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🇺🇸🇵🇸Peace Plan Phase 2 Without Phase 1: Can the US Really Bring Peace to Gaza? Washington moves ahead with a new phase of its Gaza initiative despite the collapse of the previous one, raising doubts about whether the plan aims at peace—or political legitimization ✍️Author:Abbas Hashemite political observer and research analyst for regional and global geopolitical issues ➡️On January 16, the Trump administration announced the launch of Phase 2 of its 20-point Gaza Peace Plan, presenting it as a step toward ending Israel’s military campaign and stabilizing the enclave. Yet this announcement comes despite the clear failure of Phase 1, which was meant to halt fighting, ensure full humanitarian access, reopen the Rafah crossing, enable prisoner exchanges, and outline Israeli withdrawal timelines. None of these objectives have been fully met: ceasefire violations continue, humanitarian aid remains restricted, and key crossings stay closed, leaving Gaza’s humanitarian crisis largely unchanged. The United States has been a key supporter of Israeli war crimes in Gaza ➡️The gap between US rhetoric and realities on the ground has fueled skepticism. Israeli strikes have persisted, hundreds of Palestinians—including children—have been killed since the supposed ceasefire, and aid deliveries remain tightly controlled. While Hamas has largely complied with prisoner exchange provisions, Israel continues to detain Palestinians and restrict essential supplies. Against this backdrop, the decision to advance to Phase 2 appears less like a response to progress and more like an attempt to reframe failure as momentum, sidestepping unresolved obligations from the initial phase. 🟦Phase 2 centers on creating a technocratic Palestinian administration, demilitarizing Gaza, and launching reconstruction under international supervision. However, controversial appointments—such as Tony Blair and Jared Kushner to oversight roles, and a US general to lead the International Stabilization Force—have deepened mistrust among Palestinians and regional observers. With demilitarization narrowly focused on Hamas and US support for Israel remaining unquestioned, the plan risks entrenching occupation under a new administrative guise. Without delivering justice, accountability, and genuine relief on the ground, Phase 2 looks less like a path to peace and more like political theatre built on an unfinished—and broken—Phase 1. #Geopolitics#IsraelandPalestine#MiddleEast#Palestinesplight#PalestinianConflict#USA READ MORE ✅@NewEasternOutlook

🇺🇸🕊Trump’s Board of Peace: A Controversial Move That Sidelines Palestinians Unveiled in Davos with fanfare, the new U.S.-led initiative faces mounting criticism for excluding the very people it claims to help ✍️Abbas Hashemite Political observer and research analyst for regional and global geopolitical issues ➡️The United States officially launched the charter of President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace at the World Economic Forum in Davos, marking what Washington described as Phase Two of its 20-point Gaza Peace Plan. The initiative introduced a four-tier governance structure for Gaza, yet Palestinians were excluded from meaningful representation in the top decision-making bodies, confined instead to a lower-level technocratic committee with limited authority. President Trump appointed himself head of the executive committee, consolidating sweeping powers, including sole veto authority. Critics argue that the structure resembles an externally imposed administrative regime rather than a consensual peace framework, particularly given the prominent inclusion of pro-Israel figures and the absence of Palestinian or Hamas representatives in the founding process. The exclusion of Hamas and Palestinians from the Board of Peace demonstrates that this entity would not be able to establish peace in the Middle East and could lead to more global conflicts ➡️The controversy deepened as more than 50 countries were invited to engage with the Board of Peace, while no formal Palestinian delegation was consulted. The charter notably avoids specific reference to Gaza in its formal language and includes provisions allowing for three-year renewable memberships, with permanent seats reportedly linked to substantial financial contributions. Trump’s remarks suggesting that the Board could serve as a more “effective” alternative to existing international institutions fueled concerns that the initiative challenges the central role of the United Nations in conflict resolution. Human rights organizations and several governments questioned both the legality and sustainability of a structure so heavily personalized around one executive office. 