Amir Taheri
Chairman, Gatestone Europe

Amir Taheri was born in Iran and educated in Tehran, London and Paris. From 1984 to 1987 he was editor-in-chief of Jeune Afrique, the French weekly specializing in Africa. Between 1980 and 1984 he was Middle East editor for the London Sunday Times. He also wrote for the daily Times and contributed to The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, and the Daily Mail among other leading British publications. Between 1972 and 1979 he was executive editor-in-chief of Kayhan, Iran's main daily newspaper. He has been a columnist for the pan-Arab daily Asharq Alawsat and its sister daily Arab News since 1987. Taheri has been a contributor to the International Herald Tribune since 1980. He has also written for The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Newsday, and The Washington Post. Between 1989 and 1995 Taheri was editorial writer for the German daily Die Welt. He has also written for other publications including Der Spiegel, Die Zeit, Frankfurter Algemeine Zeitung, La Repubblica, L'Express, Politique Internationale, Le Nouvel Observateur, and El Mundo in Spain. Currently he is a contributor to the German weekly Focus. Taheri has published nine books. In 1988 Publishers' Weekly in New York chose his study of Islamist terrorism, Holy Terror, as one of The Best Books of The Year.


Writings by Amir Taheri  (View Biography)

Title Date
Syria: Enemies Masquerading as Friends2024/12/08
Russia: The Big Enchilada for Trump2024/11/24
Trump II: Challenges Ahead2024/11/17
Writers and Careless Use of Words2024/11/10
US Elections and the Old Family Album2024/11/03
US Election: On 6 November Skies Won't Fall2024/10/27
The US Election: The Danger of Otherness2024/10/20
Resistance or Terror: The Importance of Dosage2024/10/13
Fake Solutions for a Real Problem2024/10/06
A War of Choice and a War of Necessity2024/09/29
A Visit to French Silicon Valley2024/09/22
France: No Extremist in the Élysée2024/09/15
Iran Military: Calculations and Miscalculations2024/09/08
US Elections: The Collectivist Option2024/09/01
Iran: Good and Bad News Are the Same2024/08/25
Paris Olympics: The Day After2024/08/18
Iran: A Grin and Bear it Game?2024/08/11
Iran: Desperately Seeking Gorbachev2024/08/04
US Elections: The Third Party Isn't on the Ticket2024/07/28
Trump and the Return of the Republicans2024/07/21
Britain and France: A Tale of Two Elections2024/07/14
France: The Perils of an Election2024/07/07
Wall-Building Reaches Iran2024/06/30
France: Towards a Year of Uncertainty?2024/06/23
Europe Between Hope and Fear2024/06/16
Talisman of Great Expurgation2024/06/10
Iran: The Turban and the Military Cap2024/06/02
Western Universities: A Double Invasion2024/05/19
Condorcet Gets a Keffiyeh2024/05/12
Trials and Tribulations of a Foreign Correspondent2024/05/05
Iran: Making a Future Out of the Past2024/04/28
Iran-Israel: The Real Winner2024/04/21
European Union: Testing Election Ahead2024/04/14
Iran and Israel: Is the Denial Game Over?2024/04/07
Moscow Terror Attack: Is Ukraine Responsible?2024/03/31
Gaza: Razzia as Political Warfare2024/03/24
Ukraine: Unintended Consequences2024/03/17
Europe: Fear of the Elephant and Its Mahout2024/03/10
Iran: Twin Elections and Ayatollahs' Solo Performance2024/03/03
Ukraine: Putin's Mixed Messages2024/02/25
