Why the 2026 Midterms Put Republican Control at Risk
With narrow congressional majorities and declining poll numbers for Donald Trump, Republicans face a tough battle in the 2026 midterms. Rising living costs and record gas prices are fueling voter frustration, threatening GOP control despite heavy campaign spending and redistricting efforts.
Strait of Hormuz Becomes the Gulf’s New Power Test
The Strait of Hormuz has become both a battlefield and a bargaining table in the US-Iran confrontation. While Tehran uses maritime risk for leverage and Washington protects shipping, Gulf states are adapting with bypass pipelines and regional mediation.
Shadi’s take on World Food Programme cutbacks
Analysis: Visually, Shadi Ghanim’s illustration in The National shows a figure in a white coat holding a large silver cooking pot labeled “WFP” over two empty white soup bowls and spoons, while the pot’s entire metal base lies severed on the table beside a red-handled manual can opener. The underlying message indicts major Western and international donors for gutting the structural capacity of United Nations relief agencies at the exact moment acute hunger is worsening across Gaza and global conflict zones. This matters strategically because the hollowing out of multilateral humanitarian institutions accelerates the breakdown of the post-WWII international order and leaves besieged populations without a survival safety net.
What role do Palestinian Israeli parties play in politics? | Inside Story
Analysis: Ahead of Israel’s October 27 general election, analysts from the European Council on Foreign Relations and Knesset members dissect the political marginalization of the 1.2 million Palestinian citizens who comprise 20% of Israel’s population. The discussion reveals that Israel’s mainstream opposition leaders—including Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, and Avigdor Lieberman—oppose Benjamin Netanyahu personally while endorsing his military campaigns in Gaza and the West Bank, even as the Israeli Supreme Court disqualified Balad party leader Sami Abu Shehadeh. This internal crisis matters because high Palestinian voter turnout could deny both the pro-Netanyahu and opposition blocs a governing majority, exposing deep fractures within Israel’s domestic political and judicial order.