Iran‘s growing influence in Iraq since the US invasion in 2003 has been cause for enormous concern for many in the Middle East and beyond. But a growing economic rivalry between Tehran and Baghdad has attracted little attention. Read Here – The National
China bans construction of opulent government buildings for five years — not because it has built enough — but because it feels the move will lower corruption and excesses among officials. Read Here – The Atlantic
China’s economy has shown signs of not working since the fall of 2011, but most economists and analysts chose to ignore them. Now, just about everyone is commenting on Chinese economic weakness. Expert opinion never seemed more synchronized. Read Here – WorldAffairsJournal
Russia’s security differences with NATO countries have been encouraging Moscow to strengthen ties with Asian countries, above all China. These differences range from concerns over U.S. missile defense programs to unease about NATO’s increasingly capable conventional weapons to dissatisfaction with Moscow’s minimal influence on European security issues due to Russia’s non-membership in NATO. Read Here […]
Iran’s strategic ambitions are not limited to looking West into the Arab world and the war in Syria. It is also looking East, where it has an active alliance with China and a working relationship with India, but closer to its borders, Iran is working hard to build its influence in Afghanistan. Read Here – […]
In a little over a decade, Sana’a, Yemen, might become the world’s first capital to run out of water, turning its millions of citizens into water refugees. A major cause: the cultivation of qat, a mild narcotic plant that takes unusually large amounts of water to farm and to which much of Yemen’s population is […]
China must deepen reforms in major areas with “ever more political courage and wisdom” to surmount the institutional barriers that are restraining growth, President Xi Jinping has stressed. Read Here – Xinhua
Despite overtaking Japan as the third-largest economy, India has lost its leadership role in the continent because, unlike its eastern neighbours, it has ignored is poor Read Here – The Hindu
The British tourism agency has reported that the royal family generates close to 500 million pounds, or about $767 million, every year in tourism revenue, drawing visitors to historic royal sites like the Tower of London, Windsor Castle, and Buckingham Palace. The country’s tourism agency says that of the 30 million foreign visitors who came to […]
The CIA could begin shipping arms to Syria in the coming weeks, after two US congressional panels cleared the way for the controversial transfer of weapons. The White House announced in June that it would provide limited military support for vetted rebel groups, which have recently been struggling in their campaign against President Bashar al-Assad. Read Here – The Guardian
looking beyond borders 