AboutArticles by Michael Jansen

Being short-changed

25 Apr 2019

A friend recently remarked that the outpouring of grief and empathy from world leaders, peoples, and media over the destruction by fire of the roof of the 12th-13th century...

The constitutional amendments give ultimate power to Sisi

21 Apr 2019

Egyptians go to the polls today, for the third day, in a referendum on constitutional changes which will grant President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi the possibility to remain in power...

Economic sanctions make life hard

19 Apr 2019

In the year since I last visited Syria, Damascenes have lived without the metallic report of mortars fired by insurgents landing in the city and its suburbs, the whistle of...

Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese

14 Apr 2019

Syrians preoccupied with daily financial pressures have nevertheless been infuriated by Donald Trump’s recognition of Israel’s sovereignty over Syria’s Golan Heights. A senior government official told Gulf Today that US...

Repairing history

11 Apr 2019

Homs is gradually recovering from eight years of a devastating warfare. The Old City, under rebel and al-Qaeda rule until May 2014, has come alive. Cars and pick-ups vie for...

The war isn’t over yet as heavyweights continue to prolong it

08 Apr 2019

The war on Syria has not ended with the defeat of the Daesh false “caliphate.” The US and Europe’s heavyweights, Britain, France and Germany, as well as “Brussels” continue the...

Going hammer and tongs

04 Apr 2019

Ahead of Israel’s April 9th general election, a poll conducted by the army radio found a newly minted opposition party was still leading the long dominant Likud by a...

A morale-booster for Palestinians

31 Mar 2019

Michael Jansen, Political Commentator The good news from the US is that for the first time, perhaps ever, 50 per cent of that country’s citizens support the creation of...

Leading the way

28 Mar 2019

The image of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern hugging a grieving Muslim woman projected onto the face of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, was a moving tribute...

Golan: Trump upsets Arabs again

24 Mar 2019

Donald Trump’s tweet favouring US recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Syrian Golan Heights, occupied by Israel in 1967, has been widely condemned in this region and Europe, but...

Michael Jansen

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