OPINION

Egyptian expert says Russia is ‘excellent candidate’ to mediate in crisis around Qatar CAIRO, July 31. /TASS/. Doha’s crisis with Arab states was imposed on the Arab states from outside. It is dangerous not only because of a possible military confrontation of Arab states with Iran, but also …

The leading oil producer within OPEC, Saudi Arabia, seems to be suffering from low oil prices and instability within the country. RIA Novosti political observer Igor Gashkov analyzed how the country, in fact, might ruin itself from within, and what external factors might play a certain role. Saudi …

America’s plan to divide and conquer Iraq continues to backfire spectacularly as Iraq’s Defence Minister arrives in Tehran to sign a memorandum for future military cooperation. By Adam Garrie / The Duran / Ever since Iraq restored a measure of self-government after the illegal 2003 invasion and occupation …

Iraq is embracing Iran, Russia and Syria while actively distancing itself from the US and its multiple bases in the country. Iraq’s Vice President Nouri al-Maliki is in Moscow where he openly declared that he seeks a military and political alliance with the Russian Federation. After talks with …

Friday’s announcement that the CIA’s covert program to arm and back Syrian rebels is being shut down amounts to an official declaration that the US administration has abandoned both the political and armed wings of the Syrian opposition. That effectively means handing Syria, or most of it, to …

President Trump has certified for the second time that Iran is in compliance with the 2015 nuclear accord that limits its nuclear program. But the leaks and background briefings surrounding his statement, followed by new sanctions announced Tuesday, sent unmistakable signals: The decision was taken grudgingly, Trump is increasingly unhappy with Iranand the deal, and …

The bridge, upon which a lot of history has passed, still stands. Renovated, but with some of the original paving slabs that once echoed the hobnailed boots of Japan’s Imperial army. It was on this bridge that an incident took place, 80 years ago, that some historians now …

Prospects of the Western Balkans joining the European Union any time soon are fading. The sense of pessimism around the region is growing pervasive. The future of the small region is thrown into yet more doubt by the high degree of “enlargement fatigue” that has gripped EU citizens. …

It may be pure coincidence that the recapture of Mosul by Iraqi forces was accomplished on the anniversary of the defeat of Israel’s July 2006 assault on Lebanon. But there is a clear link between these two achievements: they underline the regional ascendancy of Iran and its allies, …