After months of dithering the Trump administration finally appears to be implementing a relatively coherent policy in Syria. The decision to focus exclusively on Daesh and completely forego any...

The latest ceasefire in south-west Syria, negotiated by the United States and Russia, is a clear reflection of increasing US-Russian cooperation in the country. Whilst this is a welcome...

The suppression of an important report into the funding of "extremist" activity in Britain by foreign sources is a clear indication of the gap between British foreign and domestic...

As expected Qatar has defied the extortionate demands made on it by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The stage is now set for a prolonged...

As Iraqi forces continue to mop up the last remnants of Daesh from west Mosul, it is worth remembering that the jihadist group continues to maintain a significant presence...

The release of formal demands made of Qatar by the Saudi-led coalition bears striking similarities to 19th century-style gunboat diplomacy with its concept of issuing impossible-to-meet demands intended to...

The intensifying split within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), as epitomised by the Saudi-led effort to isolate Qatar, has effectively ended (at least for the foreseeable future) Saudi Arabia's...

Last Wednesday's twin terror attacks in Tehran have come as a huge surprise for a number of reasons, not least because of the brazen breach of the Islamic Republic's...

Reports that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have warned Iraqi Shia militias not to enter SDF-controlled territory are, on the face of it, a potential addition to the complexity...

Last week's terrorist atrocity in Manchester has intensified the seemingly endless debates about British counterterrorism. The two most contentions features of this debate are centred on the roles of...

Last Thursday's US strike on a pro-Iranian armed group in the desert west of Syria's Al-Tanf is being widely interpreted as a significant escalation in the Syrian conflict. The...

As the reactions to Hamas' new charter continue apace, one important omission or at least something that has been under-reported is Hamas' relationship with Iran. Long regarded as strong...

The release of a new policy document by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) has touched off a flurry of speculation as to the real political and strategic motives behind...

Last week's Turkish airstrikes on People's Protection Units' (YPG) positions in northern Syria and north-western Iraq followed by clashes between Turkish border guards and YPG forces have dramatically raised...

Recep Tayyip Erdogan's victory in the Turkish constitutional referendum has been widely interpreted in Europe as amounting to a shift away from democracy. Some observers have gone even further...

The US missile strike on Syria's al-Shayrat air base earlier this month has raised expectations of a more muscular American policy in Syria in the advent of the Donald...

The US strike on Syria's al-Shayrat airbase has dramatically, if not momentarily, restored a sense of overbearing American hegemony in the Near East. By deploying superior intelligence collection and...

The visit to Moscow last week by Iranian president Hassan Rouhani has been widely interpreted in the West as the latest sign of strengthening ties between the two states....

Since early 2014 there has been a flurry of speculation on the apparently steadily improving relations between Egypt and Iran. A wide range of issues including the fight against...

The fight for Mosul is in its final weeks and expectations are rising of a successful Iraqi reintegration programme that not only eradicates Daesh from The country but more broadly reverses the...

As Iraqi forces press home their advantage in the final stage of the recapture of Mosul, attention is increasingly focussed on the aftermath of the ejection of Daesh from...

In late February, Iran hosted its first "International Conference in Support of the Palestinian Intifada" in six years. First held in 1991 – and again in 2001, 2006, 2009...