Syria is emerging from a nightmare
Gradually, and then suddenly, the regime of Bashar al-Assad has collapsed. This century’s most evil tyrant has fled Syria, and…
What the ‘experts’ got wrong about Syria
Provincial capitals falling before an unexpected advance. Military units allegedly defecting, deserting or switching sides. Talk of a coup in…
Could Ukraine go nuclear?
Should Ukraine have nuclear weapons? This is a question that was raised, a little insincerely, by President Zelensky recently as he…
Why was Europe not ready for Trump?
Donald Trump has won his third presidential election and across Europe heads are exploding. This should not be the case.…
MI5 must stop Russia
The semi-regular speeches given by the heads of Britain’s intelligence services are always described as a ‘rare intervention’, and yesterday…
Sudan’s dreams of democracy appear to be over
Fighting is raging once again in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, where a power struggle between rival factions has claimed…
Netanyahu’s war on lawyers has thrown Israel into turmoil
Chaos reigns in Israel, a country in the throes of an ad hoc general strike called by trade unions, university…
Is Taiwan’s support really ebbing away?
Taiwan has lost another friend. Or at least it soon will, according to the president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro. She…
Saudi Arabia must not bring Syria’s Assad in from the cold
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has said the quiet part out loud when it comes to his country’s attitude towards Syria. Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud told…
The charm of Volodymyr Zelensky
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is in Britain for a surprise visit. ‘Freedom will win – we know Russia will lose,’ he…
Syria might never recover from the devastation of this earthquake
Natural disaster always worst affects those who have already lost so much. And so it is in Turkey and Syria,…
Is Isis to blame for the Pakistan mosque bombing?
The Islamic State may have been driven out of its capitals in Iraq’s Mosul and Syria’s Raqqa but that doesn’t…
A Third Intifada looms in Israel
Peace has never seemed further away for Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. Several dreadful incidents recently have made that…
Germany – and Nato – should be ashamed of its grudging support for Ukraine
At long, long last, it might seem that things are coming to a head. After a year of phony excuses,…
Ukraine is paying a heavy price for Nato’s dithering
It is winter in Ukraine. The ground is frozen and hard. Groups of soldiers on both sides struggle in the…
Germany has no excuse for not sending tanks to Ukraine
When a man is in a hole, he is best advised to stop digging. When a German chancellor is in…
Is Germany’s defence minister up to the job?
After yesterday’s abrupt and humiliating departure of Germany’s defence minister, Christine Lambrecht, beleaguered chancellor Olaf Scholz has today appointed her…
Germany’s missteps in Ukraine have left Scholz fighting for his political life
Difficult though it may be to believe, there is chaos at the top of the German government over its mishandling…
Is this the real reason Russia is trying to seize Bakhmut from Ukraine?
Bakhmut is not of immense strategic importance. It’s a backwater, empty of almost all civilian life, and largely in ruins.…
America’s flip flopping has exacerbated Venezuela’s tragedy
Amid New Year celebrations, and a tide of high-profile obituaries, you might have missed something small and far away, but…
Japan’s rearmament could be a force for good
Shinzo Abe, Japan’s murdered former prime minister, would this week be especially proud of his country. At long last, and…
Can the EU recover from the Qatar corruption scandal?
Four people associated with the European parliament have been arrested in what seems to be the beginning of a major…
Iran steps up the war against its people
Iran has announced the first execution of the current crop of protestors. Mohsen Shekari, who was just 23, was hanged earlier…
Why Germany’s far-right coup was doomed from the start
Twenty-five people have been arrested by German authorities on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government. A failed coup attempt…
China’s protests and the dark lesson of Hong Kong
It is easy to imagine that a dam might be bursting in China. There have been spontaneous street protests across…
