by Yvonne Ridley

The war in Afghanistan has been called the most pointless conflict of all time. It is probably the most disastrous military venture launched by the US, Britain and their allies in the past 100 years. The Taliban, though, will be celebrating what they see as a historic victory when NATO forces quit Afghanistan in September. We have to remember that not everyone views the 20-year conflict through a western lens.

by Muhammad Hussein

Turkey has been criticised heavily over the past few years for what some see as a series of foreign policy blunders, from its military intervention in northern Syria to its assertiveness before the US and Europe. Now, though, it may have taken a very firm stance that could alter its fortunes and reputation on the international stage.

by Professor Kamel Hawwash

On 5 February, Palestinians saw a long tunnel open and a light flicker in the distance for justice. The International Criminal Court (ICC) Pre-Trial Chamber I "decided, by majority, that the Court's territorial jurisdiction in the Situation in Palestine, a State party to the ICC Rome Statute, extends to the territories occupied by Israel since 1967."

by Dr Ramzy Baroud

In a recent report, the UN Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), concluded that French warplanes had struck a crowd attending a wedding on 3 January in the remote village of Bounti, killing 22 of the guests. According to the findings based on a thorough investigation and interviews with hundreds of eyewitnesses, 19 of the guests were unarmed civilians whose killing constitutes a war crime.

by Asa Winstanley

One of the most common misunderstandings about the Israeli occupation of Palestine is that it is a "conflict" between two countries, "Israel" and "Palestine". Such language is highly misleading, because it gives the impression that these are two evenly matched countries which are fighting it out in an interminable border conflict which has been going on for thousands of years due to some sort of amorphous religious conflict.

by Abderrahmane Amor

In their book Blood and Oil, Bradley Hope and Justin Scheck reveal a side to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman that loves all things American. From the popular video game Call of Duty, to Apple products, to an old-fashioned Big Mac burger from McDonald's, he is known to have an affinity for American culture.

by Dr Ramzy Baroud

A "major setback" was the recurring theme in many news headlines reporting on the outcome of Israel's General Election last week. While this referred specifically to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's failure to secure a decisive victory in the country's fourth election in two years, it is only part of the narrative.

by Asa Winstanley

Israel Hayom published an extremely long, fawning interview on Friday with convicted American traitor and Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard. It made for startling reading.

The newspaper is owned by Miriam Adelson, Israel's richest person and the widow of the late casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. The couple were leading funders of the pro-Israel lobby in the US.

26 Mar 2021; Reuters: Just 18 months have passed since mass protests against Lebanon's political class brought down one government, and nearly eight more months since a huge explosion destroyed the port of Beirut and toppled its successor.

by Hazem Ayyad

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan have met with Yang Jiechi, the most senior ranking official in the Chinese diplomatic corps, as well as State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

by Dr Ramzy Baroud

A much anticipated US foreign policy move under the Biden administration on how to counter China's unhindered economic growth and political ambitions came in the form of a virtual summit on 12 March linking the United States with India, Australia and Japan.

by Oraib Al-Rantawi

New "peace-making" winds are blowing on Arab-Turkish relations and helping to ease the tension in the search for common ground. Flattering messages are being exchanged between Ankara, Cairo, and Riyadh, and similar messages will inevitably follow from other Arab capitals if things go well. It seems that the various parties are exhausted by the rampant and prolonged proxy wars and that we are facing one of the dynamics created by Joe Biden's victory in the US presidential election.