AboutArticles by Michael Jansen

Deadly work

03 Jan 2025

Journalists across the world risk their lives daily to report in conflict zones and all too often become the story. This is especially true on Gaza where from Oct.7,...

HTS must unite partners to curb infighting

29 Dec 2024

Syria is not Idlib. Syria’s new rulers, dominated by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), have yet to learn that Syria is far more commanding, complex and complicated than Idlib, one...

Syrians uncertain about their future after takeover

22 Dec 2024

Globally dominant Western media have focused on the liberation of Syria’s prisoners and mass graves outside Damascus, but little is being reported about how Syrians are coping with uncertainty....

Fading hopes

19 Dec 2024

The embattled West Bank hill town of Bethlehem faces a second cold Christmas as Palestinian Christians leave, and tourists stay away from the birthplace of Jesus and Christianity. “During these...

Erdogan gains political ground in Syria

15 Dec 2024

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has become the key external actor in Syria following the sudden fall of Syria president Bashar al-Assad and the Baath party. He secured supremacy...

Exerting pressure

12 Dec 2024

Last Week’s Amnesty International report accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza is unprecedented. This is the first time a major global human rights organisation issued such a finding, and...

Calls for calm after takeover of Damascus

08 Dec 2024

While Ha’yat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) and disparate armed allies have called for calm and a smooth transition from the 54-year-old Assad dynasty, it remains to be seen if...

Violations of decency

05 Dec 2024

The personnel of the International Criminal Court (ICC) are weathering the storm of threats, sanctions and abuse unleashed by Israel and the US over arrest warrants for Israeli Prime...

Relief, anxiety mark truce in Lebanon

03 Dec 2024

Anarchic Lebanese jammed the southern highway on Wednesday morning as soon as the Hizbollah-Israel ceasefire went into effect. Villagers driven from their villages in the south pilled their possessions...

Soulful sounds

28 Nov 2024

Fans posted tributes on social to mark the 90th birthday last week of the Arab world’s iconic songstress Fairuz, as Israeli bombs shattered the peace of her homeland. Many...

Michael Jansen

The author, a well-respected observer of Middle East affairs, has three books on the Arab-Israeli conflict.