Military & Security

BY WADING into the war in Yemen, Saudi Arabia may well have made matters worse. Tension with its regional rival, Iran, has deepened. Saudi aircraft are said to have killed up to 400 civilians and destroyed scores of buildings. So most Yemenis—and Arabs across the region—sighed with relief …

By Maria Dubovikova Russia has no allies. President Vladimir Putin acknowledged that his country’s size frightens its neighbors, and repeated the famous saying of Emperor Alexander III that Russia has only two allies: its army and navy. The current international crisis started with the Ukrainian conflict, which has …

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud on Wednesday appointed his nephew, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, as the new crown prince. A royal decree aired on state TV announced that Mohammed bin Nayef, who is also the kingdom’s interior minister, and is widely known internationally as Saudi …

France takes exception to the words of German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble. By Stephan Richter Anybody who thought that we live in the early stages of the 21st century – and not in the middle of the 19th – must be sorely disappointed about the latest round of …

By Stephen F. Szabo What separates Germany and the United States? Germany and The United States are Mercury and Mars. Germany is Mercury, the Roman god of commerce and the United States, Mars, the god of war. Germany has emerged over the past decade as the big winner …

By Robin Niblett Director, Chatham House Ed Miliband’s foray into the topic last Friday in a speech at Chatham House was lost amid an acrimonious dispute over who should bear responsibility for the rising death toll of migrants crossing the Mediterranean. In fact, the next British government will …

The anti-Russian policies of the Baltic countries have allowed deployment of 1,000 troops from the 3rd US infantry division in the territories of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The United States and its allies in the West are waging the first phase of hybrid warfare against Russia, the commander …

BY Alexander Yakovenko Russian Ambassador to the UK Alexander Yakovenko speaks out on the West-Russia relations. The Ukraine crisis triggered a broader crisis in the West-Russia relationship. What are the stakes and the bets today? First, the declared objective of the EU’s Ukraine policy is to have it firmly …

BY Sir Tony Brenton With last month marking the first anniversary of the Russian annexation of Crimea, it seems a fitting time to assess the situation, says former UK ambassador to Russia Sir Tony Brenton. Despite odd renewed outbursts of fighting, the acute phase of the Ukraine crisis may …