Being provoked into intervention
Lord Richards, a former chief of Britain’s defence staff, is reported as opining that “David Cameron lacked the “balls” to take the military action in Syria that could have prevented […]
» Read moreCategory: Conflicts
The Iran deal is the safest option
Today’s Iran deal, which is designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons in exchange for a lifting of sanctions, is the safest way forward for the Middle East – […]
» Read moreJoining the so-called ‘Islamic State’ (IS or ISIS)
This week’s New Statesman has published an article by Mehdi Hasan, entitled How Islamic is the Islamic State? He argues that religion is not what persuades people to join IS […]
» Read moreUkrainian Narratives
The recent talks in Minsk were reported in the West in terms of a conflict with Russia – as in this week’s Economist leading article, entitled “Putin’s war on the […]
» Read moreWhat drives ISIS?
In an article entitled Iraq Illusions, published in The New York Review of Books, Jessica Mathews describes the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) as “only one of an […]
» Read moreResisting Islamic Extremism
Prospect magazine has just published a thought-provoking article entitled Do not give Isis what it wants, drawing attention to the dangers of the West being drawn into another war. Experience […]
» Read moreUkraine after Crimean Separation
The West has mishandled its relationships with Ukraine and with Russia. President Putin’s annexation of Crimea now looks irreversible – despite the West’s protests. The West appears impotent, whilst President […]
» Read moreThe Future of Ukraine
Introduction It isn’t easy to see how Ukraine’s future can now be determined by its people. By rejecting a negotiated peace-plan, the protesters in Maidan Square have inadvertently (but predictably) […]
» Read moreIntervention in Syria is a Bad Idea
In response to contributors to Prospect Magazine who still advocate intervention in Syria on “moral” grounds, Hugh Winter submitted this comment: President Obama’s concept of a ‘surgical strike’ against Syria […]
» Read moreAmerican moral authority
The Economist asserted that “Meeting Mr Assad’s atrocities with appropriate force will help to rebuild American moral authority in the world” (Leading Article, 7 Sept: Fight this war, not the […]
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