Western Farmers: Fork in the Road2024/02/18
The Middle East: Un-ask Your Question2024/02/11
Iran: Risky Elections Ahead2024/02/04
Iran-Pakistan: The Beautiful Vase Has Been Chipped2024/01/28
Iran: Talk Big but Wave a Small Stick2024/01/21
One War and Two Visions2024/01/14
Gaza War: It isn't Over Until it is Over2024/01/07
2024: Where Does the Pendulum Swing?2023/12/31
This Was Mine: Disputes as Old as History2023/12/24
Global Warming and 'Big Bad Oil'2023/12/17
A Symphonic Version of Terror2023/12/10
Ukraine: The Decimation Point2023/12/03
Don't Dismiss Trump II2023/11/26
France: A Tale of Two Demos2023/11/19
Anatomy of a Paris Demo2023/11/12
War Isn't What It Used to Be2023/11/05
Hamas and the Ruse That May Be Its Last2023/10/29
Palestine: A Cause or a State?2023/10/22
Hamas and Israel: What Next?2023/10/15
The Ayatollah's Plan for Israel and Palestine2023/10/08
Immigration: Europe's New Wedge Issue2023/10/08
From Oligarchs to Plutocrats2023/10/01
Africa: Carving the Golden Goose2023/09/24
Iran: Presenting a New Image2023/09/17
From Kublai to Xi: Old and New Silk Road2023/09/10
Democracy and the Crisis of Authority2023/09/03
Syria: Orphan in News Headlines2023/08/27
Brexit: Lottery as Politics2023/08/20
The We've Got to Do Something Syndrome2023/08/13
The Left: What Is Left of It?2023/08/06
Iran: With Friends Like That2023/07/30
Ukraine: A Way Out of the Impasse?2023/07/23
Iran: The Greenback Curse2023/07/16
French Malaise Strikes Again2023/07/09
Anatomy of a Very Russian Affair2023/07/02
The Myth of End of Oil and Regime Change2023/06/25
The Two-Headed Russian Eagle at War2023/06/18
Iraq and Tehran's Illusions2023/06/11
Iran: Heroic Flexibility Returns2023/06/04
Turkey: What Would Father Say?2023/05/28
Mariupol: A Year Later2023/05/21
Iran: Replacing Khomeini with Clinton2023/05/14
Iran: Unhappy Workers2023/05/07
Iran and Its Culture War2023/04/30
Another Crisis in Spookdom2023/04/23
Iran: The Dollarization Temptation2023/04/16
Türkiye: Waiting for Spring2023/04/09
The French Model: Another Crisis2023/04/02
Iran and the Changing of Course!2023/03/26
Do Babies Still Win Wars?2023/03/19
The West, The Rest and The Great Everywhere2023/03/05
The Republic of Fear: 20 Years After2023/02/26
Ukraine: The Unintended Consequences2023/02/19
Syria: The War Has Not Ended2023/02/12
Iran: Selling Family Jewels to Buy Loyalty2023/02/05
Iran: Great Replacement Ahead?2023/01/29
Ukraine: Waiting for the Stinger Moment2023/01/22
The Question That Khamenei Faces2023/01/15
Netanyahu: The Unexpected Moderate2023/01/08
Iran: A Model or a Warning?2023/01/01
Ukraine: A Recipe for Appeasement2022/12/25
Global Prospects: A German View2022/12/18
Iran: Protests and Paralysis2022/12/11
Islamic Socrates, or a Prankster?2022/12/04
Tehran Dangles the Samson Option Again2022/11/27
Old Iranian Slogan Conquers the World2022/11/20
Iran: Looking for a Booted Savior2022/11/13
Iran: Old Recipes From the Devil's Kitchen2022/11/06
Killing the Leviathan with a Thousand Cuts2022/10/30
What Iranians Want From Washington2022/10/23
Iran: Freedom-Lovers Win a Round2022/10/16
China: The Immovable Supreme Leader2022/10/09
Iran: The Chained Volcano2022/10/02
The Golden Road to Samarkand2022/09/25
Why is Tehran Beating the War Drum?2022/09/18
How the West Built a Russian Enemy2022/09/11
Macron's Pessimistic Moment2022/09/04
Tehran Debates the Bomb2022/08/28
