TOPICS

PATRICK COCKBURN The map issued by the Pentagon to prove that Isis had lost territory shows how false optimism dominates the actions of the outside powers towards the Middle East.  A graphic illustration of Western wishful thinking about the decline of Islamic State (IS) is a well-publicised map …

Russia has done more for Crimean Tatars since the reunification than Ukraine has in over two decades while the peninsula was under its rule, Resit Kemal As, advisor of the head of Crimea Sergei Aksenov, told Sputnik.   According to the advisor, Russia has taken significant steps to solve the Crimean …

Gulf state’s investment arm adds latest acquisition of Claridge’s to portfolio already boasting landmarks from The Shard to Canary Wharf Qatar’s Constellation Hotels bought majority share in company behind Claridge’s, The Berkeley and The Connaught Five-star hotels latest in impressive list of high-profile acquisitions, including The Shard, Harrods …

VERDA ÖZER On the one hand, violence is re-erupting in Bosnia. On the other hand, Albania and Serbia seem to be at odds. And Serbia still doesn’t accept Kosovo’s independence. What is happening in the Balkans? Are we on the brink of a new war in Bosnia and …

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, …

By JAY SOLOMON And CAROL E. LEE  Leading Persian Gulf states want major new weapons systems and security guarantees from the White House in exchange for backing a nuclear agreement with Iran, according to U.S. and Arab officials. The leaders of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, including Saudi Arabia, the …

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 …

Alex Dick-Godfrey In the past five years, the Somali jihadist group al-Shabaab has lost most of its senior leadership, surrendered its control of southern Somalia, and seen its cash flow shrink. The group has certainly seen better times. But as the success of recent attacks in Kenya and Mogadishu indicate, the group is …

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 …