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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

How will the Iran war change the Middle East? We asked 5 experts

Apr 06, 2026 03:04 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

On February 28, the US and Israel launched a war against Iran following weeks of US military build-up in the region and threats from US President Donald Trump. In the ensuing weeks, Iran has retaliated by striking US...

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...

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Economy

S&P 500 Hits Record High as Soft Inflation Data Eases Fed Rate Hike Fears

U.S. stock futures were largely unchanged Thursday evening after the SP 500 closed at a record high, as softer producer inflation data eased concerns about a potential Federal Reserve interest-rate hike in September. SP...

Gold Prices Slip From 10-Week High as Fed and Hormuz Risks Shape Outlook

Gold prices moved lower on Friday after pulling back from a 10-week high, as investors assessed softer U.S. inflation data, the Federal Reserves interest rate outlook and uncertainty surrounding the Strait of Hormuz. Spot...

Trump Imposes New US Tariffs on Drone Imports Over National Security Concerns

U.S. President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on imported drones and drone components on Thursday, citing national security concerns and the countrys heavy reliance on foreign suppliers. Under a proclamation signed by...

Canada-US Trade Talks Gain Momentum Ahead of Aug. 19 Tariff Deadline

Canada-US trade negotiations are making positive progress as both countries push to reach an agreement before new U.S. tariffs on Canadian imports are scheduled to take effect on Aug. 19, according to a Canadian government...

Oil Prices Fall as U.S. Crude Inventories Surge and Hormuz Tensions Persist

Oil prices declined Thursday as unexpectedly large U.S. crude inventories, weaker global demand forecasts and continued tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz weighed on the market. Brent crude futures for October...

Politics

Jared Kushner May Visit Israel for Gaza Talks Next Week

U.S. President Donald Trumps envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, could travel to Israel next week for talks aimed at advancing the administrations Gaza peace plan, according to a source familiar with the matter. Axios...

Albanese Says AUKUS ‘Full Steam Ahead’ After Trump Call

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the AUKUS defence pact remains full steam ahead following a lengthy phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, as Canberra also pushes Washington for a complete exemption...

Trump Orders Major Overhaul of US Navy Shipbuilding

President Donald Trump has signed a National Security Presidential Memorandum directing sweeping changes to U.S. Navy shipbuilding and ship repair programs as part of an effort to rebuild the countrys maritime industrial...

Israel Warned US of Alleged Iran Plot to Assassinate Trump

Israel repeatedly warned the United States over the past year that Iran may have been planning to assassinate President Donald Trump, although U.S. intelligence agencies were unable to independently verify several of the...

Putin Visits Disputed Kuril Island, Sparking Strong Protest From Japan

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the disputed island of Iturup on Thursday, triggering a sharp diplomatic protest from Japan amid longstanding tensions over the Kuril Islands. Known as Iturup in Russia and Etorofu...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Goldman Sachs Eyes Investors for Nvidia’s $500 Billion AI Financing Plan

Goldman Sachs is reportedly in discussions with potential investors to participate in Nvidias ambitious $500 billion AI infrastructure financing initiative, as institutional demand for artificial intelligence investments...

LG, Nvidia Expand AI Partnership With Humanoid Robots, AI Factories

LG Corp and Nvidia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to deepen their strategic partnership across robotics, AI factories and next-generation mobility, LG announced Friday. The agreement will combine LGs...

SMIC Shares Rally as Q2 Profit Surges 262% on Strong Chip Demand

Shares of Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) surged on Friday after the Chinese semiconductor foundry delivered strong second-quarter earnings, supported by higher chip demand, improved pricing and...

Anthropic Eyes $6B Decart AI Acquisition Ahead of Mega IPO

Anthropic is reportedly in talks to acquire Nvidia-backed AI startup Decart AI as the Claude developer looks to expand its computing capabilities and address growing demand ahead of a potential public listing. Bloomberg...

Google Pushes Gemini AI Overhaul as Sergey Brin Targets Model Supremacy

Google co-founder Sergey Brin has stepped up efforts to accelerate development of the companys Gemini AI models as Alphabet battles OpenAI and Anthropic for leadership in artificial intelligence. Brin has reportedly urged...