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Amin Saikal

Amin Saikal

Brisbane Times

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Iran’s regime won’t just fall over. This war is likely to be long and bloody

Iran’s regime won’t just fall over. This war is likely to be long and bloody

Khamenei was a polarising political and spiritual leader opposed by many Iranians, yet was also revered by some, who have called for revenge.

04.03.2026 10

Brisbane Times

Amin Saikal

Iran’s regime won’t just fall over. This war is likely to be long and bloody

Iran’s regime won’t just fall over. This war is likely to be long and bloody

Khamenei was a polarising political and spiritual leader opposed by many Iranians, yet was also revered by some, who have called for revenge.

04.03.2026 10

The Age

Amin Saikal

Iran’s regime won’t just fall over. This war is likely to be long and bloody

Iran’s regime won’t just fall over. This war is likely to be long and bloody

Khamenei was a polarising political and spiritual leader opposed by many Iranians, yet was also revered by some, who have called for revenge.

04.03.2026 10

WA Today

Amin Saikal

Iran’s regime won’t just fall over. This war is likely to be long and bloody

Iran’s regime won’t just fall over. This war is likely to be long and bloody

Khamenei was a polarising political and spiritual leader opposed by many Iranians, yet was also revered by some, who have called for revenge.

04.03.2026 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Amin Saikal

Trump and Netanyahu want regime change, but Iran’s regime was built for survival. A long war is now likely

Trump and Netanyahu want regime change, but Iran’s regime was built for survival. A long war is now likely

The US–Israel strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader have pushed the Middle East into open war. But regime change in Tehran is far from assured...

02.03.2026 10

Pearls and Irritations

Amin Saikal

Trump and Netanyahu want regime change, but Iran’s regime was built for survival. A long war is now likely

Trump and Netanyahu want regime change, but Iran’s regime was built for survival. A long war is now likely

A public uprising might not be enough to topple a deeply entrenched political system backed by armed paramilitary groups.

01.03.2026 20

The Conversation

Amin Saikal

Israel is accelerating its creeping annexation of the West Bank. Can Donald Trump stop it?

Israel’s actions are forcing Palestinians out of their lands at an unprecedented rate.

18.02.2026 30

The Conversation

Amin Saikal

With Iran weakened, Trump’s end goal may now be regime change. It’s an incredibly risky gamble

Iran’s theocratic leaders are prepared to fight to the end, making regime change a very costly and destabilising exercise for the US.

29.01.2026 7

The Conversation

Amin Saikal

Should Australia join Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’?

22.01.2026 30

The New Daily

Amin Saikal

Should Australia join Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’? Here are 5 key points to consider

There is not just much information available on the proposed board. But the obstacles it faces in building and maintaining peace in Gaza are huge.

20.01.2026 10

The Conversation

Amin Saikal

Facing protests and new threats from Trump, is the Iranian regime on its last legs?

Iran’s leaders are more vulnerable than ever. Yet, they still have many tools of repression at their disposal.

06.01.2026 10

The Conversation

Amin Saikal

With a deadline looming, Lebanon is under pressure to disarm Hezbollah or risk another war

With Hezbollah refusing to disarm, there is no easy way out of an explosive situation.

09.12.2025 4

The Conversation

Amin Saikal

One is a former al-Qaeda leader, the other a US mayor. Guess which was invited to the White House

Trump’s world order: praising Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa as an ‘attractive guy’, while disparaging the first Muslim mayor of New York as a...

12.11.2025 10

The Conversation

Amin Saikal

The leader most capable of governing a future Palestinian state is languishing in an Israeli jail

30.10.2025 10

Pearls and Irritations

Amin Saikal

The leader most capable of governing a future Palestinian state is languishing in an Israeli jail

Marwan Barghouti, jailed since 2002, remains the most popular Palestinian leader in polling and is viewed as the one most capable of uniting all...

27.10.2025 6

The Conversation

Amin Saikal

Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban avoid a deeper war for now, but how long can the peace hold?

Pakistan cannot blame anyone but itself for the challenges it now faces: it nurtured and supported the Afghan Taliban for decades.

