Category: Op-Ed

Rachel Denber The Russian-government-funded television network RT (formerly Russia Today) has reported a “leaked” phone call between EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton and Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet that is getting a lot of attention, but all…

By Felicity Arbuthnot A “devastating” two hundred and fifty page document: “The Responsibility of UK Officials for War Crimes Involving Systematic Detainee Abuse in Iraq from 2003-2008″, has been “presented to the International Criminal Court, and could result in some…

The US National Security Agency (NSA) used secret technology to spy on computers that were not even connected to the internet, it has been reported. Citing documents from whistleblower Edward Snowden, the New York Times said 100,000 machines were fitted…

By Steve Rosenberg As war approached in 1914, the Russian capital St Petersburg was the scene of imperial splendour and abject poverty, utopian hopes and portents of impending doom. I have never met anyone who is more proud of her…

Egypt’s new draft constitution was approved Sunday for a referendum billed as the first stage in a “democratic transition” promised by military-installed authorities after Islamist president Mohamed Morsi’s July ouster.

By Kalinga Seneviratne In his opening address to the Commonwealth leaders’ summit (CHOGM) in Colombo mid-November, Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse concluded his speech by quoting from the Buddha. “‘Let not one take notice of faults of other’s or what…

By Bikram Vohra They did it again. In the still hot debris of the death by ambush of five Indian soldiers and a shrillness in the hostility, Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Manmohan Singh had a lukewarm coming together in…

By Al Bawaba News The White House warned Congress on Tuesday that imposing tougher sanctions on Iran could lead to “war” by leaving the president only with the option to use force to halt Tehran’s nuclear program.

By Neville Teller It is a melancholy fact, but true, that for much of the world, and certainly for the Middle East, the old adage “might is right” holds sway. Power engenders respect. In the Western world, however, this mindset…

The Supreme Court in the Maldives has suspended a presidential election run-off, after protests from a candidate. On Saturday, ex-President Mohamed Nasheed polled nearly 47%, just short of the 50% needed for outright victory.

By Mladen Dragojlovic In an action aimed at improving relations between Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), soldiers from Turkey are in the Balkan country as part of the EU mission to help the country on its EU and NATO…

By Rizwan Asghar The death of Hakeemullah Mehsud in a drone strike has resulted in a state of confusion across the country. By and large, the political class is unhappy about the incident terming it the ‘death of peace process’.

By Beenish Altaf Pakistan successfully tested this week its surface-to-surface Hatf-IX NASR missile with a range of 60 kilometers. The test included successive launches of 4 x missiles in salvo mode from a state-of-the-art multi-tube launcher. The missile is seemingly…

By ISN Security Watch When it comes to maintaining the security of the Asia-Pacific region, Axel Berkofsky believes the EU is caught between a rock and a hard place. China views Brussels’ Asia policies with continued suspicion while the United…

By PanArmenian World powers will seek to hammer out a breakthrough deal with Iran to start resolving a decade-old dispute over its nuclear program in two-day talks that begin on Thursday, November 7 although both sides say an agreement is…

By Alan Caruba On the surface, it might seem to make sense for the President to want to “do something” about climate events such as hurricanes, but there have always been hurricanes and blaming them and everything from droughts to…

By Keith K C Hui “No friends, no enemies, just interest.” Ideologically speaking, there is almost no common ground between the socialist and open-yet-authoritarian China and most other capitalist and democratic states such as Brazil, India, Russia and South Africa,…

Protests and logistical challenges are heightening tensions before a scheduled 19 November national poll in Nepal that is seen as critical to the country’s stability and development, say analysts.

By Radio Zamaneh Following a rainy day in various parts of Khuzestan Province on Saturday November 2, many people went to hospitals with serious bouts of choking and shortness of breath.

Doctors and nurses working under US military orders have been complicit in the abuse of terrorism suspects, a new independent US report says.