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Scott Lucas

Professor of International Politics, University of Birmingham
Scott Lucas became Professor of International Politics in 2014, having been on the staff of the University of Birmingham since 1989 and a Professor of American Studies since 1997.

He began his career as a specialist in US and British foreign policy, but his research interests now also cover current international affairs – especially North Africa, the Middle East, and Iran – New Media, and Intelligence Services.

A professional journalist since 1979, Professor Lucas is the founder and editor of EA WorldView, a leading website in daily news and analysis of Iran, Turkey, Syria, and the wider Middle East, as well as US foreign policy.

Global Geopolitics Series

Why are the US and Israel not on the same page over how to deal with Iran? Expert Q&A

May 30, 2025 12:04 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

The US president, Donald Trump, claimed on May 28 to have personally stopped Israel from attacking Irans nuclear facilities. When asked if hed intervened during a phone call with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin...

Gaza deal: what it means for peace in the Middle East – expert Q&A

Jan 17, 2025 14:31 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

After 15 months of bitter conflict on the Gaza Strip, a ceasefire deal has been agreed which promises an end to the fighting and will allow for the access of food and other desperately needed humanitarian aid to the...

Who is Syria’s new prime minister – and what will he do?

Dec 16, 2024 05:06 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Dressed in a modest grey suit and tie with a light blue shirt, bald and bearded, 41-year-old Mohammed al-Bashir addressed his fellow Syrians on Tuesday from behind a desk in an empty conference room. Asking for stability...

Global Geopolitics Series

October 7 marks 12 months of escalation into the ‘forever war’ now engulfing the Middle East

Oct 08, 2024 12:02 pm UTC| Insights & Views

One year after Hamass mass killing of nearly 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals and abduction of 251 others, and almost a year into the Israeli retribution that has so far slain almost 42,000 in Gaza, there seems no...

How Israel-Gaza will affect the US election campaign

Aug 22, 2024 23:22 pm UTC| Insights & Views

As delegates assembled in Chicago for the start of the Democratic National Convention on August 19, something surreal was happening 6,000 miles away in Israel. In Tel Aviv, the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken,...

Iran: meet the men – and women – lining up to contest the early presidential election

Jun 06, 2024 11:33 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

The death in a helicopter crash of the Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, on May 19 has triggered a presidential election one year earlier than expected. Its a consequential moment in Iranian politics as many believed that...

Israel-Hamas war: will the US and Iran be drawn into a broader conflict? It's Tehran's move

Oct 31, 2023 09:17 am UTC| Insights & Views

Washington has sent a warning to Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, about Iranian anti-US provocation in the Middle East. This has been going on sporadically for years, but from October 17 to October 25 there...

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Economy

IMF Forecasts Global Inflation Decline as Growth Remains Resilient

Global inflation is expected to continue its downward trend over the coming years, according to new projections from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF estimates that global inflation will fall to 3.8% this...

EU Recovery Fund Faces Bottlenecks Despite Driving Digital and Green Projects

Across Spains olive groves and vineyards, sensors and drones funded by the European Unions massive post-pandemic recovery plan are collecting soil data to power AI-driven farming. These projects reflect the core ambition...

JPMorgan Lifts Gold Price Forecast to $6,300 by End-2026 on Strong Central Bank and Investor Demand

JPMorgan has raised its year-end 2026 gold price forecast to an ambitious $6,300 per ounce, reinforcing its bullish outlook on the precious metal despite recent market volatility. The bank points to sustained and...

Philippines Manufacturing PMI Hits Nine-Month High Despite Weak Confidence Outlook

The Philippines manufacturing sector showed a notable rebound at the start of the year, as the SP Global Philippines Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) climbed to a nine-month high of 52.9 in January, up from...

Asian Markets Slide as Silver Volatility, Earnings Season, and Central Bank Meetings Rattle Investors

Asian share markets opened the week on a cautious note, largely tracking weaker Wall Street futures, as extreme volatility in silver prices and a packed global economic calendar unsettled investors. The sharp moves in...

Politics

Medvedev Warns World Is Growing More Dangerous but Says Russia Seeks to Avoid Global Conflict

Dmitry Medvedev, Russias deputy chairman of the Security Council and a senior Kremlin security official, has warned that the global situation is becoming increasingly dangerous, while stressing that Russia does not want a...

Laura Fernandez Set to Become Costa Rica’s Next President, Promising Sweeping Political Change

Laura Fernandez is poised to become Costa Ricas next president, marking a significant political shift as she pledges to continue and deepen the populist agenda of outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves. Her victory signals a...

Starmer’s China Visit Highlights Western Balancing Act Amid U.S.-China Rivalry

British Prime Minister Keir Starmers recent visit to China underscores the complex balancing act Western middle powers are attempting as rivalry between Beijing and Washington intensifies. While the trip allowed China to...

Peter Mandelson Resigns from Labour Party Amid Renewed Jeffrey Epstein Links

Former British government minister Peter Mandelson has resigned from Prime Minister Keir Starmers Labour Party following renewed media scrutiny over his past connections to disgraced U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein. The...

Japan Election Poll Signals Landslide Win for Sanae Takaichi, Raising Fiscal Policy Concerns

Japans ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, is poised for a decisive victory in the upcoming lower house election, according to a new opinion poll released by the Asahi newspaper....

Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

Jensen Huang Urges Taiwan Suppliers to Boost AI Chip Production Amid Surging Demand

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang praised and gently pushed Taiwans leading technology suppliers to ramp up production, highlighting the intense global demand for artificial intelligence hardware during a high-profile visit to the...

Oracle Plans $45–$50 Billion Funding Push in 2026 to Expand Cloud and AI Infrastructure

Oracle has announced plans to raise between $45 billion and $50 billion in 2026 as it accelerates the expansion of its cloud infrastructure to meet surging demand from major technology and artificial intelligence clients....

Elon Musk’s Empire: SpaceX, Tesla, and xAI Merger Talks Spark Investor Debate

Speculation around a potential Musk Inc has resurfaced as Elon Musks companiesSpaceX, Tesla, and xAIexplore closer ties amid rapid advances in artificial intelligence and automation. With SpaceX expected to go public later...

SpaceX Reports $8 Billion Profit as IPO Plans and Starlink Growth Fuel Valuation Buzz

SpaceX delivered a strong financial performance last year, generating an estimated $8 billion in profit on revenues between $15 billion and $16 billion, according to people familiar with the companys results. The figures,...

SpaceX Updates Starlink Privacy Policy to Allow AI Training as xAI Merger Talks and IPO Loom

SpaceX has revised its Starlink privacy policy to allow customer data to be used for artificial intelligence training, a move that could significantly support Elon Musks broader AI ambitions. The policy change comes as...