Russian invasion of Ukraine
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 Feb 2022 was the result of folly by the political leaders involved. President Putin’s stated reason for it (which does not justify his actions) […]
» Read moreCategory: Conflicts
Democracy under attack
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market on Monday, 19 December 2016. Angela Merkel, in a televised broadcast, expressed concern that immigrants might be […]
» Read moreSyrian Peace Process
On 12 February, after talks in Munich, world powers agreed a “cessation of hostilities” in Syria to begin a week later. Much subsequent commentary is dismissive, for example the Telegraph’s […]
» Read moreCombating ISIS
French President Francois Hollande reportedly described the recent attacks in Paris as an “act of war” by the organisation calling itself Islamic State (ISIS) – which has claimed responsibility for […]
» Read moreJoining the so-called ‘Islamic State’ (IS or ISIS)
This week’s New Statesman has published an article by Mehdi Hasan, entitled How Islamic is the Islamic State? He argues that religion is not what persuades people to join IS […]
» Read moreWhat drives ISIS?
In an article entitled Iraq Illusions, published in The New York Review of Books, Jessica Mathews describes the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) as “only one of an […]
» Read moreResisting Islamic Extremism
Prospect magazine has just published a thought-provoking article entitled Do not give Isis what it wants, drawing attention to the dangers of the West being drawn into another war. Experience […]
» Read moreEgypt Removes President Morsi
As the Economist noted, in its leading article of 5 July 2013, the removal of Egypt’s president Morsi “sends a dreadful message to Islamists everywhere”. Islamists will conclude that democracy […]
» Read moreUnresolved issues in use of drones
In Thursday’s address at National Defense University in Washington DC, President Obama defended the use of drones. Whilst announcing some welcome restrictions on their use, particularly in banning the use […]
» Read moreIdentity Politics
Having been recently reminded of a debate between Kenan Malik and Amartya Sen, which was published in Prospect magazine in April 2006, it is worth examining the points they made […]
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