Last week, Jordan celebrated the centennial of its establishment. Despite watered-down ceremonies due to the pandemic — and despite a recent rift within the Hashemite Royal Court — Jordan has every right to celebrate and be proud.

There has been widespread uproar at what was seen as misogynistic and insulting treatment meted out by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The cowardly terrorist attack on Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia’s southern region comes as no surprise to those who are familiar with the violent nature of the Houthis. Anyone who has followed the war in Yemen needs no reminder of their savagely barbaric behavior.

After a tumultuous series of events, Joe Biden was finally sworn in as the 46th president of the United States. His entry into the White House marks the beginning of a new era — not just for the US but also for the world at large.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has finally told the American people what they needed to hear about the malign regime in Tehran.  Americans now know a truth that we in the region have been trying so hard to communicate: Iran and Al-Qaeda are, and have been for a long time, best buddies.

We are less than a week into 2021, but if what has happened so far is an indicator of things to come (and I hope it is) we are in for a good year.

The scenes of awful terrorist attacks on people in the streets of Vienna, coming as they do so soon after the bloody attacks in Nice and in Paris, have once again horrified the people of the world and sent yet another reminder of the dangers of extremism.