Geopolitics

GHAZANFAR ALI KHAN Key regional issues including the continuing Yemen crisis figured prominently during talks between Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi here on Saturday. “The visit of El-Sissi, lasting less than two hours, focused on the restive regional scene, …

HUNTER WALKER AND ANDY KIERSZ Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) isn’t just surging in the polls. Gamblers are also increasingly putting their money on him to win the 2016 presidential race. Business Insider got updated odds on the election from Paddy Power, Ireland’s largest bookmaker, on Tuesday. As she was …

By HELENE COOPER The Obama administration is scrambling for reassurances it can present this month at a Camp David summit meeting to persuade Arab allies that the United States has their backs, despite a pending nuclear deal with Iran. Officials at the White House, the Pentagon and the …

By Pepe Escobar Whatever happens with the nuclear negotiations this summer, and as much as Tehran wants cooperation and not confrontation, Iran is bound to remain — alongside Russia — a key US geostrategic target. As much as US President Barack Obama tried to dismiss it, the Russian sale of the …

Farzin Nadimi To prevent recent airline and shipping incidents from escalating into a wider military confrontation with Iran, all sides will need to exercise great caution in the Persian Gulf and the skies over Yemen. On April 28, Saudi-led coalition aircraft bombed runways at Yemen’s al-Rahaba Airport to …

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has agreed on a concerted effort against terrorism by blacklisting terrorist organizations and individuals, while hailing Saudi Arabia’s efforts in tackling the menace. The decision was taken at the 16th consultative meeting of GCC interior ministers in Doha on Wednesday. Qatari Prime Minister …

By Daniel Depetris Hundreds of air strikes later, Hadi remains in Riyadh and the Houthis remain near Aden. Riyadh needs a new approach. After nearly four weeks of consistent aerial bombardment against Houthi military positions across Yemen, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia — with full backing from its colleagues …

Aimal Faizi Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is due to begin his first state visit to New Delhi this Monday. Almost seven months after becoming president, the three-day visit is a chance for Ghani to win hearts and minds in New Delhi. Over the last few months, Kabul has sent confusing …

James Denselow As we peer through the fog of war into the heart of the Middle East we see ISIL on the back foot in Iraq and on the front foot in Syria. This month, the loss of Tikrit and simultaneous gains in the heart of Damascus highlighted …