Analysis

It may be seven years late and $160 billion over budget, but the F-35 fighter – the most expensive piece of fighting equipment in history – may finally make its official debut this summer.  After completing training exercises, the version of the jet designed for the US Marines appears likely …

Darya Lyubinskaya RBTH presents a selection of views from leading Russian media on international events, featuring reports on a setback for the future of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline, the continuing uncertainty over the signing of a nuclear deal with Iran, and the implications of the FIFA corruption …

By The Globalist Today, Muhammadu Buhari became the country’s new president. The former General has dutifully pledged to crack down on corruption and inefficiencies as a top priority. His ability and determination to follow through on this pledge will matter greatly to the people of Africa’s most populous nation. …

By Maria Dubovikova Russia’s recently declared decision to lift the embargo on S-300 deliveries to Iran has a particular meaning and puts Moscow in the face of hard decisions to be made. The term “S-300” – referring to long-range surface-to-air missile systems that have been in service since …

By Raghida Dirgham There have been many recent surprises in the Arab world, mainly heading towards the direction of a developing U.S.-Iranian relationship that goes beyond mere appeasement. This is while the U.S.-Israeli relationship remains a quintessential alliance and while the U.S.-Arab relationship continues with various brandings across …

By Christiane Hoffmann Der Spiegel In an interview with SPIEGEL, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif discusses his optimism that a deal will be reached over Tehran’s nuclear program. But he warns this does not mean the country is seeking rapprochment with the West. Mohammad Javad Zarif, 55, …

Jay Johnson DOJ and FBI arrested members of FIFA in Switzerland on bribery charges. However, pundits are asking who gave them such powers? And why haven’t any bankers involved in the 2008 crisis been arrested yet? And will Hillary Clinton return the money that FIFA donated to the …

The momentum towards the beginning of the Egypt-led coalition operations in Libya are gaining steam: Two weeks and counting down according to some Arab officials with the launch of full-blown air sorties and special operations to enhance General Khalifa Haftar’s Operation Dignity.  Significantly, in eight months of fighting, …

What kind of role will Russia play in the region after NATO troops have left, and to what extent does the Soviet invasion of the 1980s still shape local attitudes? True to the ‘X factor’ of Afghanistan’s nebulous, twisting history, it took a relic of the Soviet fishing …