No one wants the United Nations to suffer the fate of the League of Nations, which collapsed because it lacked real leverage. This is possible if influential countries bypass the United Nations and take military action without Security Council authorization. Recent events surrounding Syria have prompted me to speak directly to the American people and their political leaders. It is …

While the West invested in innovation, Muslims did not ‘All the world’s Muslims have fewer Nobel Prizes than Trinity College, Cambridge. They did great things in the Middle Ages, though’. When I read this headline from an article by Richard Dawkins, I realised that he was at his Islam bashing best. I was at first offended, thinking that perhaps this …

Seeing the horrific images of the Egyptian military’s crackdown on supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi in Cairo and other cities across the country, it seems that the ongoing political crisis may have passed a critically important and tragic threshold. Where the Egypt’s military government under the leadership of General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has claimed, with some justification, to be …

American Secretary of State John Kerry is by no means the first United States envoy to broker peace talks between Israel and Palestine. However, he might very well be the last. Scepticism about Kerry’s project ‘Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement’ is nearly universal, and it’s understandable when you look at the graveyard of past negotiations. If the return to the negotiating table …

Recent massive jailbreaks in Libya, Iraq and Pakistan, all occurring within days of one another, beg the question: what constitutes a coincidence in foreign affairs? Are these attacks happy coincidences for the newly-freed criminals, or a connected series of events? And, with al-Qaeda affiliates already claiming responsibility for two of these assaults, should the United States consider the possibility that …

As NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan continues, China finds itself in a conundrum. With tensions flaring throughout the Asia-Pacific, the last thing Beijing wants is to face a security threat along its western border. China needs to become more involved in efforts to stabilize Afghanistan. The United States and its international partners thus have an opportunity to provide incentive for China …

Recently Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced to initiate treason proceedings against retired general and former president Pervez Musharraf. At face value, it appears Sharif is finally getting his revenge. In 1999, Musharraf, who was then the chief of army staff, led a coup against the Sharif government. The coup was triggered by Sharif’s attempt to replace Musharraf apparently because of …

Recently Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced to initiate treason proceedings against retired general and former president Pervez Musharraf. At face value, it appears Sharif is finally getting his revenge. In 1999, Musharraf, who was then the chief of army staff, led a coup against the Sharif government. The coup was triggered by Sharif’s attempt to replace Musharraf apparently because of …

The refusal of France, Italy and Portugal to allow the private aircraft of the President of Bolivia to cross their airspace on the mere suspicion that Edward Snowden might be aboard is rather more astonishing. The recent Snowden saga has revealed more about Europe than about the United State. Together, these revelations confirm the completion of the transformation of the …

On 1 July 2013, Croatia became the 28th member state of the European Union, but it is yet to join the single currency or the Schengen Area. The accession takes place at a time of economic difficulty when Croatia is in fifth year of recession with 21% unemployment, and amid the European sovereign-debt crisis. Croatia joining the EU, exited her …