Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at Fair Observer on January 31, 2020
Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan is a far cry from what Palestinians have wanted for decades. But it’s time to be realistic. Following President Donald Trump’s long-awaited unveiling of his “deal of the century” Middle East peace plan on January 28, the Palestinians now confront an existential moment: find a way to make it work or […]
Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at Fair Observer on January 13, 2020
Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman effectively managed an impossible challenge — keeping his nation at peace in the world’s most volatile region. Despite knowledge of his illness, I was stunned and saddened by the death on January 10 of Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman. I had come to know Sultan Qaboos, who ruled […]
Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at Fair Observer on January 10, 2020
By dialing back its response to the latest crisis, Iran stands a better chance of achieving a major strategic objective in the region: America’s departure from Iraq. Following Iran’s missile attacks on a two US airbase, one outside Baghdad and the second near Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, US President Donald Trump almost triumphantly announced that […]
Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at Fair Observer on January 3, 2020
The US drone strike against General Qassem Soleimani and other pro-Iran militia leaders has further escalated the tit-for-tat series of actions between the US and Iran. The last several weeks have seen a dangerous escalation in US-Iran tensions in the Gulf. Following the pro-Iranian, Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah’s (KH) attack on a US facility that […]
Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at Fair Observer on November 25, 2019
Regardless of how one may argue the case of Israeli settlement legality, America’s decision not to consider West Bank settlements illegal drives down the possibility of resolving this decades-long dispute. On November 18, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the US would no longer view Israeli settlements in the West Bank as illegal. The decision […]