Kazakhstan’s veteran leader Nursultan Nazarbayev celebrates his 75th birthday on Monday, in good shape and vastly popular, but the expected fireworks and fanfare mask uncomfortable questions about the future of the second-largest post-Soviet economy. Nicknamed “Papa” and officially titled “Leader of the Nation,” he extended his 26-year reign in April by another five years, “apologising” to his critics for cornering 97.7 …

Economic integration will dominate the agenda at the BRICS summit, where the New Development Bank will hold its inaugural meeting. Expansion of SCO to include India and Pakistan is most likely on the cards. India looks to increase its economic and strategic multilateral cooperation with Russia at the …

Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Minister of Defense Prince Mohamed ben Salman met Russia’s President Vladimir Putin for two hours June 18 in what could be a turning point in the ties between the two countries. Bilateral and regional issues, particularly Syria and oil prices, were discussed in …

There is an ongoing debate in the US administration to determine if Iraq and Syria are indeed heading to total, unavoidable, and possibly permanent, fragmentation. Some officials cling to the prospects of preserving Iraqi unity while they grade the Syrian situation as yet “undecided”. However, realities on the …

It is not clear yet how prudent were the public statements coming from Amman to indicate that Jordan is determined to confront ISIL beyond its borders. King Abdullah pointed to his country’s willingness to support Arab Sunni tribes in east Syria and west Iraq to fight ISIL. “The …

The main problem with a recently published “proposed strategy” for Syria, recommending the establishment of safe zones, is that it seems to give Syrian opposition areas the name of “safe zone” without changing the actual status quo. The proposed strategy circles back to the same questions of sending …

Whatever it is, the show is on, and we have still some time before we hear “That is all, folks”. According to eyewitnesses in Gaziantep, the small but key town on Turkish-Syria borders, Erdogan already sent 35 tanks to the border region. What is discussed in Ankara is …

Events on the ground in Iraq, Syria and Yemen are gradually pushing Saudi-Iranian relations towards further escalation. Iran’s Brigadier General Qolamreza Jalali, Commander of Iran’s Passive Defense Organization (one of the domestic security agencies) said June 27 that Saudi threats to the Islamic Republic are increasing and finding …

The voice of the Emir of Kuwait in his comments after bombing a Shia mosque June 26 should echo all over the Middle East. “We do not have Sunnis and Shias. We have only Kuwaitis”, the Emir said in a warning to all who incite religious hatred in …