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Amin Saikal

Amin Saikal

8 commentaries

Amin Saikal, Professor of Social Sciences at the University of Western Australia, is the author of Iran Rising: The Survival and Future of the Islamic Republic (Princeton University Press, 2019) and the co-author (with James Piscatori) of Islam Beyond Borders: The Umma in World Politics (Cambridge University Press, 2019).

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  1. Back to the Brink in Iran
    saikal8_OZAN KOSEAFP via Getty Images_iranprotests Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images

    Back to the Brink in Iran

    Oct 4, 2022 Amin Saikal explains why the regime may no longer be able to quell popular protest with force alone.

  2. Libya’s Double Tragedy
    saikal7_ABDULLAH DOMAAFP via Getty Images_libyawarconflictsoldier Abdullah Doma/AFP via Getty Images

    Libya’s Double Tragedy

    Jul 10, 2020 Amin Saikal worries that a combination of internal strife and external intervention will prolong the country's crisis.

  3. The Kingdom’s Botched War in Yemen
    saikal6_MOHAMMED HUWAISAFP via Getty Images_yemenwarsoldier Mohammed Huwais/AFP via Getty Images

    The Kingdom’s Botched War in Yemen

    May 1, 2020 Amin Saikal argues that Saudi Arabia should join UN peace talks after its failed, five-year military engagement in Yemen.

  4. Is Peace with the Taliban Possible?
    saikal5_STRAFPGetty Images_kabul STR/AFP/Getty Images

    Is Peace with the Taliban Possible?

    Aug 23, 2019 Amin Saikal says current American efforts to reach a political settlement in Afghanistan have worrying historical parallels.

  5. Trump’s Failed Iran Policy
    saikal4_AFPGettyImages_iranoiltankerfire AFP/Getty Images

    Trump’s Failed Iran Policy

    Aug 7, 2019 Amin Saikal says that the Islamic Republic will negotiate with the United States, but will never simply capitulate.

  1. krueger84_Justin SullivanGetty Images_UStrade Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    Trump’s Tariffs Will Hurt Mexico – and America

    Anne O. Krueger thinks the US administration’s trade restrictions will end up undermining its stated immigration goals.
  2. mahroum23_Andrew HarnikGettyImages_elon_musk_cabinet_meeting Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

    Americans Will Miss Their Government When It’s Gone

    Sami Mahroum explains what will follow from the indiscriminate gutting of federal agencies and mass firings.
  3. frankel169_Alex WongGettyImages_trump_gulf_of_america Alex Wong/Getty Images

    Trump’s Imaginary Victories

    Jeffrey Frankel says that to call the US president a “transactional” leader is to ignore his utter lack of strategic thinking.
  4. johnson184_Picture AllianceGettyImages_greenland_flag Picture Alliance/Getty Images

    Greenland’s Future Must Be Decided by Greenland’s People

    Simon Johnson dismisses the argument that US national security depends on gaining control over the island.
  5. mpaxton1_jonathanfilskov-photographyGetty Images_mangrove jonathanfilskov-photography/Getty Images

    Nature Needs Its Own ID

    Midori Paxton shows how digital tools can drive a data-driven approach to protecting our planet’s environmental health.
  6. fedyk9_Oleg PalchykGlobal Images Ukraine via Getty Images_ukrainedrone Oleg Palchyk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

    Ukraine’s True Value

    Anastassia Fedyk & Emilia Marshall

    Ukraine’s immense industrial and human resources once helped make the Soviet Union a global power, and Russian President Vladimir Putin is counting on them to achieve his neo-imperialist dream. With the US now behaving like a Kremlin proxy, supporting Ukraine has become an existential imperative for Europe.

    warn that abandoning the country could hand Vladimir Putin the opportunity to restore Russia’s imperial status.
  7. sierakowski116_Andrew HarnikGetty Images_trumpvancezelensky Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

    America Is Gone – Europe Must Replace It

    Sławomir Sierakowski

    Donald Trump and J.D. Vance’s verbal assault on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office was shocking but not surprising. As the Trump administration rapidly destroys America's credibility and international standing, Europe must mobilize its ample resources to replace America as a global leader.

    says the Trump administration's Oval Office fight with Ukraine's president is a moment that will live in infamy.
  8. yu80_Morris MacMatzenGettyImages_us_trade Morris MacMatzen/Getty Images

    Can America Maintain External Sustainability?

    Yu Yongding explains why demand for foreign capital inflows to offset the country’s savings shortfall may go unmet.
  9. rodrik232_ ROBERTO SCHMIDTAFP via Getty Images_trumpflag Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images

    The Coming Showdown in Trumpworld

    Dani Rodrik points out that a coalition comprising incompatible financial and ideological interests cannot last.

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