What explains Qatar‘s foreign policy adventurism? For one, the U.S. security guarantee gives it room to play in the region. In addition, some policies — particularly those that facilitate discussions between the United States and its enemies (Hamas, the Taliban) — are aimed at making Qatar uniquely important to Washington. Read Here – Foreign Affairs
In Afghanistan, the unexpected Doha events have unprecedentedly unified the Afghan people in support of their elected government’s efforts to reject any peace deal that infringes on their sovereignty and the democratic achievements of the past 12 years. The Afghan people have not been losing their children day after day, year after year, just to […]
Hopes could hardly be lower for the talks between U.S. and Taliban representatives that are scheduled to begin this week in Doha. A day after announcing they would enter negotiations, the Taliban killed four coalition soldiers in a rocket attack outside Kabul, Afghanistan. Afghan President Hamid Karzai, worried that the U.S.-sponsored talks will legitimize his enemies, abruptly cut off […]
Persistent efforts by multiple western players finally paid off. The Taliban and the Kabul government met officially in Chantilly, a suburb of Paris, on December 20 and 21 under the aegis of a French think tank called the Fondation pour la Recherche Strategique. The Taliban was represented by senior leaders Shahabuddin Dilawar, former Taliban ambassador […]
A recent report on the humdrum subject of plans to build new coal-burning plants to generate electricity helps to explain why Asia – led by its rising economic giants, China and India – is at the epicentre of concern about global warming and climate change. Policy makers from nearly all of the world’s countries meet […]
With the formation of the Syrian national coalition in Doha last weekend, the Syrian conflict seems to have entered a new phase. For the first time since the breakout of the Syrian revolution almost 20 months ago, the Syrian opposition has a representative body that can speak in its name. Western governments have long been […]
Qatar is spending massively to modernize its capital ahead of the 2022 World Cup, leading conservative Qataris to worry about how this will affect the Islamic nature of the Gulf state. Trucks can be seen speeding around Doha‘s business district, carrying building materials for the $150 billion makeover that will give the city a new […]
TRADE and growth go hand in hand. When the economic crisis first hit in 2008, world trade and growth collapsed together. In 2009 both recovered, and did reasonably well until this year, when both slipped again. Cutting tariffs and red tape would boost trade, and support the faltering recovery. This should spur efforts to replace […]
looking beyond borders 