Blog
A running commentary on politics, international affairs and culture
Armenia’s Rock and Hard Place
Geopolitically in a tough spot, supporting Armenia’s move toward democracy is a strong cause for our solidarity.
The Farage-Polanski Factor
The realignment of British politics I predicted in 2019 is starting to take shape.
Palestinian Local Elections: Continued Optimism for Gaza
As Gazans vote alongside their Palestinian compatriots, just the participation itself represents some hope for reconciliation.
First Iran War: Bangs, Whimpers and Smoke
The First Iran War has been eventful, but US dithering has meant that the revolutionary change for Iran has still not materialized.
Elections in Hungary and Peru: One Out, One In?
As one autocrat is deposed, another often pops up somewhere else. While we can celebrate Orbán’s, Peru’s democratic crisis might be getting worse.
Wrong Lessons in Iraq to Bad Mistakes in Iran
The specter of the devastating failures in Iraq are leading to the same mistakes in Iran, but the lessons we learnt were probably the wrong ones.
The Kicked Can Finally Runs Out of Road
After nearly fifty years of violent dictatorship and regional brinkmanship, could be it that the clerical fascist regime is seeing its last days?
Venezuela and Iran: Betrayal or Sloppy Realism?
Too many times myopic restraint leads to harder consequences, and in the cases of Iran and Venezuela, democracy might be losing out because of US sloppiness.
And We’re Back to Opposing US Bellicosity Again
The new geopolitical scene is full of messy contradictions, but strong principles can help us support US intervention for the good while opposing its expansionist ambitions in Greenland and Canada.
Hypocrisy Over Honduras
While Venezuelans celebrate the capture of Maduro, Honduras grabbles with the White House’s hypocrisy.
With Maduro Gone Democracy Must Remain the Goal
With Maduro now in US custody, we must remember the goal in Venezuela is not just the fall of the regime but the return to democracy.
Let’s Not Give Up on Myanmar
As Myanmar faces a sham election under military rule, its ignored and brutalised democracy movement fights a war the world cannot afford to forget.
US Finally Striking Terror in the Sahel
As the Sahel emerges as the global epicenter of jihadist violence, the recent joint US-Nigerian strikes signal a long-awaited strategic shift toward collaborative intervention in West Africa.
A Ruble for Your Peace?
A US-brokered “peace” that rewards Russian aggression at Ukraine’s expense is not pragmatism but appeasement, and history shows such deals only embolden dictators.
How To Get Away with Occupation
The UN Security Council’s backing of Morocco’s autonomy plan proves that legitimizing illegal occupation is easy if you play it right.
The Taiwan Question
The question over Taiwan has long been personally and politically significant to me. And with things cooling down between the US and China, what might be in store for the world’s most gallant democracy?
Why Is Erdoğan Being So Pragmatic?
The welcome news of Tufan Erhürman’s landslide electoral victory in unrecognized Northern Cyprus marks a significant step toward ending one of Europe’s longstanding conflicts. But why is the Turkish president congratulating him?
A Peace of Hope at Last?
Hamas has fallen, the hostages are coming home, and the war is finally ending. But peace arrives not in triumph, but in ruins — and with bitter lessons unlearned. This is the anatomy of a war that was both inevitable and disastrously mismanaged.
The Weird Axis of the Anglosphere’s Center-Left
As Britain drifts from global heavyweight to geopolitical afterthought, an unlikely alignment between Starmer, Albanese, and Carney could resurrect CANZUK as a serious alternative to US dominance.
Are We Back on Course with Ukraine?
Has Trump’s flip-flopping nature finally flipped the right way at last? Could it be that, after wasting 9 months on isolationist utopia, the US president is finally seeing the optimism that could change the course of the Russian-Ukrainian War?