The Sydney Morning Herald logo
Advertisement
Amin Saikal

Amin Saikal

Amin Saikal is emeritus professor of Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Islamic studies at the Australian National University.

Mourners attend a memorial vigil for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran’s regime won’t just fall over. This war is likely to be long and bloody

Khamenei was a polarising political and spiritual leader opposed by many Iranians, yet was also revered by some, who have called for revenge.

  • Amin Saikal

Latest

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Donald Trump at the White House on September 29.

Israel has lost the support of the American people. It’s danger time for Netanyahu

Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan and Netanyahu’s public embrace of it has come against the backdrop of unprecedented global condemnation and isolation of Israel over its Gaza operations.

  • Amin Saikal
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Australia’s presence in Iran was a lifeline for the Western world. Now, that era is over

This week’s decision not only conveys a strong message of disapproval, and gives comfort to opponents of the Iranian regime. It also raises Australia’s credentials.

  • Amin Saikal
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington in January 2020.

Netanyahu went all in on Trump. His grave miscalculation will echo for years to come

In cosying up to a mercurial American president, Israel’s vulnerability and utter dependence on the US has been exposed to the world – and Iran.

  • Amin Saikal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Few believe Iran has nuclear weapons. We can’t afford to repeat the Iraq War lie

Benjamin Netanyahu continues to insist that Iran is on course to produce nuclear weapons within weeks. Meanwhile, he omits that Israel itself has its own substantial nuclear program.

  • Amin Saikal
President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Trump is MAGA-fying the Middle East, with or without Netanyahu’s support

Donald Trump has found the Israel prime minister too trigger-happy, and their relationship has taken a back-seat.

  • Amin Saikal
Advertisement
Israeli female soldier hostages wave before being handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza City.

Second hostage swap is a bitter pill for Netanyahu’s failed ambitions

For Israel’s prime minister, the safe release of four soldiers is only further proof that his ambitions for the Middle East have not been fully realised.

  • Amin Saikal
An opposition fighter steps on a broken bust of the late Syrian President Hafez Assad in Damascus.

Syria’s new leaders say they’re a moderate force. Australia has labelled them terrorists

While the fall of the Assad regime is momentous for the Middle East, it’s doubtful Syrians will be entering a time of prolonged peace.

  • Amin Saikal
Trump and Netanyahu illo

In the Middle East, Trump can’t have his cake and eat it too

Benjamin Netanyahu may feel like he’s won the jackpot, but Donald Trump’s motto is that he ends wars, and does not start them.

  • Amin Saikal
An Israeli tank manoeuvres in northern Israel near the Israel-Lebanon border.

Iran put the ball in Netanyahu’s court. Now the world awaits his chosen retaliation

The use of force to generate favourable changes has never paid off in the Middle East, but an uncontrollable explosion can still be avoided.

  • Amin Saikal