The Yemen choice
The Middle East imbroglio demonstrates the complexity of the post-9/11 world in which Obama’s foreign policy has managed to upset America’s traditional Arab allies while strengthening the position of its…
Iran will need to spend most of any post-sanctions windfall at home
Iranians will demand their government spend a windfall from the lifting of economic sanctions on improving the quality of life at home, limiting the degree to which a future nuclear…
Unity against Iran?
US Secretary of State John Kerry flew to Switzerland on Sunday to meet with his Iranian counterpart, Javad Zarif, to work out details of a prospective deal on Iran's nuclear…
Viewpoint: A tale of unintended consequences
As reported by CNN, Iraqi TV is airing a popular black comedy these days parodying life under the so-called Islamic State (IS) rule. Among several characters portraying IS' tyrannical rule…
Arc of inevitability
Iraq is up for grabs, Syria has irretrievably been damaged, the West Bank sits on a powder keg. And that’s just the regions where some of the worst-case scenarios have…
Viewpoint: Blair’s ‘essential battle’
Tony Blair delivered a keynote speech last week at Bloomberg London on "Middle East Matters", arguing for continuation of interventionist policy in the Middle East and beyond to thwart the…
Obama’s Asia ‘pivot’
What did President Barack Obama’s four-country tour of Asia signify? Was it a ‘reassurance’ visit to calm the anxieties of allies about America’s commitment to the region? An effort to…
Test of diplomacy ahead
How will relations between Pakistan and India shape up after the Indian elections? Will the election outcome help to accelerate or slow down the normalisation of ties between the two…
Righting the left
Where is the left in the crucial Indian elections and what role is it hoping to play when the hurly-burly is done with? People say the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)…
View point: Saudi annoyance with UN
Something unprecedented happened at the UN last week. Within 24 hours of winning a non-permanent member seat on the UN Security Council, Saudi Arabia announced its resignation. The country had…
