Middle East
Why Iran will hasten MAGA’s demise
Readers may disagree with the cover line of this issue. Pronouncing “the end of Trumpism” feels somewhat similar to declaring…
MAHA, stay in your lane
MAHA is not a foreign policy doctrine, nor should it become one. Nevertheless this week the movement experienced a split…
I love Dubai. Get over it
I am in Dubai where we are doing our best to keep calm and carry on. Granted, the sudden instruction…
Why I’m a proud Zionist
The bomb shelter reserved for ‘volunteers’ at Kibbutz Dafna near the town of Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel was definitely…
Is this Starmer’s finest hour?
A friend met Mary Wilson on the Isles of Scilly, where she and her husband, Harold, had a home. She…
Israel wants to destroy Hezbollah once and for all
At around 2:30 a.m. on March 2, Israel bombed Beirut’s mostly Shia southern suburbs in response to a Hezbollah rocket…
Will Turkey intervene in Iran?
Even as Iran lashes out with missile and drone strikes against its wealthy Arab rivals in the Gulf, three neighbours…
Will Trump ‘totally obliterate’ Iran’s nuclear programme – again?
Donald Trump spent much of the second half of last year boasting about the total and utter success of his…
Iran’s cheerleaders are on borrowed time
Predictions ageing poorly is an occupational hazard for journalists and commentators. But few have gone as sour as those made…
Iran’s useful idiots: British complicity in Tehran’s terror
It is still unclear what will happen next in Iran. I fervently hope the current protests will cause the tyrants…
Unrest is spreading across Iran
“If they shut down the internet, you know it’s serious,” said a well-informed observer of Iran to me yesterday morning.…
Come friendly bombs and fall on Iran
It is heartening to see the lefties out marching in defence of mullahs and their enlightened rule of Iran. The…
We should welcome regime change in Iran
On the first night of what Donald Trump has called the ‘12-day war’ between Israel and Iran, someone spray-painted a…
Israel’s attack on Iran has been planned for years
It was clear at the time that what happened on 7 October 2023 would change the Middle East. What was…
Wes Anderson’s latest is as hollow as anything AI could come up with
AI is coming for everyone’s jobs, but especially mine. There is absolutely no good reason for The Spectator to keep…
The creeping Dubai-ification of London
In December 2023, a TikTok influencer called Maria Vehera opened a packet of ‘Dubai chocolate’ in her car and filmed…
War games
A satellite picture shows six American B-2 Stealth bombers parked on the runway at Diego Garcia. The planes – each…
If you have two hours to spare, spend it anywhere but here: The Years reviewed
The Years is a monologue spoken by a handful of actresses, some young, some old enough to carry bus passes.…
What Trump’s Gaza plan means for the Middle East
Donald Trump told reporters this week that he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for helping to free some of the…
The Donald’s plans for the Middle East
The former US president Jimmy Carterdied, at the age of 100, just before news of an imminent deal to free…
A dreamy, if overly ambitious show: Silk Roads, at the British Museum, reviewed
Towards the end of the British Museum’s Silk Roads show, there is a selection of treasures found in England. Among…
Can you tell a good guy from a bad guy in the Middle East?
Please excuse the tone of jubilation, but I have been dancing around my kitchen for the past couple of days,…
Where does Lebanon go from here?
Israel’s overt ground intervention into Lebanon is now entering its third week. So far, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have…
Iran and Hezbollah don’t want a war with Israel
Hezbollah’s response to the killing of senior official Fuad Shukr, when it finally came, was a more minor event than…
