With Syria's cash reserves dwindling and its armed forces ceding more and more territory to the rebels, nothing could be more certain today than the inevitable downfall of Assad. However cathartic that moment may be, it is unfortunately unlikely to mark the end of the Syrian civil war.

There is a dire need to invest in Arabists and rethink our university courses so the West is geared towards engaging with the new dynamic in the Middle East.

A truce between Israel and Hamas holds for now, but the recent carnage could herald further geopolitical instability in the MENA. As a result, oil price will stay high and damage the global economy, which is already "at sea".

In his second term, Mr Obama is likely to confront a multi-front Middle East of problems, which could become defining for both the U.S. and the world peace. It will be a time of wise choices, tough decisions and necessary sacrifices.

Long live the Arab Spring - despite the murmurs about Morsi's "pharaonic" decree in Egypt and the Syrian bloodbath, I refuse to lose faith in the people of the Arab world.

Up to 230,000 Syrians are now estimated to be in Jordan and 500 more are crossing the border every day, stretching the scarce resources of a country that is already battling an economic crisis and cutting fuel subsidies for its own population.

The latest round of warfare between Israel and Hamas may be over, but the problem and the roots of the problem still remain... the Palestinians are no closer to having their own homeland, Hamas is busy replenishing its now depleted rocket supply and the wider Arab world still refuses to accept that Israel, as Jewish homeland, has a place in the region.

Moral bankruptcy, the un-sustainability of their wealth distribution model and the social media revolution sweeping through the Gulf suggest that nothing will avert the tide of change enveloping these princedoms.

Whether the present ceasefire lasts, and whether it results in a meaningful longer term peace agreement, is yet to be seen. What is inarguable is that without justice for the Palestinians there will never be peace. Israel's security will only be guaranteed by ending the occupation, settlements expansion, and its resistance to Palestinian self determination. A policy of war-war must now give way to jaw-jaw.

What is certain at this point in time is that the Middle East is once again at crisis point and that the international system must keep an eye on unfolding events.

In my opinion, Israel is a rogue state which commits war crimes. It is an aggressor state that has invaded Lebanon several times and holds a chunk of Syria illegally, but despite being the fourth most-heavily-armed country in the world has not won a war outright for 45 years, since 1967.

While the rockets targeting Israeli civilians - men, women, and children - do not carry as deadly a payload as that of the German bombs of World War II, their aim is equally sinister and illegitimate: to instill fear in the hearts of Israelis and undermine their right to live in a free and independent state.

The West have the answer, the only viable solution to neutralize the multiple Iranian threats is to recognize the NCRI as the legitimate representative of the Iranian people's aspirations and offer political and diplomatic support to the Iranian Resistance in their efforts to bring about a democratic change in Iran through toppling the current religious dictatorship ruling the country.

An interesting development, although largely symbolic to assuage local sentiments, was the recalling of the Egyptian ambassador in Israel. The Egyptian TV network did not clarify whether the envoy was recalled for consultations or to express displeasure of the Israeli action.

By promoting the sale of arms to the UAE, the prime minister has aligned himself with a regime that has clearly displayed its intentions to deal with potential civil unrest in a brutal manner.

David Cameron says he will be arguing for human rights when he visits Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman this week. The stronger message, however, will be of UK support and the government's willingness to do anything to promote UK arms company interests.

Israel operates two different systems of law for two different groups of people. One is significantly harsher than the other. Caabu is the latest organisation to call for an end to wholesale discrimination and ethnic segregation in Israel's judicial processes. They join Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Defence for Children International and the UK Foreign Office in calling for Israel to implement significant changes to accord with international law, and basic human rights.

If Romney were to win this race for the White House, at least one prediction seems reliable: enter more Rose Garden references to a time when US policy-makers wore powdered wigs and knee-high breeches.

The biggest mistake would be to treat all Islamists as one monolithic whole.