Osama Al Sharif

Osama Al Sharif

Osama Al-Sharif is a journalist and political commentator based in Amman.

21 October 2020 10:07 AM

Pro-Iran militias a time bomb Al-Kadhimi must defuse

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi is facing a pressing challenge that threatens to once again push the country into a sectarian furnace

08 September 2020 04:20 PM

Unity a necessity for Jordan, Egypt and Iraq

Amid shifting geopolitical sands, three Arab countries are reacting by closing ranks and seeking to coordinate their positions. Jordan, Egypt and

04 December 2019 01:37 PM

Iraq on difficult but not impossible journey to reform

The line between total chaos and the semblance of a political process has been blurred following Sunday’s acceptance by the Iraqi Parliament

30 October 2019 02:04 PM

Iran’s sway strongly opposed in Lebanon and Iraq

Anti-government protests have returned to Iraq less than a month after demonstrations broke out across the country — and again unarmed civilians

15 October 2019 10:24 PM

Erdogan’s invasion of Syria may come back to haunt him

Less than a week after Turkish troops and their Syrian allies moved into northern Syria, much of what pundits predicted would happen has already come true

08 October 2019 11:35 PM

Youth driving opposition to Iraqi corruption

Even as protests in Baghdad and the southern provinces appear to have subsided for now, the fact is that Iraq finds itself in the eye of a political

14 August 2019 03:52 PM

Erdogan’s proposed safe zone in Syria not risk free

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his country is determined to clear northeast Syria of Kurdish militants.

12 July 2019 07:21 AM

Sudan celebrates crucial deal but many challenges lie in wait

Almost four months on from the dramatic toppling of Omar Al-Bashir’s 30-year autocratic rule of Sudan, the military and a coalition of the country’s opposition announced earlier this week that they had finally reached a power-sharing deal.

19 June 2019 04:06 PM

IRGC has a different priority to Tehran government

Iran stands accused of carrying out last week’s twin attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, with more countries pointing the finger at Tehran. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday that “there’s no doubt” Iran was behind these attacks and others. Washington has since announced it is sending another 1,000 troops to the Gulf as a result.

05 June 2019 03:21 PM

Iran’s isolation on the international stage is growing

There were a number of important messages coming out of Makkah last week after Saudi Arabia successfully hosted three important summits: Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Arab League, and Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The first message was the almost unanimous condemnation of Iran’s continuous meddling in regional affairs and its growing threat to the stability of the region as a whole. Only Iraq objected to the Arab League’s final communique, while Qatar expressed reservations over the Arab League and GCC statements two days after the meetings had concluded.

29 May 2019 11:57 AM

Iraq caught between a rock and a hard place

Iraq is trying to fend off the specter of being dragged into a war between the US and Iran as tensions between the two countries continue to spike. Following days of verbal and military escalation, both Washington and Tehran are trying to retrace their steps.

20 February 2019 11:34 AM

Why celebrating Daesh’s defeat in Syria may be premature

As the drama surrounding the so-called final battle against ISIS in Syria continues to unfold, the question on everyone’s mind is this: Has the terrorist group been defeated, as US President Donald Trump claims? Certainly not many are inclined to agree with the president, either at home or on the European shores of the Atlantic.

30 January 2019 09:33 AM

Israel-Iran war in Syria could be just one misstep away

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s admittance last week that Israel had carried out massive airstrikes against Iranian targets in Syria, including a weapons depot in Damascus airport, marked a major change in policy.

14 January 2019 12:50 PM

Erdogan’s diminishing returns in Syria

A day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had an opinion piece titled “Trump is right on Syria.

10 January 2019 10:11 AM

Pompeo, Bolton on damage control mission in Middle East

Two top US officials have been dispatched to the Middle East on a salvaging mission aimed at calming allies and clarifying policy following last month’s surprise decision by President Donald Trump to pull his troops from northern Syria within a few months.

12 December 2018 09:10 AM

Political turbulence likely to continue unabated in 2019

Political analysts like to make predictions. This is, after all, what is expected of them; and this commentator is no exception.

05 December 2018 03:24 PM

Syrian impasse serves Astana players’ interests — for now

Last week’s 11th round of the Astana process has failed to launch a political process aimed at ending the seven-year Syrian crisis.

31 October 2018 03:36 PM

Iraq News - Local News - Baghdadpost

Osama Al Sharif

Osama Al-Sharif is a journalist and political commentator based in Amman.

Pro-Iran militias a time bomb Al-Kadhimi must defuse

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi is facing a pressing challenge that threatens to once again push the country into a sectarian furnace

Unity a necessity for Jordan, Egypt and Iraq

Amid shifting geopolitical sands, three Arab countries are reacting by closing ranks and seeking to coordinate their positions. Jordan, Egypt and

Iraq on difficult but not impossible journey to reform

The line between total chaos and the semblance of a political process has been blurred following Sunday’s acceptance by the Iraqi Parliament

Iran’s sway strongly opposed in Lebanon and Iraq

Anti-government protests have returned to Iraq less than a month after demonstrations broke out across the country — and again unarmed civilians

Erdogan’s invasion of Syria may come back to haunt him

Less than a week after Turkish troops and their Syrian allies moved into northern Syria, much of what pundits predicted would happen has already come true

Youth driving opposition to Iraqi corruption

Even as protests in Baghdad and the southern provinces appear to have subsided for now, the fact is that Iraq finds itself in the eye of a political

Erdogan’s proposed safe zone in Syria not risk free

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his country is determined to clear northeast Syria of Kurdish militants.

Sudan celebrates crucial deal but many challenges lie in wait

Almost four months on from the dramatic toppling of Omar Al-Bashir’s 30-year autocratic rule of Sudan, the military and a coalition of the country’s opposition announced earlier this week that they had finally reached a power-sharing deal.

IRGC has a different priority to Tehran government

Iran’s isolation on the international stage is growing

Iraq caught between a rock and a hard place

Iraq is trying to fend off the specter of being dragged into a war between the US and Iran as tensions between the two countries continue to spike. Following days of verbal and military escalation, both Washington and Tehran are trying to retrace their steps.

Why celebrating Daesh’s defeat in Syria may be premature

Israel-Iran war in Syria could be just one misstep away

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s admittance last week that Israel had carried out massive airstrikes against Iranian targets in Syria, including a weapons depot in Damascus airport, marked a major change in policy.

Erdogan’s diminishing returns in Syria

A day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had an opinion piece titled “Trump is right on Syria.

Pompeo, Bolton on damage control mission in Middle East

Two top US officials have been dispatched to the Middle East on a salvaging mission aimed at calming allies and clarifying policy following last month’s surprise decision by President Donald Trump to pull his troops from northern Syria within a few months.

Political turbulence likely to continue unabated in 2019

Political analysts like to make predictions. This is, after all, what is expected of them; and this commentator is no exception.

Syrian impasse serves Astana players’ interests — for now

Last week’s 11th round of the Astana process has failed to launch a political process aimed at ending the seven-year Syrian crisis.

Istanbul summit fails to deliver plan to end Syrian conflict

The four-way summit on Syria that was held in Istanbul on Saturday was extraordinary in more ways than one.