Turkey and the German Dream2022/08/21
A Dangerous Triple Fantasy2022/08/14
Putin's Threshold of Pain2022/08/07
Biden and the Masochistic Nail2022/07/31
Putin's Imaginary World Order2022/07/24
Boris of Britain: What Went Wrong?2022/07/17
Ukraine War: Unified Command Needed2022/07/10
The Ayatollah's Model for the World2022/07/03
Putin: From Frank Sinatra to Leonid Brezhnev2022/06/26
A War That Could Change the World2022/06/19
The 'Disease' Putin Brought Back2022/06/12
Iran: Towards a Summer of Discontent2022/06/05
Russia: Lone Wolf of the Steppes2022/05/29
Lebanon Gives Tehran a Double Whammy2022/05/22
Lebanese Election and the Broken Oar2022/05/15
Perils of Putin's Victory Parade2022/05/08
French Elections: The Bad And The Not So Bad2022/05/01
France: A Leap into the Unknown?2022/04/24
The Middle East: An American Vision2022/04/20
Imran Khan: A Collateral Victim of Putin2022/04/17
Points that Putin Apologists Miss2022/04/10
How Putin Misunderstood Rumsfeld2022/04/03
From Guernica to Mariupol2022/03/27
Putin's War: The Next Phase2022/03/20
Putin and His One-Man War2022/03/13
Putin and the Law of Unintended Consequences2022/03/06
First Round to Putin, What Next?2022/02/27
France and its Specter2022/02/20
Putin's Game between Friend and Foe2022/02/13
Mischief on Life Support Machine2022/02/06
Russia and Ukraine: The Sword and the Shield2022/01/30
Two Questions about the Vienna Charade2022/01/23
Kazakhstan: Echoes of the Autumn of Sorrows2022/01/16
World Order: Back to the Future2022/01/09
The Mystery Man of Sanaa2022/01/02
Yesterday's Treaty and Tomorrow's Threats2021/12/26
The West and Its Old Illusion2021/12/19
Iran: Exporting Oil or Revolution?2021/12/12
Biden's Doppelganger for the UN2021/12/05
Who Keeps Iran Out in the Cold?2021/11/28
Wounds With a Russian Knife in Them2021/11/21
France: Nationalism Makes a Comeback2021/11/14
New Team and New Fears in Tehran2021/11/07
China: A Dicey Ideological Shift2021/10/31
Syria: Geopolitical Tragedy2021/10/24
The General's Second Death in Baghdad2021/10/17
Iran: When Preconditions Disappear2021/10/10
Prowler Preaching Neighborliness2021/10/03
Iran Switching to a New Illusion2021/09/26
War on Terror: Not a Bad Record2021/09/19
In Tehran Much Talk of Talks2021/09/12
Dealing with Taliban: It's Urgent to Wait2021/09/05
Biden's Travel Agency in Kabul2021/08/29
Night Falls on Afghanistan: Again2021/08/22
Iran and Its Two Damaged Wings2021/08/15
Lebanon and its Ticking Bombs2021/08/08
Iran and the Divisive Rule of the Mullah2021/08/01
Biden Needs a Long Spoon in Vienna2021/07/25
America is Back: What Did it Do?2021/07/18
Taliban on the Way to Kabul? Not so Fast....2021/07/11
China: A Colossus with a Foot of Clay2021/07/04
Iran: Black Turban Follows White Turban2021/06/27
China: The Elephant in that Room in Cornwall2021/06/20
Biden and Putin in G7 and a Half2021/06/13
Biden and the Ayatollah's Game Plan2021/06/06
Blinken and a Repeat of 'Eyeless in Gaza' Saga2021/05/30
Iran: 10 Characters in Search of a Protector2021/05/23
Biden and Iran: Temptation to Save the Zombie2021/05/16
The G7 and Its Dicey Clichés2021/05/09
A Palestinian State: What Would Ben Gurion Have Said?2021/05/02
Beware of Cut-and-Run in Afghanistan2021/04/25
Posturing is No Policy on Iran2021/04/18
Iran: Between Illusion and Reality2021/04/11
