Even if ISIS loses Tikrit, they will remain a threat if the Iraqi government and sectarian Shia militias continue to persecute Iraq’s Sunni Arabs. For lasting victory, the Sunnis must be involved. As the US Chief of Staff, General Martin …

The Israeli elections are fast approaching. The provocative speeches and shocking actions of major candidates reveal and further stoke the flames of the battle for control of a country riven by internal discord and beset by external pressures. With final …

An uncomfortable blame-game has followed revelations that three British school girls were able to successfully navigate their way to Turkey and on to Syria via Gatwick airport. British politicians, security officials and members of the public have demanded answers as …

d’Hervé Bazin: «… seul celui qui n’a rien à perdre et tout à gagner met en œuvre toute la voracité de l’intelligence». The situation in Tunisia after the election of the Ennahda party in October 2011 was chaotic. Very poor …

The Israeli elections next March are filled with uncertainty, regarding both the turnout and the outcome. Current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can take nothing for granted as he runs against Yitzhak Herzog, the son of former President Chaim Herzog and …

Since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in Turkey’s 2002 election, Ottoman nostalgia has played an increasing role in state policy. Often termed “neo-Ottomanism”, this was initially used to define the AKP’s foreign policy. Preaching the principle …

Following the 2013 murder of Lee Rigby, Tony Blair offered a characteristically vacuous response: “there is not a problem with Islam…but there is a problem within Islam”. That is, while not quite bigoted enough to equate Islam with terrorism in toto, Blair (for obvious reasons) …

The trap of cultural determinism “Ethnic identity, as much as any other collective identity, is an object of manipulation by individuals, who, being free, stay largely undefinable” (M.Giraud) The recent dramatic events in France have redirected public attention to the issues …

In the Middle East in particular, over recent years water has become an additional factor of destabilisation and tension, as thirsty countries try through every means to monopolise control of springs. As Jan Selby, Professor of International Relations at the …

On January 7th 2015, the Kouachi brothers stormed the Charlie Hebdo editorial board and attempted to kill everyone in the room. The satirical weekly newspaper was known for its controversial drawings and cartoons, approaching religions with humour and sarcasm. This led them to represent and caricature Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam. For instance, in 2011 they released a …