Whichever way one views China’s massive silo construction this year, it spells trouble. Recent discoveries of missile silo construction in China in 2021 have turned the international spotlight on Beijing’s nuclear ambitions. The findings (three so far) are all drawn from open-source commercial satellite imagery. They include 16 silos in …

Despite good intentions, the UK’s campaign in Afghanistan has ended in failure. Military deficiencies, a lack of a clear purpose and mission creep all had adverse effects on the British mission. There is anxiety in Whitehall about an Afghanistan inquiry. But this inquiry will not be like the 12-volume Chilcot …

The growing engagement of militias in the current fighting will not save the government in Kabul. Since the start of May, the Taliban have taken 211 district centres in Afghanistan, or about half the country in total, according to Taliban claims confirmed by local sources. Only a handful have been …

As conservative cleric Ebrahim Raisi begins his presidency, what direction is Iran’s foreign policy likely to take? There are multiple ways to try to answer this fundamental question. One could, for instance, take a look at the individuals who are likely to advise Raisi on foreign policy issues. Judging by …

There is no doubt that the coup led by President Kais Saied in Tunisia has caused a major tremor in Arab societies yearning for freedom and democracy. They could smell the aroma of freedom from the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia, the cradle of the Arab Spring. Tunisia gave them hope …

The deployment of global green finance needs to be rapidly accelerated to close the massive infrastructure investment gap and to allow a transition to green forms of energy, transport, industry, urbanisation and agriculture. Yet so far, green finance lacks harmonised definitions on types of projects, disclosure requirements, impact thresholds and …

Israel’s defense minister warned on Thursday that his country is prepared to strike Iran, issuing the threat after a fatal drone strike on an oil tanker at sea that his nation blamed on Tehran. The comments by Benny Gantz come as Israel lobbies countries for action at the UN over …

When a massive blast shook Allah Hu boulevard, an upscale residential area of Jauhar Town in Lahore on June 23 killing three persons and injuring 21 others, no one knew for sure who was behind this attack. Neither was it clear who the intended target was. However, Punjab’s Inspector General …

Evidence implicates senior Lebanese officials in the August 4, 2020, explosion in Beirut that killed 218 people, but systemic problems in Lebanon’s legal and political system are allowing them to avoid accountability, Human Rights Watch said in a report. The UN Human Rights Council should mandate an investigation, and countries …

The recent signature of a memorandum of understanding in the Aleppo International Airport might accentuate the rivalry between Iran and Russia, according to Syria Television. In late July, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by the regime’s General Civil Aviation Corporation in Syria and a transport and logistics company …