Trump unchecked
Trump’s unchecked power is uniquely harmful because of his narcissism and emotional instability, and he is gradually removing the remaining limits on his authority Some earlier blog posts on this […]
» Read moreCategory: Middle East
Conflict in Gaza
Amid the blaze of publicity around the conflict in Gaza it is worth examining the context in which this is taking place A surprise attack by Hamas on 7 October […]
» Read moreSymbolic air-strike in Syria
Donald Trump has acted swiftly in response to Assad’s recent use of chemical weapons in Syria, by bombing the airfield from which the attacks had been launched. A failure to […]
» 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 moreTime for realism in Syria
William Hague’s thoughtful article in Tuesday’s Telegraph (13 Oct 2015) is based on the mistaken assumption that a Western military intervention in Syria could be helpful. When you have a […]
» Read moreHopes for a UN relaunch in Syria
Yesterday President Obama made a speech to the UN in which he endorsed the aims of the organisation and offered his support to it as the best hope for achieving […]
» Read moreBeing provoked into intervention
Lord Richards, a former chief of Britain’s defence staff, is reported as opining that “David Cameron lacked the “balls” to take the military action in Syria that could have prevented […]
» Read moreThe Iran deal is the safest option
Today’s Iran deal, which is designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons in exchange for a lifting of sanctions, is the safest way forward for the Middle East – […]
» 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 […]
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