🟦Beyond legal debates, the core issue remains legitimacy. Any durable peace process in Gaza requires the inclusion of Palestinian stakeholders and credible security guarantees accepted by all sides. The exclusion of Hamas and broader Palestinian representation raises doubts about the Board’s ability to enforce ceasefires, secure disarmament arrangements, or prevent renewed escalation. While some states have endorsed the initiative, others have distanced themselves, reflecting wider uncertainty about its long-term viability. Whether the Board of Peace evolves into a functioning diplomatic mechanism or remains a symbolic instrument of U.S. executive diplomacy will depend less on ceremony and more on inclusivity, transparency, and adherence to international norms. #Europe#IsraelandPalestine#Palestinesplight#USA READ MORE ✅@NewEasternOutlook

🇺🇸🇵🇸Project Sunrise: Trump’s Hollywood Dream for Gaza Behind promises of reconstruction and prosperity, Project Sunrise reframes destruction as development, raising fears that Gaza’s future is being redesigned without Palestinians themselves ✍️Aleena Im Independent researcher and writer focusing on international relations and Middle Eastern politics. ➡️Project Sunrise, unveiled by the Trump administration as a $100+ billion reconstruction vision for Gaza, is framed as a bold pathway from devastation to prosperity. Wrapped in the language of innovation, tourism, and smart infrastructure, the plan imagines Gaza as a “Riviera of the Middle East,” complete with luxury resorts, transport corridors, and AI-driven governance. Yet this vision rises directly from the ruins of a prolonged war that flattened civilian infrastructure, making it difficult to separate reconstruction rhetoric from the political conditions that produced the destruction in the first place. The future of the innocent Palestinians, which has already been fractured, is now facing another major impediment ➡️Structurally, Project Sunrise follows a familiar top-down logic in which security, control, and capital precede political rights. Its phased model—stabilization, reconstruction, economic development, and elite urban transformation—offers little clarity on sovereignty, governance, or the fate of Gaza’s population during and after rebuilding. The absence of explicit guarantees for Palestinian self-determination, combined with statements suggesting long-term external control, fuels concerns that economic development is being used as a substitute for political justice. 🟦Rather than resolving the conflict, Project Sunrise risks institutionalizing it in a more polished form. By converting occupation into an investment opportunity and displacement into “urban renewal,” the plan reflects a broader trend of managing crises through spectacle and capital rather than accountability and law. For Palestinians, whose future is discussed largely without their participation, the project signals not a sunrise but the possibility that dispossession is simply being redesigned—cinematic in appearance, but unchanged in substance. #GazaCity#Geopolitics#IsraelandPalestine#IsraelandtheUSA#Palestinesplight READ MORE ✅@NewEasternOutlook

🇺🇸🇵🇸Imperial Peace: Trump’s Gaza Plan and the Exclusion of Palestinians Presented as diplomacy, Trump’s Gaza initiative formalizes a peace process in which Palestinians are absent — and power is centralized in Washington ✍️Taut Bataut Researcher and writer focusing on South Asian and Middle Eastern geopolitics ➡️On January 22, 2026, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, US President Donald Trump hosted the signing of the founding charter of the so-called Board of Peace. Leaders and foreign ministers from 35 countries — including several Muslim-majority states — endorsed an initiative described as the second phase of Trump’s Gaza Peace Plan. Yet the very people whose future the board claims to decide — the Palestinians of Gaza — were entirely excluded from consultation or representation. The inclusion of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, amid ongoing allegations of war crimes, underscored the asymmetry at the heart of the initiative, raising serious questions about legitimacy, intent, and justice. Through the charter of the Board of Peace, US President Donald Trump has not only deceived and ditched the United Nations, but he has also further strengthened the prospects of Israeli occupation of Gaza ➡️The charter establishes a parallel political structure operating outside the United Nations framework, with Trump named lifetime chair and sole holder of veto power. Permanent membership is reportedly tied to financial contributions, further consolidating authority around Washington. Critics argue that the Board of Peace institutionalizes unilateral control under the guise of multilateralism, reflecting the growing influence of pro-Israeli lobbying on US foreign policy. By bypassing established international mechanisms and concentrating decision-making power in a single office, the initiative signals a shift from negotiated peace toward managed domination. 