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 …
Read More »Mercury or Mars?
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 …
Read More »Five challenges to UK foreign policy
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 …
Read More »‘Gulf Arab leaders to meet next week ahead of Obama summit’
Gulf Arab leaders will meet in Saudi Arabia next week to prepare for a May summit with US President Barack Obama, Kuwait’s foreign minister was quoted as saying, with the summit expected to touch on Iran’s nuclear programme and developments in Yemen. The White House said earlier this …
Read More »Will Russia’s S-300 Missile Defense Systems Really Empower Iran?
By Matthew Bodner Moscow’s decision to lift its unilateral ban on exporting advanced S-300 air defense system to Iran will boost the Islamic republic’s air defense capabilities, but their military impact depends on the outcome of ongoing negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program. The air defense systems, built by Russia’s largest defense contractor Almaz-Antey, are some of the most …
Read More »Kurdistan: A U.S Ally in Waiting
By Shahla Al Kli The Kurdistan region of Iraq is an island of stability in a sea of regional conflict. Since the 1990s, the Kurds have worked to establish a free and a functioning society. It is a model for successful political engagement by the United States in the …
Read More »Khorasan Group Allegedly Weakened by US-led Coalition Never Existed
A source in Syria told Sputnik that the Khorasan group, an al-Qaeda branch, that was allegedly weakened in September during US-led airstrikes in Syria against ISIL militant group and their allies, had never existed. The Khorasan group, an al-Qaeda branch, that was allegedly weakened in September during US-led airstrikes in Syria …
Read More »Islamic State theoreticians have honed battle and state plans
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. …
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