News from Syria that the ancient town has been taken back from Islamic State is good news – but especially for Putin and Assad.
- Professor of Peace Studies, University of Bradford
Twelve years after George W Bush proclaimed a new era of peace and stability in Iraq, the Middle East is more unstable and dangerous than ever before.
The true scale of the war against IS has gone largely unremarked on – until now.
The US president admits he has no ‘complete strategy’ for Islamic State. He’ll need one – this lot are no pushover.
With the war in Iraq and Syria going nowhere, the US has tried to spin a botched attempt to capture an IS leader as a success.
Labour leader didn’t bash Cameron as hard as predicted on Libya.
Saudi Arabia’s campaign in Yemen has had unclear strategic consequences and a terrible humanitarian cost. But does anyone believe it’s really over?
The joint Arab assault on Yemen is so massive, planning must have been underway for a very long time.
As the Iraqi’s banner assault on Islamic State sputtered, the US stepped in to help – and a third of the ground troops promptly went home.
Iraq rolled into Tikrit with big promises of a major victory against Islamic State. The world is still waiting.
Iraq’s army is launching its biggest attempt yet to reclaim territory from Islamic State. But they can’t do it alone.
The world’s largest non-nuclear bomb, and easily the most powerful “earthquake bomb” ever built, has now been tested and can be delivered by the B-2 stealth bomber. While the Massive Ordnance Penetrator…
The execution of the Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh by Islamic State was both horrific and barbarous – and part of a well-calculated strategy. By killing this young man in this manner, and with maximum…
Events in Yemen are moving fast: the US-backed president, Abd Rabbuh Manṣūr Hadi, has been deposed by Shia rebels, after a “slow coup” that saw the Iran-backed Houthi militia take effective control of…
The brutal attack on the staff of Charlie Hebdo has rightly led to powerful calls to protect freedom of expression, with large demonstrations of support in Paris and other French cities, complemented by…
The controversy over the CIA torture report has moved on to calls for the UK government to be open about its own involvement. The arguments have also been widened to include other elements of CIA activities…
As she seeks to push through tough new terrorism legislation, Home Secretary Theresa May has reported an increased danger of terror attacks in the UK. But May’s claim that 40 terrorist plots have been…
The seven-week Gaza War ended inconclusively on August 26. Israel declared victory saying that Hamas was seriously weakened and had achieved none of its aims whereas Hamas claimed to have repelled Israel…
The United States has commenced major air operations against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria. Aircraft from bases in the Gulf, supported by air-to-air refuelling, struck a substantial range of targets…
President Obama’s address, on the eve of the 9/11 anniversary, was uncompromising, the United States will “degrade and ultimately destroy” the Islamic State (IS) with “a comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism…
Islamic State’s brutal killing of Steven Sotloff, coming on the heels of James Foley’s execution, is intended to shock and appal. It has done just that. But any response to the executions must recognise…
With a tenuous five-day ceasefire now underway, the pause in the Gaza War allows each side to consider its position. The Israeli Embassy in London reported on August 11 that: All known tunnels, 32 in total…
One of the defining moments in the growth of the Islamic State (IS) was when its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, announced in a mosque in Mosul at the end of June that an Islamic Caliphate was being established…
The US major-general killed in an insider attack at a military academy near Kabul is the highest-ranked US casualty since 9/11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Another 15 officers were wounded, including…
After a month of fighting in Iraq, the ISIS insurgency has made considerable progress, even if there is now something of a stalemate as Shi’a militias organise themselves and the weak Iraqi Army gets a…
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