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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

SNB Flags Global Risks, Urges Stronger UBS Oversight Amid Economic Uncertainty

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has warned of a highly uncertain economic outlook due to rising trade and geopolitical tensions, emphasizing the need to strengthen UBS oversight. In its 2025 Financial Stability Report, the...

Trump Slams Fed Chair Powell Again After Rate Hold

U.S. President Donald Trump reignited his criticism of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday, calling him the WORST and a real dummy in a social media post. The attack followed the Feds decision to leave...

Dollar Gains on Safe-Haven Demand Amid Middle East Tensions and Fed Caution

The U.S. dollar strengthened on Thursday, driven by safe-haven demand as fears of an escalating Middle East conflict intensified. Reports that Washington is preparing for a potential strike on Iran pushed investors toward...

Asia Stocks Slip, Gold Gains as Trump Weighs U.S. Strike on Iran

Asian stock markets slipped Thursday as investors sought safe-haven assets amid rising geopolitical tensions. Concerns over possible U.S. involvement in the escalating Israel-Iran air war drove demand for gold and the...

Macquarie Now Expects Fed Rate Cut in December Amid Shift Toward Inflation Tolerance

Macquarie has reversed its no-rate-cut stance for 2025, now predicting a 25-basis-point cut by December after the Federal Reserve maintained its projection for two rate cuts despite raising its inflation forecast. The...

Politics

Iran-Israel Conflict Escalates Amid Rising Civilian Casualties and Global Tensions

Tensions between Iran and Israel have escalated into the regions most intense conflict in decades, with mutual missile strikes killing hundreds and damaging key infrastructure. On Thursday, Iranian missiles hit a hospital...

Thai PM Paetongtarn Faces Crisis as Coalition Partner Exits Over Cambodia Leak

Thailands Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is facing a political crisis after a key coalition partner, the Bhumjaithai Party, withdrew support late Wednesday. The move threatens to collapse her 10-month-old government...

U.S. Prepares Potential Strike on Iran Amid Growing Israel-Iran Conflict

Senior U.S. officials are reportedly preparing for a potential military strike on Iran as early as this weekend, Bloomberg reported. Multiple federal agencies are mobilizing in anticipation of a possible escalation, though...

Nippon Steel Closes $14.9B U.S. Steel Deal with Trump-Backed Golden Share

Nippon Steel has finalized its $14.9 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel, buying all shares at $55 each in a landmark deal supported by President Donald Trump. The Japanese steelmakers 18-month effort to secure U.S....

Trump Faces MAGA Rift Over Possible U.S. Strike on Iran

President Donald Trump is facing internal divisions within his America First coalition over potential U.S. military involvement in Israels conflict with Iran. Key allies like Steve Bannon and Representative Marjorie Taylor...

Science

NASA Astronauts Wilmore and Williams Recover After Boeing Starliner Delay

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are steadily recovering after spending nine unexpected months aboard the International Space Station (ISS) due to issues with Boeings Starliner capsule. Initially intended...

SpaceX Starship Test Flight Reaches New Heights but Ends in Setback

SpaceXs massive Starship rocket, central to Elon Musks vision for interplanetary travel, launched its ninth uncrewed test flight from Starbase, Texas, on May 27, 2025. The two-stage vehiclecomprising the upper-stage...

Trump’s nomination for NASA leader boasts business and commercial spaceflight experience during a period of uncertainty for the agency

Jared Isaacman, billionaire, CEO and nominee to become the next NASA administrator, faced questions on April 9, 2025, from members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation during his confirmation...

Lab-grown meat: you may find it icky, but it could drive forward medical research

Lab-grown meat causes heated debates. Proponents see benefits for the climate and animal welfare. Opponents worry about a Frankenstein food they regard as risky and unnatural. Whatever your opinion, the technology...

Kennedy Sets September Deadline to Uncover Autism Causes Amid Controversy

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a bold plan to identify the cause of autism by September 2025. Speaking at a cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump, Kennedy declared a global...

Technology

Malaysia Sues Telegram Over Alleged Illegal Content

Malaysias Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has launched a civil lawsuit against Telegram and two channels on its platform for allegedly distributing illegal content, marking a significant escalation in the...

Texas Lawmakers Urge Tesla to Delay Austin Robotaxi Launch Amid Safety Concerns

A group of Democratic lawmakers from Texas is urging Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) to delay its upcoming robotaxi launch in Austin until new autonomous vehicle regulations take effect in September. In a letter sent Wednesday,...

Alibaba Cloud Expands in South Korea with Second Data Center Near Seoul

Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group (HK:9988, NYSE:BABA), is expanding its presence in South Korea with a second data center near Seoul. The move is part of the companys broader effort to scale its...

Apple Eyes Generative AI for Custom Chip Design, Says Exec

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is exploring the use of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) to enhance the design of its custom silicon chips, according to a recent Reuters report. Johny Srouji, Apples senior vice...

Meta Eyes $1B AI Fund Deal to Boost Artificial General Intelligence Ambitions

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) is reportedly in advanced talks to acquire a partial stake in a prominent artificial intelligence venture fund managed by Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross, according to The Information. The...