IS
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…
Dark night of the soul
As bombs fall everywhere in Syria and IS fighters destroy Palmyra, a musicologist in Vienna lies awake all night thinking…
What do all these evil maniacs have in common?
More bad publicity for the Islamic State’s ‘Kafir Tiny Tots and Babycare Service’. A burka-clad madwoman wandering through the streets…
Ancient and Modern: The mercenaries of IS and ancient Greece
Last week we read that Isis was crumbling, but still a force to be reckoned with. That is true, but…
It is time to join the fight against IS in Syria
The Islamic State is as monstrous an enemy as we have seen in recent history. It crucifies and decapitates its…
What Muslims think
Polls suggesting that they sympathise with terrorists are misleading
As the Hindenburg burned, you could hear radio news being born
It’s really hard to imagine now a world before 24-hour news, continually and constantly accessible in a never-ending stream of…
A state of terror: Islamic State longs to be left alone to establish its blood-stained utopia
The Sykes-Picot agreement will be 100 years old next year, but there will be no congratulatory telegrams winging their way…
Portrait of the week: Cameron visits UN HQ, Scotland checks its bruises, and a Swede sells his submarine
Home David Cameron, the Prime Minister, visited New York for talks at the United Nations; he said Britain supported the…
If we won’t talk to John Cantlie’s captors, then why not have Qataris to do it for us?
It is a horrible thing to say, but I suspect that sooner or later we will begin to get irritated…
Is forgiveness a weapon in the war on terror?
Could you ever torture someone? Could you, under different circumstances, in a different world (I hope) than the one which…
What Romans would have made of Obama's Syria strategy
President Obama was assailed for saying that the USA had no strategy on combating Isis. Vegetius (late 4th century AD), the…
The brutal truth? Britain lacks the reach to bring any ISIS killer to justice
Politicians’ promises to bring those who murder British hostages to justice almost never come true
