Once again, the anniversary of the 11 September 2001 terror attacks reminds us of not only that tragic event, but also two other momentous developments in the history of Afghanistan and the United States: the …
Articles by: "Amin Saikal"
The US and allied retreat from Afghanistan two years ago has left a seemingly indelible question mark over America’s ability to influence international events. This point is not lost on either those states that upheld …
This month marks two years since the US and allied retreat from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s resumption of power there. Amid all the depressing news about the brutal, misogynistic rule of the Taliban, in July …
A United Nations report released on 1 June provides a stark warning about the danger of the Taliban rule in Afghanistan and for the region and beyond. It claims that the ethnic Pashtun Taliban have …
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the controversial but democratically elected Turkish president, will continue at the helm of his country for the next five years. Last weekend’s electoral victory puts him in a stronger position than ever …
The Middle East’s strategic equation is rapidly changing against the global backdrop of polarisation between democracies and autocracies. Its authoritarian rulers have lately taken a number of steps to safeguard their positions in this context …
Sudan is in the grip of two interrelated crises. One is grounded in the long-standing struggle between forces of authoritarianism and those demanding pro-democratic transformation of their country. The other lies in a battle for …
The strategic landscape of the Middle East is changing rapidly, but not in favour of the United States as the traditional powerful actor in the region. Continued adversarial US–Iranian relations and regional Arab states’ growing …
In China-brokered talks, the two oil-rich and rival states of Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to restore diplomatic relations after a seven-year split. Although the two sides need much confidence-building, their rapprochement carries the …
Former Democratic US President Jimmy Carter, who is spending the last stage of his life in home hospice care at the age of 98, will be most remembered not only for his humanity and humility …
Hostility between Israel and Iran has potentially reached a tipping point. They have been conducting covert operations against each other for years, but Israel’s recent drone attacks on Iranian military facilities in the province of …
The public unrest that has gripped Iran since September, spearheaded by women, is essentially about the very objectives that the instigators of the 1978–79 Iranian revolution sought but failed to achieve—a pro-democracy transformation of the …