Mohammad Abu Rumman

The latest World Cup was not simply another major sporting event, nor merely an occasion on which Arabs celebrated the qualification of an unprecedented number of their national teams or the remarkable performances some of them delivered. More than that, it revealed a deeper shift in the Arab public mood. The scale of popular engagement in streets, cafés, homes, and…

After several years of political, economic, and administrative modernization initiatives, the most important question today may be less about the laws enacted or institutions established, and more about how ordinary citizens-particularly young people-actually perceive these reforms. The success of any reform project is measured neither by the number of legislative measures adopted nor by the scale of the official discourse…

The funeral of Iran’s former Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, served as an important opportunity for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the conservative establishment to convey a series of carefully calibrated symbolic and political messages. Each participating delegation carried its own significance, while the ceremony also projected messages to both domestic and international audiences. Notably, the event witnessed broad…

Since the signing of the U.S.–Iran Memorandum of Understanding, a far more consequential debate has been unfolding across the Gulf than the agreement itself. The central question is no longer whether the war has ended or who emerged victorious. Instead, it concerns whether the conflict has fundamentally altered one of the most deeply embedded assumptions in Gulf politics over the…

The U.S.-Israeli war against Iran was accompanied by political expectations that went far beyond degrading Tehran’s nuclear program or weakening its military capabilities. In Washington and Tel Aviv, many believed the conflict would become a founding moment for a different Iran—either by producing a political order more closely aligned with the West and less committed to its anti-Western ideology, or…

In recent weeks, a series of brief remarks by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian have conveyed important signals about the nature of the unspoken disagreements within the structure of the Iranian political system. During a limited meeting with a group of intellectuals and elites, the president stressed the importance of preventing any single institution from monopolizing decision-making during this sensitive period.…

  At first glance, Samir Al-Rifai’s resignation letter (from the Sente Council) appears to be a conventional text within the traditions of the Jordanian state: a language of loyalty, a discourse of gratitude, references to the Hashemite leadership, and a courteous request for the acceptance of his resignation from the Senate. Yet a deeper reading suggests hidden layers and meanings…

The Economist recently paused to examine Jean-Luc Mélenchon, one of France’s most prominent left-wing politicians, as a political phenomenon worthy of attention. The question the magazine raised was not merely about his place in French politics, but about what his rise reveals: how has a radical left-wing politician in his seventies become one of the most successful figures in attracting…

Despite Benjamin Netanyahu’s rhetoric about pressing ahead with a project of Israeli regional dominance, alongside political discourse centered on reshaping the Middle East and transforming Israel’s security doctrine from defense to regional influence, it is becoming increasingly clear that important reassessments are now taking place within Israel regarding the lessons drawn from the wars it has fought since October 7,…

Hours of waiting at the King Hussein Bridge may prove more consequential than major political decisions. From this perspective, the significance of the recent agreement signed between the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and Royal Jordanian Airlines becomes clear. Signed in the presence of the Ministers of Awqaf and Transport, the five-year agreement aims to provide integrated services for…