Geopolitics

By ANDREW LEVINE Stereotypes are on full display in the diplomacy around Syria: Arabs and Turks seem duplicitous and cruel; the Brits are supercilious junior partners; the French don’t do much except strike out on their own with aplomb; the Chinese are inscrutable; and the Russians play the …

Russia’s military involvement in Syria is undeniably a game-changer in the Middle East, US geopolitical analyst Eric Draitser told Sputnik, adding that Washington will definitely try to restore its shrinking positions in the region at all costs.  It is naïve to believe that Washington will eat its humble pie …

By Alexander Golts We are witnessing the birth of Russia’s new diplomatic strategy — namely, if Moscow cannot offer anything constructive to the international dialogue, it must create new problems in order to remain relevant. It was clear from the start that President Vladimir Putin could not offer anything positive that would serve as the basis …

Ahead of the scheduled bilateral meeting between the presidents of Russia and the US, former British ambassador to Russia Tony Brenton has opined that the Western policy, in fact, “does seem to be moving the way Putin wants”, at least with respect to two key areas of discord …

Opposition groups are currently debating the principles included by a group of Syrian politicians in exile in their initiative published under the title: A Syrian-Syrian Dialogue. The initiative aims at placing the momentum around the crisis in its current phase within a context that preserves the integrity of …

In July, a Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) analyst, assigned to the US Central Command, filed a complaint with the Pentagon’s Inspector General, John T. Rymer, charging that he was put under pressure to modify intelligence assessments of the ongoing war against the Islamic State (ISIL), to present a …

Dr Saleh Al-Naami Although no one knows the nature of the Jordanian response to the “assurances” made by the Israeli government to King Abdullah II on Thursday, and the renewal of its commitment to refrain from changing the status quo in Al-Aqsa, merely expressing such assurances reflects Israel’s …

By Bruce Riedel Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners are preparing for a major offensive to take Yemen’s capital from the Zaydi Houthi rebels this fall. If the battle becomes a house-to-house urban clash, it will have disastrous humanitarian consequences. If a cease-fire is not arranged, the battle …

By James Dorsey Gleaming glass skyscrapers, state-of-the-art technology, and wealthy merchant families have replaced the Gulf’s muddy towns and villages populated by traders and pearl fishers that once lacked electricity, running water or modern communications. The region’s modern day projection of a visionary cutting- edge, 21st century urban …