Dude, where’s my Humvee?
By Peter Van Buren Iraqi security forces lost 2,300 Humvee armoured vehicles when Islamic State overran the northern city of Mosul in June 2014,...
Middle East
Blair to step down as Middle East envoy -diplomatic sources (Updated)
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair will step down as the representative of the Quartet of Middle East powerbrokers at the end of June, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday....
Is the World ready to pay the Price of a Nuclear Deal with Tehran?
By Farid Mirbagheri An agreement between the Five plus One and Iran on the nuclear issue may be at hand. The White House appears eager for...
Challenges of Iran’s nuclear deal
By Andrestinous Papadopoulos The framework nuclear agreement concluded on April 2 in Lausanne between the six world powers (USA, Russia, China, UK France and Germany)...
A region burns amid lack of leadership and old hatreds
By Farid Mirbagheri The Middle East is aflame with war, carnage and instability. Syria is ceaselessly ravaged by a devastating civil war, where longevity and...
A smokescreen cloaking the reality
By Gavin Jones POLITICAL parties within Europe which have employed immigration as one of their primary platforms have tapped into the rich seam of prejudice and angst, real or imagined, that has...
Middle Eastern Christians: Going, Going…Gone
By Gwynne Dyer TWO HIGH-PROFILE incidents last week, at opposite ends of the Arab world. In northern Iraq, recently conquered by the zealots of the...
Gaza toll nears 100, militants threaten Israeli airport (update 3)
By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Ori Lewis Israel said on Friday it would not bow to international pressure to end air strikes in Gaza that officials...
Kerry to visit Egypt, tensions high before Mursi trial
By Michael Georgy U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Egypt a day before deposed Islamist President Mohamed Mursi goes on trial, the next...
UN envoy hopes for Syria peace conference within weeks
By Alexander Dziadosz and Stephen Kalin The United Nations envoy to Syria said on Friday he hoped a long-delayed peace conference could still be held...
Iran, UN nuclear agency to meet again after ‘constructive’ talks
By Fredrik Dahl Iran and the U.N. nuclear agency held “constructive” talks on Friday and made plans to meet again in one month, adding to...
Iran hits out at ‘unfair’ UN nuclear agency ahead of talks
By Fredrik Dahl Iran has sharply criticized the U.N. nuclear watchdog over “baseless allegations” about its atomic activity, a document showed before talks between the...
Cyprus rules out role in any US-led strike on Syria
By Michele Kambas CYPRUS said on Monday it would have no involvement of any kind in a potential US-led strike on Syria. Nicosia would, however,...
The changing reality of international relations
By Joseph Nye There has been much talk lately of the perceived decline of the United States as a world power, and of the rise...
US to reopen 18 of 19 foreign posts closed amid security concerns
By Richard Cowan Eighteen of the 19 U.S. embassies and consulates closed this month due to worries about potential terrorist attacks will reopen on Sunday,...
US tells citizens in Yemen to leave immediately (updated)
By Mohammed Ghobari The United States told its citizens in Yemen on Tuesday to leave immediately and ordered the evacuation of non-essential U.S. government staff...
US extends embassy closings, lawmakers say threat serious
By Tabassum Zakaria The United States extended embassy closures by a week in the Middle East and Africa as a precaution on Sunday after an...
Kerry says Israel, Palestinians lay groundwork for peace talks
By Arshad Mohammed Israel and the Palestinians have laid the groundwork for resuming peace talks after an almost three-year stalemate, U.S. Secretary of State John...