https://www.scmp.com/rss/9513/feed Ehsan Ahrari is an adjunct research professor at the Strategic Studies Institute of the US Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and the CEO of Strategic Paradigms, an Alexandria, Virginia-based foreign and defence policy consultancy. He specialises in great-power relations, strategic affairs of the world of Islam, and anti-terrorism. His website is: www.ehsanahrari.com. He can be reached at: ahrari@earthlink.net. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com On May 5, Reuters reported on some details of a draft of the Trump administration’s new counterterrorism strategy. Given the anti-Muslim rhetoric used in candidate Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, there were fears that some elements of the sentiment would find their way into this important policy document. In February, the media even reported on a possible name change – from “Countering Violent Extremism” used by the Obama administration to “Countering Radical Islamic Extremism” – that... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2093607/can-trump-do-better-obama-terrorism-fight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2093607/can-trump-do-better-obama-terrorism-fight?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 May 2017 09:52:03 +0000 As US President Donald Trump continues to enjoy his newly acquired position as a potential destabiliser in the Levant and threatens military action against North Korea if it conducts another nuclear explosion, China is emerging as a peacemaker. China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi (王毅), said there will be no winner if war breaks out on the Korean peninsula. He added: “The two sides are like two accelerating trains coming towards each other with neither side willing to give way … The question is:... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2090120/chinas-role-peacemaker-north-korean-crisis-should-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2090120/chinas-role-peacemaker-north-korean-crisis-should-be?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Apr 2017 08:56:53 +0000 Peter Baker of The New York Times seems to have adopted his own version of the “Seinfeld rule”. Jerry Seinfeld’s highly popular 1990s TV sitcom was about “nothing”. And that nothingness – lack of a specific topic in an episode – to the surprise of all conventional thinkers, caught on. Following that principle, Baker had this to say about the so-called “Trump Doctrine”: “To the extent that a Trump Doctrine is emerging, it seems to be this: don’t get roped in by doctrine.” In other words, this... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2087912/anything-goes-trump-doctrine-unsettles-not-just-us-foes-also?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2087912/anything-goes-trump-doctrine-unsettles-not-just-us-foes-also?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Apr 2017 05:54:03 +0000 As the US-led war on Iraq continues, every Arab government is on the sidelines, wondering about its own future. Not since the period between World War I and World War II has Arab powerlessness been more evident. Of course, there are a number of insignificant, small Gulf emirates supporting the United States. However, they have no say on the pace or the scope of the military operations. Even during the days before the war, Arab powerlessness was glaringly obvious. The March 2 Arab summit at... https://www.scmp.com/article/410605/arab-world-needs-speak-about-its-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/410605/arab-world-needs-speak-about-its-future?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Mar 2003 16:00:00 +0000