Between Despair and Presumption a Reporter's Dilemma2021/04/04
US, China, Russia and Thucydides Trap2021/03/29
Debate in Iranian Circles2021/03/21
The Game that Left Iran in Historic Impasse2021/03/14
Biden Should Ditch the Doha Deal with Taliban2021/03/07
Cinderella Province in a Rebellious Mood2021/02/28
The Iran Mediation Bazaar2021/02/21
Ghosts that Haunt President Biden2021/02/14
The Mysteries of the Trump Impeachment Remake2021/02/07
New Team in Washington: Beyond Tokenism2021/01/31
Tehran's Presidential Show: A Game of Exclusions2021/01/24
Washington Riot and 'End of America' Crowd2021/01/17
Marx, Heidegger and the Crocodile2021/01/10
A New Year: Better or Less Bad?2021/01/03
The Joys of Paris in Coronavirus Days2020/12/27
The Biden Parenthesis Opens2020/12/20
Tehran Should Ask 'Then What?'2020/12/13
Is Tehran Building a Devil's Kitchen?2020/12/06
The Otherness of a Closet Collectivist2020/11/29
Caucasus: Clash of Imperial Dreams2020/11/22
The US Elections: An Episode in a Cultural War2020/11/15
Turkey: The Return of Demons2020/11/08
US Elections: The Unasked Questions2020/11/01
American Election: Endgame for Party System?2020/10/25
One War and Six Losers2020/10/18
Yes it Hurts, No it Doesn't2020/10/11
Why Colorful View of American Politics Is Wrong2020/10/04
The 'Nevertheless' Club and the World2020/09/27
Trump and Nobel Prize: Make Deals Not War2020/09/20
The Threat of Orphan States to World Order2020/09/13
The French Wish List for Lebanon2020/08/30
A Slippery Patch in World Affairs2020/08/23
Iran: Self-Harming with Anti-Americanism2020/08/16
When Memory Becomes a Prison of Nations2020/08/09
Iran's New Make-believe Diplomacy2020/07/26
Curse Him, Then Copy Him2020/07/19
Rage Produces Much Heat but Little Light2020/07/12
For a Politically Corrected Paris2020/07/05
Slavery: Is there a Monopoly of Suffering?2020/06/28
Uses of a Cocktail of Grievances2020/06/21
Powers Play with Fire in Libya2020/06/14
Return of Nation-States Need Not be a Threat2020/06/07
China is Sending Mixed Signals2020/05/31
The Supreme Leader's New Tom and Jerry Sequence2020/05/24
Mullahs' Missiles Kill Iranians but Can't Defend Iran2020/05/17
Lebanese Zugzwang and Harlequin's Choice2020/05/10
Mullahs Threaten Trump with October Surprise2020/05/03
Coronavirus Crisis: China Isn't Going to Win2020/04/26
Iran May Need an 'America Free' Day2020/04/19
The Pitfalls of a Shady Peace in Afghanistan2020/04/12
Who Eats the Cake in Tehran?2020/04/05
Uncertainty in a Bleak Moment2020/03/29
The Coronavirus: Death of Globalization or a Rebirth?2020/03/22
Dealing with Coronavirus Reveals Cultural Differences2020/03/15
Iran: The Train Hits Something Hard2020/03/08
Iran Elections: The Least Bad Outcome2020/03/01
Iran: the Masks of Jefferson and Attila2020/02/23
Ouyar Hassan Invited to the Polls... Again2020/02/16
A Man of a Thousand Faces Wears a New Mask2020/02/09
Tehran's Chinese Dream Can't Replace its Nightmare2020/02/02
Tehran and its Three Fantasies2020/01/26
Iran: Why the Old Recipe Does Not Work2020/01/19
The General's Death Upsets Iran's Plan2020/01/12
Foes Can't Beat Him with Caricatures2020/01/05
An Interesting Year Comes to an End2019/12/29
Britain: Flushing Out the Corbynista2019/12/22
Despots of the Square-Kilometer Empires2019/12/15
The Mullahs' Losing Game2019/12/08
Iran: Between Samson and Samsung2019/12/01
