Iraq
Isis’s weakness is now its strength
As coronavirus swept the globe a year ago, Isis began issuing pronouncements. ‘God, by his will, sent a punishment to…
Why are Covid conspiracies so appealing?
The recent decision by a several European countries to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine will have thrown petrol…
The British army in the 21st century under scrutiny
In his history of the Pacific War, Eagle Against the Sun, Ronald Spector described the state of the US army…
We shouldn’t forget the horrific crimes of Isis returnees
Summer 2015. A five-year-old girl is chained up and left outside in the desert sun in Fallujah, Iraq – a…
The twisted logic of Shamima Begum's defenders
Shamima Begum is back in the news. Firstly because she’s had a makeover. She can be seen on the front…
What the Pope's visit means for Iraq
You could be forgiven for taking a cynical view of Pope Francis’s visit to Iraq this weekend. How could the…
Iran’s missile diplomacy
It’s a time for delivering messages in the Middle East, where messages rarely come without their near constant attendant: violence.…
Why the US assassination of Iran’s top general didn’t spark a war
Why the US assassination of Iran’s top general didn’t spark a war
Letters: We must sing again
Growing pains Sir: James Forsyth (‘Rewiring the state’, 4 July) shocked this loyal Spectator reader with the following: ‘Even before…
Letters: Why Hugh Dowding deserves a statue
Police relations Sir: As a former Met Police officer, with a similar background to Kevin Hurley, I was surprised how…
What is the US Navy doing in the Persian Gulf?
American alliances and security commitments tend to live on long after the world has changed. Many of our far flung…
Will coronavirus lead to a US war with Iran?
In a roundabout way, coronavirus may have been responsible for the deaths of two American service personnel and a British…
The Shia Krays: the whole of Iraq is being held to ransom
The whole of Iraq is being held to ransom
As prisons minister, I saw how bad things really are on the inside
What I saw as prisons minister
Philip Pullman is right about the Oxford comma
It was with regret that I read that Albert, retired King of the Belgians, has finally had to admit, following…
So much for de-escalation
‘We are not looking to start a war with Iran,’ said defense secretary Mark Esper today. ‘We are looking to…
Ten handy phrases for bluffing your way through the coming Iran crisis
That gathering drumbeat you hear could be the sound of World War III, or it could be 10,000 journalists still…
What could go wrong for Donald Trump in 2020?
What are the four things that can go blooey for President Trump in the next year? First, he can get…
The surrealism of war against Isis
The campaign against Isis was pretty big news for most of 2016. But by the time the final showdown got…
Vice vs vice: Cheney barbecues Pence in Georgia
It was no cakewalk for Vice President Mike Pence. He had showed up in Sea Island, Ga., reckoning that he…
Britain and its allies are opening the way for yet another Iraq war
After the most intensive street-by-street combat since 1945, Isis’s so-called caliphate is no more. Last weekend, the Iraqi government won…
The Kurds are on their own
The routing of Isis in northern Iraq ought to be a time of international celebration, but as ever in the…
Don’t forget the Yazidis
As the floodwaters subsided, the Ark drifted across northern Iraq. Finally, with a crunching jolt, it hit dry land. Its…
Hope in Mosul
For the title of world’s most benighted city, Mosul takes some beating. Liberated from Saddam Hussein by US forces in…
The myth of the plucky Kurdish warrior
Western powers’ favourite allies in Iraq and Syria have problems – and divisions – of their own
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