Syria
World disorder
The old cliché that ‘nothing happens in August’ has again been brutally disproved. From the centenary of the outbreak of…
Defeat Isis? Yes we can
The West can’t afford to give up on Iraq
Where have all the leaders gone?
No one wants to pay the price of speaking for the free world
‘It’s jihad, innit, bruv’
Meeting the British Muslims who have joined the ‘Islamic State’
Obama’s dearest enemies
The Republicans would be crazy to try and impeach the lame-duck President. It would only revive him
Portrait of the week
Home David Cameron, the Prime Minister, rang Jean-Claude Juncker to congratulate him on being nominated by EU heads of government…
Good luck finding goodies and baddies in Iraq
If there’s a bright spot in the murky mess of Iraq, it’s that finally we have a war that it…
Portrait of the week
Home David Cameron, the Prime Minister, said on television that he was ‘bullish’ about negotiating change for Britain in the…
Ukraine vs Sparta
As rebels, terrorists, fascists, foreign forces, activists, separatists, militants, militias, nationalist groups, Neo-Nazis, Right Sector forces — take your pick — spread…
Portrait of the week
Home David Cameron, the Prime Minister, appeared in public with George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer — the first…
Damascus Notebook
As I looked out of the window of my hotel bedroom, studying the view of central Damascus, the mobile phone…
Hard times for Hamas
The party is out of favour with its foreign neighbours and with ordinary Gazans
Leave Ukraine to the Russians
‘You can’t always get what you want,’ chorused Mick Jagger, ‘but if you try some time/You just might find/You get…
When is a protest not a protest? When we decide to call it a revolution
It’s ages since I last went on a decent demo and had a bit of a dust-up with the pigs.…
Portrait of the week
Home Floods grew worse in the West Country. The village of Moorland, Somerset, was abandoned. Then the Thames flooded, from…
Soldier, statesman, sovereign
Alan Rush admires the humane, enlightened Faisal I, who fought with T.E. Lawrence and devoted his life to Arab rights, independence and unity
Portrait of the week
Home Britain’s gross domestic product grew by 1.9 per cent last year, the most since 2007, according to the Office…
Armageddon awaits
Sunni vs Shia, Saudi Arabia vs Iran. A new great war has begun
Portait of the week
Home David Cameron, the Prime Minister, said that English local authorities would be allowed to receive all the business rates…
Father Paolo’s personal peace process
As Syria’s second peace conference looms, and we prepare ourselves for a lot of hot air drifting over from Geneva,…
Portrait of the week
Home George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, made it clear in a speech that he intended to cut £25 billion…
Portrait of the week
Home A storm passed over England, with plenty of warning. The strongest gust, of 99mph, was recorded at Needles Old…
High life
New York Libyans are among the most civilised people on earth. When a Russian hooker (I assume) killed a Libyan…
The enemy Assad wants
A new Islamist alliance among Syria’s rebels leaves the West’s friends in the country weaker than ever
Diary
The looming centenary of the outbreak of the first world war offers an opportunity to break away from the Blackadder/Oh!…