🟦While the Davos presentation showcased ambitious reconstruction plans — towers, housing projects, and infrastructure — it ignored the devastation inflicted on Gaza and the political rights of its people. With tens of thousands killed, neighborhoods flattened, and ceasefires repeatedly violated, rebuilding without Palestinian consent risks entrenching occupation rather than ending conflict. Spain’s refusal to join the board highlighted these contradictions, but most signatories remained silent. In effect, Trump’s Board of Peace reframes imperial management as peacemaking, transforming Gaza from a humanitarian tragedy into a geopolitical project shaped without those who live there. #DonaldTrump#GazaCity#Geopolitics#IsraelandPalestine#Palestinesplight#UnitedNations READ MORE ✅@NewEasternOutlook

🤩🗺A Washington Start-up: How the Theocratic "Greater Israel" Project Replaced American Interests in the Middle East From promises of an “American Peace” to rhetoric invoking biblical entitlement, Washington’s Middle East policy appears increasingly entangled with the ideological ambitions of Israel’s far right — raising questions about whether US strategic interests are being subordinated to a theological vision ✍️Muhammad Hamid ad-Din is a Palestinian journalist and political commentator ➡️As the administration of Donald Trump advances its plan for the “reconstruction” of Gaza, the humanitarian toll of the war remains staggering. According to figures released by health authorities in the enclave, more than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 170,000 wounded since October 7, 2023. Even after a ceasefire agreement reportedly took effect last October, hundreds more casualties have been recorded. Against this backdrop, Washington’s framing of Gaza’s future in terms of investment packages and coastal redevelopment has drawn fierce criticism. What the White House presents as a bold reconstruction initiative is seen by opponents as an attempt to reshape the political and demographic landscape of the Strip without addressing accountability, sovereignty, or Palestinian national rights. Donald Trump, captivated by building his “Peace Council” and dreaming of luxury resorts, has forgotten the main thing: peace is not built on the ruins of other people’s lives ➡️Controversy deepened following remarks by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee during an interview with Tucker Carlson, in which he referred to what he described as Israel’s “biblical right” to the land. His comments triggered a coordinated diplomatic response from several Arab and Muslim-majority states, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, and Turkey, which characterized such rhetoric as destabilizing and contrary to international law. Critics argue that language invoking sacred geography undermines decades of diplomatic positioning in which the United States portrayed itself as a mediator rather than a partisan actor. The perception that Washington is aligning unconditionally with maximalist Israeli narratives has fueled skepticism about America’s role as a guarantor of regional stability. 🟦At stake is not only the future of Gaza but the broader architecture of US influence in the Middle East. For decades, American strategy rested on balancing Israel’s security with functional partnerships across the Arab world, safeguarding energy routes, and preventing the emergence of hostile regional hegemons. Today, that equilibrium appears strained. Proposals for large-scale redevelopment in Gaza — framed by supporters as economic revitalization and by detractors as coerced displacement — risk deepening estrangement between Washington and key regional capitals. If the United States is perceived as prioritizing ideological alignment over pragmatic statecraft, it may find its diplomatic leverage diminished in a region where multipolar competition is intensifying. Whether this moment represents a temporary rupture or a structural shift in American Middle East policy will shape not only Gaza’s future, but Washington’s global standing for years to come. #IsraelandtheUSA#MiddleEast#PalestinianConflict#U.S.intheMiddleEast #USagreesion#USA READ MORE ✅@NewEasternOutlook

