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Manish Rai

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Jun 17, 2026, 5:41 AM

Lebanon must get out of the clutches of Hezbollah

Photo Credit: Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP

Lebanon is once again facing a crucial moment. In March 2026, Hezbollah launched missiles into Israel, thereby opening a new front of the war, following the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and the assassination of Iranian Supreme...

May 28, 2026, 1:49 PM

Democracy Is Dying Under Erdogan’s Autocratic Rule

Manish Rai

The Republican People's Party (CHP), the primary secular opposition party in Turkey, is presently embroiled in a significant political and democratic crisis as a result of an unprecedented court ruling on May 21, 2026, that invalidated the political party's...

May 3, 2026, 6:36 PM

It’s High Time for Baghdad to Make Some Hard Decisions

Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS), an Iraqi militia that receives support from Tehran, has been officially designated as a terrorist organization by the United States. They are offering a reward of up to $10 million for information regarding its leader,...

Apr 17, 2026, 6:38 PM

Hashd al-Shaabi (PMF) is an internal enemy of Iraq

Manish Rai

On paper, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) are Iraqi state-controlled paramilitary forces. However, they have once again gained attention as they have conducted hundreds of drone and missile attacks in Iraq, Kurdistan, and neighboring Gulf states, all of which...

Apr 2, 2026, 11:14 AM

Iran Now Under a Military Rule

Manish Rai

Since 1979, Iran has been portrayed as a "revolutionary state" governed by a theocracy; however, it is currently evolving into a military state. The Iranian government, formed post-revolution, is a theocratic system that includes an elected civil administration and...

Mar 10, 2026, 4:54 AM

Kurds Have Every Reason to Be Cautious

Manish Rai

Initially, Washington sought assistance from a well-known U.S. ally in the Middle East, the Kurds, to assist in the destabilization of the Iranian regime, which had been subjected to relentless bombardment by the United States and Israel. The Islamic...

Feb 7, 2026, 4:19 PM

A Beacon of Women’s Empowerment: Kurdish Women Fighters

Source-Kurdishstruggle / Flickr

Without an examination of the Kurds' role in the region, it is impossible to comprehend the rapidly evolving geopolitical dynamics of the Middle East. It is the distinctive character of Kurdish women that warrants greater attention within this narrative....

Jan 25, 2026, 8:12 AM

Kurds: International Betrayal Victims

Photo Source- YPJ Media Center

The Sykes-Picot agreement, which established the contemporary Middle East map following World War I, has led to the Kurds being the world's largest stateless population, as we are all aware. Distributed across four nations in the region—Iran, Iraq, Syria,...

Jan 9, 2026, 1:15 PM

Syrian Kurds must not be abandoned in their struggle against Jihadist forces

The militias associated with the Syrian government are conducting attacks on the Kurdish districts of Sheikh Maqsood, Ashrafiyah, and Beni Zeyd in Aleppo. The violence in Aleppo is the most severe since Syria's Islamist authorities assumed power. The recent...

Dec 29, 2025, 7:01 PM

PUK says no Kurdistan cabinet can be formed without its participation

PUK Spokesperson Karwan Gaznay
Source- PUK Media

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) said negotiations with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) over forming the Kurdistan Region’s tenth cabinet remain inconclusive, insisting that no administration can be established without PUK participation. In an interview with analyst and columnist...

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About Me

Manish Rai is a geopolitical analyst and columnist for the Middle East and Af-Pak region

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