President Francois Hollande called the terror attack that killed 127 people in Paris on Friday night an “act of war” against France by Islamic State militants. The coordinated assaults on cafes, a soccer match and a concert hall were carried out “by a terrorist army,” Hollande said in a televised address to the nation on Saturday […]
For the past eight decades Saudi Arabia has been careful. Using its vast oil wealth, it’s quietly spread its ultra-conservative brand of Islam throughout the Muslim world, secretly undermined secular regimes in its region, and prudently kept to the shadows while others did the fighting and dying. It was Saudi money that fueled the Mujahedeen in […]
Saddam was a tyrant and an aggressor, but are Iraq and the region really better off without him? Consider just some of the consequences of the war that removed him. Read Here – The Atlantic
It was nearly dormant for months, but recent weeks have seen the return of Germany’s Islamophobic, anti-refugee Pegida movement. More confident and aggressive than ever, officials worry the hatred could spread to the mainstream. Read Here – Der Spiegel
After deploying its ground and air assets across Syria, Russia entered into an agreement with the Shiite leaders of Iran and Iraq to coordinate military efforts. At the podium of the United Nations, Russian President Vladimir Putin looked as if he had pulled off a masterful power play in the Middle East. But Putin seems […]
The terrible, violent summer reflects nothing so much as an elite’s greed for power and willingness to treat civilians as dispensable. This has become particularly apparent since Turkey’s inconclusive June 7 election, and the way that various political parties and leaders did all they could to prevent the formation of a viable coalition government. Ultimately, the power game is […]
The West has been unequivocal in its criticism of human rights violations in the Maldives. India, as a neighbour with major strategic interests, does not have this luxury. India has out of necessity adopted a nuanced and incremental approach. It is, of course, crucial that New Delhi actively engages Gayoom and his government. India will […]
Stratfor Global Intelligence
The arrest of 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed, who was treated as a threat by his own school and police for bringing in an electronic clock he’d made as an engineering project, was not an isolated event. This was completely in line with a problem that has been growing over the past year: Islamophobia, which is the […]
While a secure Kabul rarely means a stable Afghanistan, an insecure Kabul inevitably signals a deeply unstable nation. Kabul’s violent summer pales compared to the surrounding provinces, especially in the south. As Western nations increasingly focus elsewhere, the battle for Afghanistan rages on. Read Here – Quartz
looking beyond borders 