Murdering minorities
In a bold and defiant recent book, This Land Is Our Land: An Immigrant’s Manifesto (2019), Suketu Mehta has written a deeply erudite defence of global migrants and refugees who…
Talking Turkey
WHEN the UAE-Israel deal was announced, the two Middle Eastern countries that most vociferously condemned it were Turkey and Iran. While Iran’s position is consistent with its policies, and informed by the…
Fait accompli
SAY there’s this couple who have been dating each other for years, but who have always denied any such relationship despite the fact that they’re always seen in cosy corners,…
Pakistan and the Afghan peace process
On December 2, the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban announced that they had made a breakthrough in the Intra-Afghan Dialogue. The two parties have concluded a written agreement that…
China syndrome
IN 2011, the term ‘Asian Pivot’ first entered the American political lexicon. This was the name given to the US plan to refocus on ties with East Asian states and…
Mattis in Asia, fixing Trump-rattled relationships one by one
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis spent four days in East Asia trying to keep on the rails key relationships - two friendly, one adversarial - that his boss President Donald…
A loose cannon supreme leader
Hell hath no fury like Nawaz Sharif ousted from power. Disqualified in a Panama Papers scandal related case and facing corruption references in a NAB accountability court, he has been…
Iran’s Guards seen economic winner from tougher Trump stance
Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a military force with political clout and an industrial empire, stands to benefit from heightened tension between Washington and Tehran, officials and analysts said.…
Reviving the peace talks
Following an informal meeting between the Taliban’s Qatar office representatives and the US chief negotiator Zalmay Kahlilzad in Islamabad, both sides have shown willingness to revive the stalled peace talks.…
UAE scales down military presence in Yemen as Gulf tensions flare
The United Arab Emirates, a key member of the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen, is scaling back its military presence there as worsening US-Iran tensions threaten security closer to home,…
