I wrote a piece for CNA discussing Singapore’s position on Gaza, amid the turning tide of international opinion against Israel. French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Singapore lent extra significance to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s remarks — the strongest so far by Singapore’s leadership. Mr Macron had recently underscored the need for Europe to

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My take on US President Donald Trump’s rockstar reception in the Gulf, which ended with blockbuster deals. A follow-up from an earlier piece that I wrote before POTUS’ trip. This time, for CNA, my breakdown of his trip corresponds to the section titles in my article:🔺Money talks… AI🔺Boeing and Defence, the Chief Beneficiaries🔺Is Regional Stability

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Together with colleagues from the US, including those from Washington, DC, and Houston, we offered our quick takes ahead of President Trump’s Mid East visit comprising Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. READ HERE.

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My latest writing for IAI – Istituto Affari Internazionali examines the stakes during US president Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to the Gulf. Besides the economic hype — and anticipated deals — which will inject optimism in the American economy, there will also be realpolitik at play. The state of the global economic order and regional

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My latest writing ✍️ explains why Oman remains the preferred go-between for US-Iran talks, despite the intermediary roles of neighbouring Gulf states in other conflict theatres. READ HERE.

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MEI’s Expert Snapshots feature inputs from Sachi Sakanashi, Alam Saleh, Ludovica Castelli, and yours truly. What do we make of the cautious optimism surrounding the ongoing US-Iran talks? Why is Donald Trump pursuing a deal similar to the one he abandoned? What do both sides seek to achieve? These quick thoughts 💭 help to break

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My latest piece for CNA entails: US foreign policy thus far has shown a substantial appetite for risk and, despite President Trump’s declaration of being war-averse, the ongoing strikes on the Houthis are all about (1) bringing Iran to the negotiation table; (2) blaming his predecessor Mr Biden. Iran has shuffled its feet uneasily —

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I shared my thoughts with Ziwen Zhao’s piece at SCMP on nuclear talks and China-Iran relations. The context? Russia and China have both publicly expressed support for the lifting of sanctions on Iran, while Mr. Trump warned the Islamic Republic that they should come to the negotiation table. I would add a few more thinking

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I offered my comments for Tom Hussain’s story on the US rejection of the pan-Arab plan for Gaza’s post-war recovery, as a counterproposal to Mr. Trump’s outrageous “Riviera” idea. The report, found here, features snippets of my full remarks. I would further add that: (1) The Arab plan for Gaza represents a projection of solidarity

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Insights Paper 316 by Clemens Chay Executive Summary: GCC-Iran relations have followed a steady trend of détente for several years owing to economic motivations, the need for regional stability to pursue economic agendas and, for the Gulf Arabs, the perceived US unreliability in providing for regional security. Such pragmatism, however, has been tested by events

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In this commentary co-authored with my colleague, Evangeline Cheng, we examine how Mr. Trump’s outlandish “Riviera” proposal plan has far-reaching implications for a raging Middle East and the world, both internally and externally. For Egypt and Jordan in particular, the issue is existential. Read the full commentary here.

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Grant Rumley, Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, speaks with Clemens Chay, MEI Research Fellow, about the significance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordan’s King Abdullah visiting Washington in the early weeks of Donald Trump’s presidency. Rumley highlights President Trump’s unconventional diplomatic style and his aim to foster peace

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I spoke to Daniel Neep, Professorial Lecturer at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, on the challenges for Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. With regime change now placing Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in charge, Neep outlines the domestic and foreign policy priorities of the new government led by de

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I asked Mehran Kamrava, Professor of Government at Georgetown University-Qatar and Director of the Iranian Studies Unit at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, what he thought of the domestic climate in Iran more than six months into President Masoud Pezeshkian’s tenure. From the hijab bill to social freedoms, Kamrava underscores the challenges

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I spoke to Nur Fathin Awalludin of local Malay media outlet, Berita Harian, on the signing of the Gaza ceasefire deal and its prospects. I singled out President Trump’s Middle East Envoy, Steve Witkoff, as a key personality who took the agreement past the finish line, without discrediting Biden officials for their cooperation and legwork.

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