OPINION

BY MICHELLE WITTE President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, who was announced the winner of the country’s presidential election early morning on April 27, expressed his “grand satisfaction” at the country’s record-breaking voter turnout and said it was important to him to get a fresh mandate from the people …

When the P5+1 and Iran announced their framework agreement earlier this month, some analysts reiterated that a final deal would result in a proliferation cascade in the Middle East. This widely held and long-standing assumption remains largely unchallenged. But a careful look at the actual technical capability, political …

Data centre space in the UAE and Saudi Arabia have increased by 60 per cent since 2012, stated a report from Tariff Consultancy Ltd (TCL). The report was made after a study was conducted across all six GCC countries, Israel and Jordan. Along with Israel, the UAE and …

The enigmatic chief of Islamic State jihadist group Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead, Radio Iran has reported on Monday. Earlier, a Guardian report quoting sources with inside knowledge of the group reported that al-Baghdadi was severely injured in a US-led coalition air strike in March. According to that …

The last 11 months have been an unlikely journey for oil, with its widely unanticipated price dive, Saudi Arabia’s uncharacteristic refusal to stem the bloodletting, and financial havoc for petro-powers and energy companies.  But as improbable as the journey has been, it is not over. A number of …

Foreign terrorist fighters joining the ranks of Islamic State and other militias in the Middle East are a growing threat to many countries, inside and outside the EU. On this backdrop, the EU Commission is launching a new program to help partner countries to counter radicalization in the …

What is Islamic State’s (IS) political program? What is its ideology? Who are its theoreticians? The answers to these questions can be found in its propaganda. IS has transformed from an ultra-minority party into one of the major political actors in the Middle East within a few months. …

The latest ASEAN summit has not thrown up any significant sign of an early resolution to the South China Sea disputes. As leaders pursue the necessary path of diplomacy, more decisive actions may be needed, including a change of name to the “Southeast Asia Sea”. ASEAN leaders held …

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood is rising again under young new leaders despite the sentencing of former president Mohamed Mursi and the widespread jailing of its members, one of its senior figures has said. Mursi was sentenced to 20 years in prison without parole last week on charges arising from …