This is Iran’s annus horribilis
Iran’s Axis of Resistance is falling apart. Israel has significantly degraded Hezbollah’s capabilities and decapitated its leadership. Hamas has been…
Syria is up for grabs
After 13 years of war that began with street protests during the heady days of the Arab Spring and morphed…
How Assad fell
The astonishing and abrupt fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Damascus is a moment of historic importance for the Middle…
Syria is emerging from a nightmare
Gradually, and then suddenly, the regime of Bashar al-Assad has collapsed. This century’s most evil tyrant has fled Syria, and…
Confronting terror
In the aftermath of the horrific attack on Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue, I find myself unable to stay silent. The…
The BBC has a ‘talent’ problem
So here we are again – another well-known BBC presenter is facing a growing list of allegations of misconduct, tarnishing…
The Russian nuclear threat is looming once more
It is 00.40 pm, 26 September 1983. Lieutenant-Colonel Stanislav Petrov, the duty commander in charge of monitoring the Soviet Union’s early…
Trump: the great global reset
The re-election of Donald Trump resets the world… His former presidency was almost whimsical. Trump was a rank outsider with…
In Donbas, Ukrainians hope Trump can end the war
Not a single home remains intact in the village of Bohorodychne in Donbas, since it was torn apart by artillery…
Will Kemi’s ‘Operation Slow Burn’ help her see off Farage?
It was quite possible that Kemi Badenoch could have proved an instant hit with the British public and taken the…
How working-class Dublin turned on Conor McGregor
When Conor McGregor stood in the dock for his civil rape trial last week, the controversial MMA fighter was receiving…
Olaf Scholz’s dreams of election victory are wishful thinking
Three years ago today, Olaf Scholz was sworn in as Germany’s chancellor. He had narrowly won the election by presenting…
South Korea is still haunted by the Gwangju Uprising
The news that President Yoon had instated martial law on Tuesday hit me hard. The last time martial law was…
Will Syria’s new rulers show mercy?
The late Henry Kissinger said of the Iraq-Iran war in the 1980s that it was a shame that both sides…
Bureaucracy and Safetyism: the ugly sisters
One of the more annoying phrases that has slithered its way into public discussion is: ‘If it saves one life,…
Positano, Amalfi coast, Italy
The little motor boat with the red fish sign flying on what would have been a mast had it been…
Ocean of peace in a world of war
As a consequence of my Scottish Jewish heritage, I only read a newspaper if it is free. Since Covid, newspapers…
How Finland joined the West
Finland’s entry into Nato in 2023 dealt a major blow to Russia in the Baltics. For years, President Putin had…
Will the Syrian Civil War create another ISIS?
There are unintended consequences, and then there are unintended consequences. What we are seeing in Syria, as Aleppo and Hama…
How Angela Merkel broke Germany
Angela Merkel, who last month published her memoirs on her 16 years as German chancellor, was a great tactician. But…
Donald Trump was right about Paris
Donald Trump is in Paris today to attend the official reopening of the renovated Notre Dame cathedral. The president-elect has…
We can’t rely on migration to fix the economy
The very wicked French novelist Michel Houellebecq recently asked: “It should be strange for the British: they voted for Brexit…
Why PG films do so well
As we come to the end of another troubling year, suddenly the news from the film front isn’t all doom…
Why is Poland building a barrier with Ukraine?
A ceasefire in Ukraine is far from being agreed, yet Poland is already preparing for its collapse. In recent months,…
What’s happening in Korea?
I love the Republic of Korea. It is a country I can visit over and over without ever tiring of…