🗺💥Patterns of Force: The Middle East on the Brink What looks like a chain of separate crises is, in reality, a single and dangerous trend: the normalization of force as everyday politics, pushing the Middle East toward systemic instability ✍️Salman Rafi Sheikh Research analyst of international relations and Pakistan’s foreign and domestic affairs ➡️The Middle East is entering a phase where instability is no longer driven mainly by old rivalries or proxy wars, but by the routine use of coercion as a political instrument. The rupture between Saudi Arabia and the UAE in Yemen illustrates this shift vividly. Once presented as a unified coalition against the Houthis, their alliance has fractured into open confrontation over territory, energy routes, and future governance. When Saudi airstrikes targeted UAE-linked forces, it exposed how militarized partnerships, lacking political settlement, turn into zero-sum competition—even among supposed allies. When alliances are built around military force rather than political settlement, they fracture under strain, as Yemen now shows, and threaten wider conflicts ➡️Iran’s growing domestic unrest reveals the other side of this pattern. Economic collapse and mass protests are unfolding under constant external pressure from the US and Israel, where threats of military strikes are openly discussed. This environment narrows space for reform and empowers hardliners, reinforcing a cycle in which internal dissent and external coercion feed each other. Rather than containing instability, the normalization of force amplifies it, making escalation more likely and miscalculation more dangerous. 🟦These crises are not isolated regional failures but reflections of a global playbook where coercion increasingly replaces restraint. From Venezuela to Greenland, global precedents signal that force and intimidation are acceptable tools of policy. Middle Eastern states absorb this lesson quickly: alliances become brittle, diplomacy weakens, and military power becomes the primary language of politics. The result is a self-reinforcing loop in which global erosion of norms accelerates regional fragmentation—pushing the Middle East ever closer to a tipping point. #Geopolitics#Internationalpolitics#MiddleEast#USA READ MORE ✅@NewEasternOutlook

🇦🇫🔎🇺🇸🔥🇮🇷Taliban approach to Iran and united states conflicts The evolving confrontation between the United States and Iran has become a defining test for regional actors, and few navigate it as carefully as the Taliban. Since returning to power in Afghanistan in 2021, the movement has adopted a pragmatic and restrained posture—one that reflects both ideological affinities with Iran and strategic caution toward United States ✏️Samyar Rostami Researcher in international relations ➡️The Taliban’s approach is shaped by a convergence of ideological, geographic, and economic factors. On the one hand, its governance model—rooted in the fusion of religion and state—shares certain conceptual overlaps with Iran’s political framework, particularly in its emphasis on religious authority and sovereignty. On the other hand, proximity matters: Iran is not only a neighbor but a critical economic partner, providing transit routes, fuel supplies, and access to international trade corridors. In this context, stability in Iran is not merely desirable but essential for Kabul’s own internal balance. Consequently, the Taliban has consistently criticized U.S. military actions against Iran, opposed sanctions, and emphasized respect for national sovereignty, while avoiding deeper involvement in Iran’s internal political dynamics. It seems that in practice and speech, the Taliban in the future will also have an informal approach towards Iran. But it will never move into an open alliance with Iran ➡️At the same time, the Taliban’s position is far from a formal alliance. Its leadership remains acutely aware of the risks associated with openly aligning against Washington. Relations with the United States are strained but not irrelevant; issues such as sanctions relief, access to frozen assets, and the pursuit of international legitimacy require maintaining at least minimal channels of communication. This duality produces a carefully calibrated policy: rhetorical support for Iran combined with strategic restraint. The Taliban condemns military escalation and signals solidarity with Tehran, yet avoids steps that would trigger direct confrontation with Washington or jeopardize its fragile diplomatic maneuverability. 🟦What emerges is not indecision but a deliberate balancing strategy. The Taliban seeks to preserve functional ties with Iran while insulating itself from the broader geopolitical conflict. Its policy reflects a broader regional logic in which survival depends less on ideological alignment than on managing interdependence. As tensions persist, this informal approach is likely to continue: closer practical cooperation with Iran, paired with limited and cautious engagement with the United States. In an increasingly polarized environment, the Taliban’s stance underscores a key reality of contemporary geopolitics—alignment is no longer binary, but conditional, fluid, and shaped by immediate necessity rather than long-term allegiance. #Afghanistan#Geopolitics#Iran#MiddleEast#USA READ MORE ✅@NewEasternOutlook