Iran and the Ayatollah's Fake Suicide-Belt2019/11/24
Old Tricks and the Iraqi Genie2019/11/17
The High Risks of Soleimani's Solution for Iraq2019/11/10
In Middle East: Pull Down Facades2019/11/03
Why Soleimani Misreads Lebanon2019/10/27
The Real Cost of Turkey's Kurdish Obsession2019/10/20
The Hat, the Turban and the Cap: Which Can Save the Mullahs?2019/10/06
Tehran's 'We Did, We Didn't' Game2019/09/29
When Negotiation Is Impossible and War Is Unnecessary2019/09/22
Russia: Dreaming of a Return to the West2019/09/15
Moscow Divided Between Two Proverbs2019/09/08
Trump and the Deceiving of Mullahs2019/09/01
Biarritz Summit: Bright Moment in Silly Season2019/08/25
Could this Be the Year of Persian Poetry?2019/08/18
Putin and the Mullahs2019/08/11
Iran: Flogging a Dead Donkey Is Futile2019/08/04
How Tehran Tries to Drown the Fish2019/07/28
An English Misunderstanding of Iran2019/07/26
Iran's Trojan Army Faces Challenge in Iraq2019/07/21
Erdogan and the Wisdom of Timely Exit2019/07/14
Trump's Iran Sanctions Face Seven Fallacies2019/07/07
The 'Cat-And-Mouse' World of the Ayatollah2019/06/30
The Death of Iran's Japanese Dream2019/06/23
Diplomatic Gesticulations Won't Solve the Iran Problem2019/06/16
Iran and the American Forbidden Fruit2019/06/09
The Books He Loved but Others Shouldn't Read2019/06/04
What Is Bernie Sanders Worried About?2019/06/02
Iran's Options and the Destructive Defiance2019/05/26
Tehran Apologists Should Change Their Tune2019/05/19
Europe's Three Concerns About Iran2019/05/12
Iran and a Tale of Two Losers2019/05/05
From Khartoum to Tehran: Graveyard of Forlorn Hopes2019/04/28
When the Ayatollah Plays His Joker2019/04/21
Iran: The Ventriloquist Dummy's New Lexicon2019/04/14
The Floods, the Mullahs and the Cinderella in Boots2019/04/07
Brexit's Message to European Union2019/03/31
Mullahs and the English Opium-Eater2019/03/24
Common Causes of Three Crises in Three Continents2019/03/17
Mullahs Pushed Off the Gravy Train2019/03/10
Putin to Join the Mullahs' Deception Club2019/02/24
Mullahs Masquerading as Patriots: Will it Work?2019/02/17
Syria: French Count Returns as Russian Apparatchik2019/02/10
Why Tehran Crosses Only 'Pink Lines'2019/02/03
Trump: In Third Year with Three Charges2019/01/27
France: I Am Angry, Therefore I Am2019/01/20
Trump and a World Without Gary Cooper2019/01/13
Iran's Schizophrenia Heats Up the Debate2019/01/06
The Growing Poverty of Political Debate2018/12/30
Why Trump Can't Be Airbrushed Out of the Picture2018/12/23
Iran: Toward a Plan B2018/12/19
The Canary in the French Mine2018/12/16
In Iran: The Past is a Foreign Country2018/07/30
Iran: Khamenei's New Poem - Pure Wine and Deadly Poison2018/07/25
Donald Trump and the Carl Schmitt Spectrum2018/07/22
Why Khamenei Can't Do a Kim Jong-Un2018/07/15
Iran: The Ayatollah's Promised Paradise2018/07/08
Why Turkey Will Not Be Another Iran2018/07/02
The Bazaaris' Revolt in Iran: Who is Behind It?2018/07/01
How Tehran Lobbyists Mislead Opinion in the West2018/06/28
Iraq: The Banker, the Mullah, the Militia and the Cook2018/06/24
The Turkish Race2018/06/17
Putin and Lessons from Lenin and Gromyko2018/06/10
The Mullahs and the Tale of a Betrayal2018/06/03
Tehran Divided on Pompeo's Wish-List2018/05/28
Imaginary War Serving False Peace2018/05/27
Hitler and Reza Shah: Mullahs and Pro-Israel Writers Sing Together2018/05/22
