of a top ISIS leader—a deadly bombing in Homs has renewed fears of sectarian violence and insurgency. Tragedy in Homs: Deadly Mosque Bombing On Friday afternoon, tragedy struck the central city of Homs. An explosion ripped through the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi al-Dahab district during Friday prayers, killing at least eight civilians and injuring 18…

Steven Sahiounie of MideastDiscourse interviewed Iraqi journalist and political commentator Ali Al-Habib for his analysis on the key issues facing Iraq today. #1. Steven Sahiounie (SS): What are the implications of Iraq shutting down oil production at the West Qurna-2 field due to a pipeline leak, and how might this affect the country’s oil output and economy? Ali Al-Habib (AAH): This reveals a scene of grave weakness threatening the very pillars of the Iraqi state. A catastrophic leak in an export pipeline has led to the shutdown of production at the West Qurna-2 oil field, depriving Iraqis of 480,000 barrels…

By: Dragana Trifković, General Director of the Center for Geostrategic Studies The Four Pillars of Foreign Policy and Strategic Energy Cooperation with Russia In order to understand Serbia’s current international and energy policy, it is necessary to look back at the period of the democratic government, when the main directions of Serbia’s development were defined—directions that, at least formally, have not changed to this day. In the field of foreign policy and energy, during the administration of Tadić and Koštunica (2004–2008), the foreign policy concept of the “four pillars” was established, the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Lebanon is entering a delicate political and security phase, in which internal projects to rebuild the state intersect with unprecedented regional and international pressure—amid ongoing Israeli aggression in the South, a deepening economic crisis, and the erosion of citizens’ confidence in state institutions. In this context, several pivotal issues emerge that will shape the features of the coming stage. Steven Sahiounie of MidEastDiscourse interviewed Brigadier General Mounir Shahada, former Lebanese Government Coordinator to UNIFIL, to get his unique analysis on Lebanon at the crossroads. 1. Steven Sahiounie (SS): How is Lebanon’s new plan to…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator The attack in Palmyra last Saturday killed three Americans—two soldiers and one civilian interpreter—and wounded an additional three U.S. personnel. The Syrian government condemned the operation as a “terrorist attack.” Today, U.S. personnel remain in northeastern Syria and at the al-Tanf base near the Jordanian border, focusing on ISIS containment and support for local partners. Palmyra—listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980—fell to ISIS in 2015 before government and coalition forces retook it in 2019. Despite losing territorial control, ISIS retains a desert presence and launches intermittent strikes. U.S.–Syria Relations: Condemnations, Condolences,…