20.10.2025 9

The Conversation

Amin Saikal

Israel has lost the support of the American people. It’s danger time for Netanyahu

Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan and Netanyahu’s public embrace of it has come against the backdrop of unprecedented global condemnation and...

07.10.2025 10

WA Today

Amin Saikal

Israel has lost the support of the American people. It’s danger time for Netanyahu

Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan and Netanyahu’s public embrace of it has come against the backdrop of unprecedented global condemnation and...

07.10.2025 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Amin Saikal

Israel has lost the support of the American people. It’s danger time for Netanyahu

Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan and Netanyahu’s public embrace of it has come against the backdrop of unprecedented global condemnation and...

07.10.2025 10

The Age

Amin Saikal

Israel has lost the support of the American people. It’s danger time for Netanyahu

Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan and Netanyahu’s public embrace of it has come against the backdrop of unprecedented global condemnation and...

07.10.2025 10

Brisbane Times

Amin Saikal

Is Benjamin Netanyahu on a mission to realise a Greater Israel?

The Israeli leader is now firmly in position to possibly annex both the West Bank and Gaza.

22.09.2025 20

The Conversation

Amin Saikal

Australia’s presence in Iran was a lifeline for the Western world. Now, that era is over

This week’s decision not only conveys a strong message of disapproval, and gives comfort to opponents of the Iranian regime. It also raises...

27.08.2025 10

WA Today

Amin Saikal

Australia’s presence in Iran was a lifeline for the Western world. Now, that era is over

This week’s decision not only conveys a strong message of disapproval, and gives comfort to opponents of the Iranian regime. It also raises...

27.08.2025 8

The Sydney Morning Herald

Amin Saikal

Australia’s presence in Iran was a lifeline for the Western world. Now, that era is over

This week’s decision not only conveys a strong message of disapproval, and gives comfort to opponents of the Iranian regime. It also raises...

27.08.2025 10

The Age

Amin Saikal

Australia’s presence in Iran was a lifeline for the Western world. Now, that era is over

This week’s decision not only conveys a strong message of disapproval, and gives comfort to opponents of the Iranian regime. It also raises...

27.08.2025 10

Brisbane Times

Amin Saikal

Here are 4 ways Western countries can actually pressure Israel

20.08.2025 10

The Examiner

Amin Saikal

How can Western countries back up Palestine recognition with action? Here are 4 ways to pressure Israel

Western countries agree a two-state solution is the way to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But are they willing to take action to make it...

20.08.2025 10

The Conversation

Amin Saikal

Here are 4 ways Western countries can actually pressure Israel

20.08.2025 10

Canberra Times

Amin Saikal

As Netanyahu moves toward full takeover of Gaza, Israel faces a crisis of international credibility

08.08.2025 9

Pearls and Irritations

Amin Saikal

As Netanyahu moves toward full takeover of Gaza, Israel faces a crisis of international credibility

As global opinion turns against Israel and its traditional Western allies distance themselves, the country finds itself increasingly isolated.

08.08.2025 9

The Conversation

Amin Saikal

The Muslim world has been strong on rhetoric, short on action over Gaza and Afghanistan

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is meant to be the ‘collective voice’ of the Muslim world. Yet it has been toothless on the most important...

31.07.2025 7

The Conversation

Amin Saikal

Netanyahu went all in on Trump. His grave miscalculation will echo for years to come

In cosying up to a mercurial American president, Israel’s vulnerability and utter dependence on the US has been exposed to the world – and Iran.

30.06.2025 10

WA Today

Amin Saikal

Netanyahu went all in on Trump. His grave miscalculation will echo for years to come

In cosying up to a mercurial American president, Israel’s vulnerability and utter dependence on the US has been exposed to the world – and Iran.

30.06.2025 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Amin Saikal

Netanyahu went all in on Trump. His grave miscalculation will echo for years to come

In cosying up to a mercurial American president, Israel’s vulnerability and utter dependence on the US has been exposed to the world – and Iran.

