Clueless in Syria
The other day I was speaking to a Kurdish journalist who was held in Isis captivity for ten months. He…
The trouble with the Kurds
Western powers’ favourite allies in Iraq and Syria have problems – and divisions – of their own
Desperate state
Disillusioned Islamic State recruits are deserting the bloodthirsty terror group as it loses territory
How far can Bernie Sanders go?
Could the socialist senator of Vermont be on track to win the Democratic nomination?
The man to stop Trump
Republican surprise package Dr Ben Carson has an amazing story to tell. Asking him about policy is a little harder
Iowa notebook
The Iowa State Fair ‘Donnnaaallldd!!! Donnnaaaaallldd!!!’ Donald Trump was surrounded by fans. He looked happy. He took a bite out of…
‘The smugglers don’t care’
On a Greek beach, watching migrants’ dinghies arrive from Turkey
Washington Notebook
This week has been all about the election, the US presidential election that is. It is 18 months away but…
The real Iran deal
While Obama talks centrifuges in Geneva, Iranian-backed militia are redrawing the map of Iraq
Notes from a ceasefire
Ukraine’s war goes on – in some places now, and soon everywhere
Letter from Beirut
Blue and white Christmas lights twinkle over the shops near my apartment in Beirut’s Christian quarter; pricy boutiques display elaborate…
The ransom business
Islamic State commanders know exactly how to extract the greatest possible profit from their hostages. Some care about little else
A letter from the border
Turkey, Syria It is the early hours of the day that Parliament votes on whether to bomb the so-called ‘Islamic…
Diary
Lebanon The Beirut press corps gather to remember the murdered journalist Jim Foley. People stand for a minute’s silence, drink…
The view from Kurdistan
Arriving in Erbil, you don’t feel you are in Iraq, but another country altogether, which is what the Kurds would…
‘It’s jihad, innit, bruv’
Meeting the British Muslims who have joined the ‘Islamic State’
Baghdad notebook
In the passport queue at Baghdad airport, my heart sinks. This place vies with Cairo for the title of most…
The enemy Assad wants
A new Islamist alliance among Syria’s rebels leaves the West’s friends in the country weaker than ever
A miniature civil war
Events in one Syrian town cast light on the nation’s strife