Iraqi Election Opens New Chapter2018/05/20
Iraq Election: Weak Government, Strong Society2018/05/11
Iran, Macromel and the Purloined Letter2018/05/06
Lessons of the Afgantsy for the Syrians2018/04/29
Syria: The Defining Issue of Our Generation2018/04/22
Europe, Trump and the Iran Deal2018/04/15
Syria: The Putin-Erdogan Summit Was a Missed Opportunity2018/04/08
Trump and the Fading Ghost of an Illusion2018/04/01
The Real Cost of Afrin2018/03/25
The Boy From Petersburg Who Became The Man From Moscow2018/03/18
Iran: The French Soufflé Fails to Rise2018/03/11
Trump the Deal-maker and the Middle East2018/03/04
Iraq: An Election of Conflicting Interests2018/02/25
Syria: Looking for Ways out of the Maze2018/02/18
Iran: Speaking Swedish, Acting North Korean2018/02/11
Trump, the Ayatollah and the Wizard of Oz2018/02/04
Turkey: No Longer a Friend but Not a Foe2018/01/28
Iran Nuclear Problem Must Be Re-Visited2018/01/20
Iran: Anatomy of a National Revolt2018/01/15
Behind the Latest Protests in Iran2018/01/07
The Year of The Rohingya2017/12/31
Corruption: Mideast's Political Gangrene2017/12/24
Where Russian and Iranian Aircraft Carriers Clash2017/12/17
The Mullahs Overplay the Military Card2017/12/10
Progress and History in Zigzag2017/12/03
Lebanon: Is Cheat-and-Retreat Back on the Menu?2017/11/26
The Usual Suspects and a New Method2017/11/19
How Iran Tried to Turn Arab States into Fading Ghosts2017/11/12
Iran and 'The Great Satan': A Four-Decade-Old Saga2017/11/05
China Unveils Leadership Ambition2017/10/29
The Iran Deal: The Dog's Dinner Obama Dished Out2017/10/22
China: Reshuffling the Party Cadres2017/10/15
Kurdish Secession and Mysteries of Identity2017/10/08
Kurdish Referendum: What is the Lowdown?2017/10/01
The Kurdish Referendum Imbroglio2017/09/24
Why Iran's Plan in Syria Will Fail2017/09/17
North Korea: The Kims' Cheat and Retreat Game2017/09/10
Syria: Elections Gambit to Get Russia Off the Hook2017/09/06
Khomeini or Kim? Khamenei's Real Teacher2017/09/03
A Grim Portrayal of Syria at War2017/09/03
Puffing the Turkish Chibouk in Ankara2017/08/27
Kissinger's Analysis of Mideast is Full of Loopholes2017/08/20
While Trump Tweets, the 'Cold Monster' Returns2017/08/13
Britain, Brexit and the Spirit of Dunkirk2017/08/06
Tehran's New Scheme for Iraq2017/07/31
Russia Woos the World with New Plan on Syria2017/07/30
Trump Kicks the Iranian 'Can' Down the Road2017/07/23
The Modernization of Middle East is a Sight to See2017/07/16
After Mosul: Iraq Faces Three Challenges2017/07/11
Rouhani and Trump: Together against Iran's Men with Guns?2017/07/09
Tsar Vladimir and His 40 Daughters2017/07/03
To the UN and UNESCO: Don't Try to Fence Us In!2016/06/28
Syria: Checkered Past, Uncertain Future2016/02/10
The United States and Islam: What Is Going On?2015/12/22
Iran: Poets Face 99 Lashes and Prison2015/11/09
Obama Will Be the Only Person Sticking to Iran Deal2015/10/12
The Ayatollah's Plan for Israel and Palestine2015/07/31
France, the West and the Islamist Challenge2015/04/07
Iran and Germany: A 100-Year Old Love Affair2014/07/31
What Palestinians Want2009/04/21
The 'Dark Horse' Enters the Race2009/03/25
Iran: Waiting for the "Fish-Tail" Report2009/02/25
Hamas in Context2009/01/26
Hamas in Context2009/01/14
Gaza: Regional Choices2009/01/13

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