🇮🇱🗺Greater Israel: A Pseudo-Theologian Interpretation of 21st-Century Settler-Colonialism from Huckabee In a recent interview, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee suggested that Israel’s biblical borders could stretch “from the Nile to the Euphrates,” a remark that has intensified debate over theology, geopolitics, and Washington’s long-standing Middle East policy ✍️Simon Chege Ndiritu is a political observer and research analyst from Africa ➡️In a February 20, 2026 interview with Tucker Carlson, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee referenced the biblical promise to Abraham as a framework for understanding Israel’s territorial claims. His remarks, widely circulated in political media, revived the concept often described as “Greater Israel,” encompassing territory between the Nile and the Euphrates. Critics argue that such theological language, when articulated by a senior diplomat, blurs the line between religious symbolism and state policy. They point to the pattern of US alignment with Israeli strategic objectives over decades, including the 2003 Iraq war and subsequent regional interventions, as evidence that ideological narratives—religious or strategic—have frequently intersected with Washington’s Middle East posture. Supporters, meanwhile, maintain that US policy is driven by security partnerships and geopolitical calculation rather than theology. The US has, for decades, created a narrative showing its unreserved readiness to ravage any country in the Middle East to defend its so-called ‘allies’ and partners, which always turned out to be Israel ➡️The exchange between Huckabee and Carlson drew particular attention because Carlson pressed the ambassador on whether territorial entitlement should be understood literally, spiritually, or politically. Huckabee emphasized spiritual continuity rather than genetic lineage, a distinction that has fueled further controversy. Opponents contend that invoking sacred texts in territorial disputes risks legitimizing exclusionary or expansionist interpretations of modern statehood. They argue that framing contemporary geopolitics through biblical narratives can marginalize international law and the principle of self-determination. The broader debate touches on sensitive questions of identity, ancestry, and historical belonging—issues that scholars caution cannot be resolved through theological absolutism or selective historical claims. 🟦These remarks have also resurfaced longstanding criticism of US foreign policy consistency in the region. From bipartisan pledges to maintain Israel’s qualitative military edge to repeated congressional affirmations of strategic solidarity, American leaders have underscored Israel’s centrality to US Middle East policy. Detractors interpret this as evidence of structural bias; defenders describe it as the product of shared democratic values and security cooperation. The controversy surrounding Huckabee’s comments illustrates how theological rhetoric, when introduced into official discourse, can amplify suspicions that policy is guided by ideological maximalism rather than pragmatic diplomacy. At a moment of heightened regional tension, the challenge for Washington remains whether it can articulate its strategy in terms that reconcile security commitments with international norms and regional stability, rather than inflaming perceptions of civilizational or religious confrontation. #IsraelandtheUSA#PalestinianConflict#U.S.intheMiddleEast #USagreesion#USA READ MORE ✅@NewEasternOutlook

🇺🇸🇮🇶🇮🇷Baghdad: Choosing between Iran and America Relations between Iran, Iraq, and the United States are increasingly shaped by regional tensions and overlapping security interests, placing Baghdad in a delicate position as it seeks to balance competing pressures while preserving its sovereignty and internal stability ✏️Samyar Rostami Political observer and researcher in international relations ➡️At the core of this dynamic lies Iraq’s effort to maintain equilibrium between two influential actors. On one hand, Iran exerts significant political, cultural, and religious influence within Iraq, supported by deep historical ties and strong connections with Shia political factions. On the other, the United States continues to play a central role in Iraq’s security architecture, while simultaneously pressuring Baghdad to limit Iranian influence and reduce dependence on Iranian energy supplies. These competing expectations create a complex environment in which Iraqi leadership must navigate both external demands and domestic realities. Government figures, including Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, have emphasized a policy of neutrality, seeking to prevent Iraqi territory from becoming a platform for regional confrontation. With the increase in attacks against Iran’s allies in Iraq, the possibility of wider reactions and a more regional