30.06.2025 10

The Age

Amin Saikal

Netanyahu went all in on Trump. His grave miscalculation will echo for years to come

In cosying up to a mercurial American president, Israel’s vulnerability and utter dependence on the US has been exposed to the world – and Iran.

30.06.2025 10

Brisbane Times

Amin Saikal

Iran does not have nuclear weapons. We can’t afford to repeat the Iraq War lie

Netanyahu continues to insist that Iran is on course to produce nuclear weapons within weeks. Meanwhile, he omits that Israel itself has its own...

19.06.2025 8

WA Today

Amin Saikal

Iran does not have nuclear weapons. We can’t afford to repeat the Iraq War lie

Netanyahu continues to insist that Iran is on course to produce nuclear weapons within weeks. Meanwhile, he omits that Israel itself has its own...

19.06.2025 8

The Sydney Morning Herald

Amin Saikal

Iran does not have nuclear weapons. We can’t afford to repeat the Iraq War lie

Netanyahu continues to insist that Iran is on course to produce nuclear weapons within weeks. Meanwhile, he omits that Israel itself has its own...

19.06.2025 10

The Age

Amin Saikal

Iran does not have nuclear weapons. We can’t afford to repeat the Iraq War lie

Netanyahu continues to insist that Iran is on course to produce nuclear weapons within weeks. Meanwhile, he omits that Israel itself has its own...

19.06.2025 7

Brisbane Times

Amin Saikal

Iran’s long history of revolution, defiance and outside interference – and why its future is so uncertain

Iran is highly fragmented and doesn’t have a long tradition of democracy or a unified opposition movement. So what happens if the supreme leader is...

18.06.2025 10

The Conversation

Amin Saikal

Iran’s long history of revolution, defiance and outside interference – and why its future so uncertain

Iran is highly fragmented and doesn’t have a long tradition of democracy or a unified opposition movement. So what happens if the supreme leader is...

18.06.2025 10

The Conversation

Amin Saikal

Why Israel defied Trump to risk a major war

16.06.2025 10

The New Daily

Amin Saikal

Why did Israel defy Trump – and risk a major war – by striking Iran now? And what happens next?

Trump had good reason to try to constrain Netanyahu while nuclear talks with Iran proceeded, but Israel decided instead to try to behead the...

13.06.2025 20

The Conversation

Amin Saikal

Trump is MAGA-fying the Middle East, with or without Netanyahu’s support

Donald Trump has found the Israel prime minister too trigger-happy, and their relationship has taken a back-seat.

15.05.2025 10

WA Today

Amin Saikal

Trump is MAGA-fying the Middle East, with or without Netanyahu’s support

Donald Trump has found the Israel prime minister too trigger-happy, and their relationship has taken a back-seat.

15.05.2025 9

The Sydney Morning Herald

Amin Saikal

Trump is MAGA-fying the Middle East, with or without Netanyahu’s support

Donald Trump has found the Israel prime minister too trigger-happy, and their relationship has taken a back-seat.

15.05.2025 9

The Age

Amin Saikal

Trump is MAGA-fying the Middle East, with or without Netanyahu’s support

Donald Trump has found the Israel prime minister too trigger-happy, and their relationship has taken a back-seat.

15.05.2025 10

Brisbane Times

Amin Saikal

India and Pakistan are on war footing. Can they be brought back from the brink?

Pakistan believes an Indian ‘military incursion’ is imminent, following a terror attack last week in Kashmir. Will nuclear deterrence be enough to...

29.04.2025 10

The Conversation

Amin Saikal

With US bombers at the ready, can Trump cut a deal with Iran and avoid a war?

Donald Trump has given Iran two months to agree to a new nuclear deal or be prepared for war. Here’s how both sides could come to an agreement.

05.04.2025 10

The Conversation

Amin Saikal

In Afghanistan, families are forced to sell children to survive. Trump’s USAID cuts will be devastating

The US has donated nearly US$4 billion to Afghanistan since the Taliban came into power. Gutting USAID will have enormous consequences for women and...

16.02.2025 20

The Conversation

Amin Saikal