Showing 1 - 10 of 317
Iran's water weapon against Gulf
Oped, Michael Christopher Low, Published on 07/04/2026
» The oil-rich monarchies of the Persian Gulf are often described as petrostates. But the US-Israeli war with Iran has highlighted that they are also saltwater kingdoms, societies whose survival depends on desalination, or converting seawater into potable water at industrial scale.
Russia is winning the Iran War
Oped, Chris Patten, Published on 02/04/2026
» While the rationale for US President Donald Trump's Iran war is difficult to decipher, its main beneficiary is far easier to identify: Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Gulf states tell US ending the war is not enough
Oped, Samia Nakhoul, Published on 31/03/2026
» Gulf Arab states are telling the US that any deal with Tehran should do more than end the war, and must permanently curb Iran's missile and drone capabilities and ensure global energy supplies are never again "weaponised", four Gulf sources said.
Selective outrage will not end the war in Iran
Oped, Jayati Ghosh, Published on 27/03/2026
» Few United Nations Security Council resolutions have been as one-sided as its recent condemnation of Iran's "egregious attacks" on regional neighbours such as Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Leaving little room for interpretation, it describes those attacks as "a breach of international law and a serious threat to international peace and security".
Trump goes off-script, US gone rogue
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 27/03/2026
» It was not supposed to work like this. "America First" and "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) were supposed to be about an inward turn to repair, replenish and rebuild an externally overstretched and internally weakened country, weighed down by unnecessary global entanglements, unsustainable national debt, and unimpeded mass migration. It seemed for a time that the MAGA movement to prioritise America above and beyond the international system and its constituent parts had found its final prophet in President Donald J Trump. But now, somehow, President Trump has betrayed the movement that has carried him to office by waging a disastrous war on Iran in cooperation with Israel.
12-hour backlash
Oped, Postbag, Published on 25/03/2026
» Re: "Nurses oppose 12-hour shifts", (BP, March 23).
Truth will prevail over Russia's war on Ukraine
Oped, Viktor Semenov, Published on 25/03/2026
» This recent February marked 12 years of armed aggression against my country and also marks five years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin has constructed a series of myths that revolve around Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, which Russia labels a "coup d'état by a junta," the alleged "threat from Nato", the so-called "protection of Russian-speaking population", and the sham referendums conducted at gunpoint in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, which are legally null and void.
Impacts of Iran war on Southeast Asia
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 20/03/2026
» For the most part, Southeast Asia as a region has taken a neutral stance toward the joint attack between the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Even the Philippines and Thailand, two formal US treaty allies, have distanced themselves, calling for restraint and de-escalation.
75 years of Thai-Lao relations
Oped, Krongkanit Rakcharoen, Published on 18/03/2026
» December is a meaningful month for the peoples of Thailand and the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), as it marks the national days of both countries -- 2 Dec for Lao PDR and 5 Dec for Thailand. December 2025 is particularly significant as it commemorates the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Lao PDR and, on 19 Dec, the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and the Lao PDR when both countries launched the formal establishment of diplomatic relations on 19 Dec 1950.
The Iran war is upending global energy markets
Oped, Carolyn Kissane, Published on 12/03/2026
» The war with Iran is widening faster than many expected. The Islamic Republic's retaliation against Arab Gulf states has extended beyond military targets to critical civilian infrastructure, including airports, water desalination plants, and energy facilities. Hezbollah has opened a second front from Lebanon. US President Donald Trump suggests that operations could last "four to five weeks", but with nearly 50 senior Iranian officials having been killed, it is unclear who might be positioned to negotiate an off-ramp.