Summary: the conventional wisdom among critics in the West remains that erroneous assumptions led to the war and once it ended a series of blunders entrenched chaos and violence; Renad Mansour offers a more nuanced perspective.
Summary: with the final volume of the report on the Manchester Arena bomber now released, many questions were raised and some answers delivered but the big question wasn’t asked.
Summary: the 2003 war lasted less than a month but the fall-out has reverberated violently for two decades leaving Iraq divided and Iraqis impoverished, fearful and uncertain about what the future will bring.
Summary: Iraq has a deep and enormously rich history that was heavily damaged by the 2003 war and occupation, the insurgency that followed and by the brutal predations of ISIS; a new minister of culture is working to try and set things right but he faces daunting challenges.
Summary: facing a lengthy list of charges Abu Dhabi’s ruling family, owners of Manchester City Football Club, have decided that the best defence is a strong offence.
Summary: precipitated by the most extreme government in the country’s history, predictions of civil war and the end of Zionism are being raised by both Israel’s supporters and its critics. Besides being a calamity for Jews, Israel’s collapse would reshape the global order and have far-reaching consequences in the Arab world.
Summary: the fighting may have all but ended in 2022 but that may be the calm before a coming storm as Washington prepares to challenge the Wagner group in Africa and contestation grows over gas rights in the eastern Mediterranean.
Summary: the UK has the opportunity to deepen trade relations with the GCC states who, even though China beckons, will need a strong counter-balance with the West to fully realise the goal of diversifying their economies away from hydrocarbons dependency.
Summary: Britain bears a significant responsibility for the Palestine-Israel conflict but successive governments have chosen to ignore that responsibility while giving strong support to Israel. A distinguished Arabist and retired British diplomat argues that has to change and the first step is to recognise the state of Palestine.
Summary: the decision by UNGA was hailed as a significant breakthrough for the cause of Palestinian rights, even as Netanyahu inaugurates the most extreme government in Israel’s history.
