Making sense of Syria
The declining US influence in the Middle East has prompted the Trump administration to militarily intervene in the festering Syrian civil war. After the chemical attack in the Syrian town…
The race for the Arctic
The “race” is on. The Arctic is open for business. Thus runs the decade-old narrative on the Arctic, depicting it as a new open frontier replete with riches up for…
No military solution
Let’s start with what we don’t know. Experts remain uncertain what chemical(s) were involved in the horrific chemical attack, almost certainly from the air, on the village of Khan Sheikhun…
The language of war
The tragic war that has torn Syria apart over the last five years has created enormous suffering in modern times. Not enough has been said about the war by the…
A bee in Trump’s bonnet
The recent visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to the US – the first after the change of guards in Washington – concluded without a joint statement or a press…
On Yevtushenko
When Yevgeny Yevtushenko was buried this month – on April 11 – at a cemetery in Peredelkino, Moscow, his grave was not far from Boris Pasternak’s. Peredelkino is a Soviet-era…
Prospects for connectivity
China is going to host a two-day belt and road conference in Beijing on May 14 and May 15, which will be attended nearly by 30 heads of state, heads…
Where the national interest lies
The history of mankind is replete with instances where nations have justified their atrocities, plundering and ruthless exploitation in the name of the national interest. The national interest is presented…
On nuclear non-use
The US, along with eight other nuclear-armed states, remains unable to reduce reliance on threats to use nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, continued dependence on ‘nuclear blackmail’ or fuzzy concepts like ‘deterrence’…
A story of deceit
On July 28, 2002, the British Prime Minister Tony Blair wrote a memorandum to American President George W Bush about Iraq. “I will be with you, whatever,” Blair wrote with…
