Showing 61 - 70 of 74
'Out of control' Yemen cholera cases pass 300,000
Reuters, Published on 11/07/2017
» GENEVA - A 10-week cholera epidemic has now infected more than 300,000 people in Yemen, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Monday, a health disaster on top of war, economic collapse and near-famine in the impoverished country.
The new Saudi Arabian heir is a dangerous man
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 23/06/2017
» The abrupt change in Saudi Arabia's line of royal succession will probably help maintain the House of Saud's sway over its 31 million people, 70% of whom are under 30. It is, however, a dangerous move in the context of a new Big Game unfolding in the Middle East, which involves the US, Russia and local players.
Trump risks wider war
News, Published on 21/06/2017
» President Donald Trump has ordered stepped-up military operations against the Islamic State (IS) and delegated more authority to his generals, but without a comprehensive Syria strategy, his approach risks further confrontation with Syria, Iran and even Russia, according to US officials and analysts.
Qatar fiasco shows risk of a Trump-Saudi reset
News, Published on 12/06/2017
» President Donald Trump feels his recent trip to the Middle East was a great success, and the actions by Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies to isolate and punish Qatar this week were the first fruits of his new policy. In reality, the schism between Gulf Cooperation Council allies is a setback for US interests, and the reset between Washington and Riyadh, heralded by the administration and many observers, if not a farce, is clearly far from complete.
Russia has no reason to undermine Qatar
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 09/06/2017
» The ubiquitous "Russian hackers" are now accused of providing the spark for a diplomatic fire between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. While the facts in the case remain in the shadows, it's hard to understand why it would be in Russia's interest to undermine Qatar.
'Principled Realism' without principles or realism
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 24/05/2017
» The media mostly missed it (or chose to ignore it as a piece of meaningless rhetoric), but Donald Trump proclaimed a new doctrine in his speech to the assembled leaders of the Muslim world in Saudi Arabia on Sunday. It goes by the name of "Principled Realism", though it didn't offer much by way of either principles or realism. In practice, it mostly boiled down to a declaration of (proxy) war against Iran.
Sanctions confirm tougher Trump line on Iran
Published on 04/02/2017
» WASHINGTON: New sanctions imposed by US President Donald Trump to punish Iran for its latest ballistic missile test mark the beginning of what officials are calling the end of an era in which the United States was “too tolerant of Iran’s bad behaviour".
Four Singaporeans linked to overseas armed groups arrested
AFP, Published on 16/03/2016
» SINGAPORE - Four Singaporeans have been arrested under the city-state's tough Internal Security Act (ISA) for taking part or intending to join armed groups in the Middle East, the interior ministry said Wednesday.
Saudi executions stoke regional anger
Published on 02/01/2016
» RIYADH — Saudi Arabia's execution of a leading cleric from the Shiite Muslim minority drew warnings on Saturday of a backlash against the ruling Al Saud family and threatened to further intensify a wave of sectarian conflict in the region.
Saudi Arabia's phoney war on terror
News, Brahma Chellaney, Published on 23/12/2015
» Containing the scourge of Islamist terror will be impossible without containing the ideology that drives it: Wahhabism, a messianic, jihad-extolling form of Sunni fundamentalism whose international expansion has been bankrolled by oil-rich sheikhdoms, especially Saudi Arabia. That is why the newly announced Saudi-led anti-terror coalition, the Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism, should be viewed with profound scepticism.