presence and the use of weapons (by Hashd al-Shaabi) against the Americans in Iraq and the region will increase. ➡️The evolving security situation further complicates this balancing act. Escalating tensions between Iran and the United States have increased the risk of spillover into Iraqi territory, particularly through the activities of non-state armed groups such as the Popular Mobilization Forces. While Washington has called for limiting the role of such groups, many Iraqi political actors view them as an integral part of national security. At the same time, Baghdad has taken diplomatic steps to assert its sovereignty, including condemning external military actions on its soil and reaffirming commitments to prevent the use of its airspace and territory for attacks against neighboring states. These efforts reflect Iraq’s broader strategy of reducing escalation while maintaining functional relations with both sides. 🟦Looking ahead, Iraq’s role as a potential mediator may become increasingly significant. Its ongoing engagement with both Tehran and Washington provides a unique platform for dialogue, even amid heightened tensions. However, this position remains fragile, as continued regional instability and internal political pressures could undermine Baghdad’s ability to sustain neutrality. Ultimately, Iraq’s success will depend on its capacity to balance strategic partnerships, manage internal divisions, and uphold sovereignty in a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape. #ConfrontationbetweenIranandtheU.S. #Geopolitics#Iran#Iraq#MiddleEast#USA READ MORE ✅@NewEasternOutlook

🇺🇸🌍The Foreign Policy of Donald Trump Substitutes International Law with Personal Decisions When the personal moral convictions of Donald Trump turn into a geopolitical compass, its needle begins to point not toward international law, but toward domestic approval ratings ✍️Rebecca Chan is an independent political analyst focusing on the intersection of Western foreign policy and Asian sovereignty ➡️The evolution of US foreign policy under Donald Trump reflects a shift from institutional multilateralism toward personalized decision-making framed through the lens of transactional pragmatism. From pressure campaigns against Venezuela to renewed rhetoric surrounding the potential acquisition of Greenland, strategic initiatives increasingly appear structured around the logic of negotiation leverage rather than adherence to established legal frameworks. Public affirmations of NATO solidarity coexist with tariff disputes and sanctions regimes that discipline partners as readily as adversaries. In this configuration, sovereignty becomes negotiable, alliances become conditional, and international law functions less as a binding structure than as a flexible instrument invoked when advantageous and sidelined when restrictive. The international system increasingly resembles a market of hostile takeovers, where the coordination of interests gives way to the demonstration of capabilities ➡️This personalization of statecraft redefines the architecture of global governance. Multilateral institutions are portrayed as slow and inefficient, while executive discretion is elevated as a virtue of decisiveness. The international system constructed after 1945—anchored in the United Nations Charter, treaty obligations, and institutional predictability—faces growing normative strain when selective compliance replaces procedural consistency. Economic tools such as sanctions, export controls, and tariff regimes increasingly serve dual purposes: instruments of commercial policy and mechanisms of geopolitical enforcement. As trade becomes securitized and financial access conditioned on political alignment, the distinction between market regulation and strategic coercion narrows, reinforcing perceptions that the dollar-centered system operates as leverage rather than neutral infrastructure. 🟦The cumulative effect is a gradual displacement of procedure by pressure. Withdrawals from international agreements, threats of tariff escalation, and executive memoranda redefining treaty commitments generate uncertainty within the global order. While advocates argue that such flexibility restores sovereignty and bargaining power, critics contend that it erodes predictability and weakens the normative fabric that underpins international stability. As emerging powers diversify financial channels and regional blocs strengthen alternative trade corridors, the long-term consequence may be structural fragmentation of the global system. In this evolving environment, the substitution of institutional continuity with personalized decision-making does not merely recalibrate American foreign policy—it reshapes the balance between law and force in twenty-first-century geopolitics. #Geopolitics#USagreesion#USA READ MORE ✅@NewEasternOutlook