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In Druze jargon, there is a phrase people use at moments of transition: “Enough… it’s time to go offer congratulations.” In another context, the same instinct may take the form of: “It’s time to go pay our condolences.” It is not merely a social courtesy. It is a political reflex shaped by history. It means that one moment has ended, another has begun, and those who understand the world as it is — not as they wish it to be — must act accordingly. The Druze have long been sensitive to political change. Geography taught them this. History reinforced it. Survival made it instinctive. They do not always need official declarations from capitals to know that the wind has shifted. Often, they sense it before others do.

One could almost marvel at the array of torture instruments featured in the repertoire of Syrian prisons! For the various branches of the mukhabarat had not been idle during more than fifty years of prolonged dictatorship. To exercise their perverse talents, extract confessions from their victims, and above all intimidate the population, Baathist torturers could choose between the “doulab,” the “‘abd al-aswad,” and the “bisat al-rih.” It is difficult to rank these ordeals, but the second on the list was so perverse that Amnesty International described it in its 1984 Report in the following terms: “The victim, bound, is seated on a device which, when switched on, inserts a heated metal blade into the anus.”

On Friday, Iran had still not met American conditions for resuming negotiations with Washington, which is displaying cautious optimism about a possible breakthrough. Global stock markets were indeed trading in the green during the day, buoyed by hope sustained by the diplomatic pressure being exerted to reach a statement of intent that would serve as a basis for resuming Iranian-American talks. Pakistan's army chief, Asim Munir, is expected in Tehran for talks with senior officials, according to Iran's official news agency, IRNA. Reuters reported the presence of a Qatari delegation in Iran as part of a mission conducted in coordination with Washington, while the Axios website indicates that Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey are also involved in ongoing diplomatic efforts.

Amid a full-blown trade tariff war and commercial restrictions between Beijing and Washington, along with their confrontations over Taiwan and the South China Sea, Trump and Xi Jinping held their first meeting on October 30, 2025, at Busan airport in South Korea, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum summit. This meeting, made necessary by the urgent economic problems facing both countries, resulted in the conclusion of a one-year trade ceasefire between the two parties. The ceasefire involved an immediate reduction in US tariffs on Chinese goods, which had exceeded 100% in some cases. These tariffs were cut to an average of 47%. Additionally, President Trump suspended the blacklisting of subsidiaries in which 50% or more of shares belonged to sanctioned Chinese groups. He also pledged to lift restrictions on exports to China of microchips related to Artificial Intelligence.

The diplomatic maneuvering aimed at ending the war between the United States and Iran continues with the visit to Tehran of a new senior Pakistani official, mediator of the discussions. Between statements from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who claimed that "progress had been made," and those from Iran's Foreign Ministry, according to which "negotiations currently focus on ending the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon," a certain optimism seemed to be emerging after a series of explosive messages exchanged by both sides. But information published Thursday by the Reuters agency concerning Iranian nuclear matters, as well as a hardening of the Revolutionary Guards' position on the Strait of Hormuz, came to sweep away this diplomatic lull.

In the current conflict that will likely determine the fate of the Islamic Republic of Iran, it is more vital than ever to be transparent and speak plainly, without complacency or evasion: many senior political officials, experts, academics and journalists are misreading the true stakes of this existential crisis shaking the entire region and reverberating, in turn, on the international market. The gravest mistake now would be to fight the wrong battle. The adversary to be confronted today is by no means President Donald Trump, regardless of any grievances one might hold against him regarding his behavior, arrogant attitude, verbal outbursts or relations with leaders who are supposed to be his allies. Is it necessary to remind ourselves, to illustrate this point, that these same shortcomings were criticized in Winston Churchill during World War II, yet General de Gaulle, locked in full conflict with the Nazi regime, did not focus his entire struggle on his quarrels and disagreements with the former British Prime Minister?