A European “maybe” for Palestine
Although EU members have not reached a concensus on recognising Palestine at the United Nations, the arguments in favour of European recognition outweigh the arguments against.
Middle East and North Africa
Seven takeaways from the Gaza ceasefire
Did Israel's “Operation Pillar of Defense” change the politics of the Middle East? Who are the winners and losers of the Gaza conflict – and what's next after the Israel-Hamas ceasefire?
New world, same old Israel
Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to show that nothing in Israel's security situation has changed. But in the wake of the Arab Uprising the Middle East is a different place and Israel needs to reconsider its whole strategy.
Israel: Living by the sword
What was the assessment that prompted Israel's operation in Gaza and what might that tell us about its intended outcome and trajectory? Of course the timing can be explained with the approaching elections in Israel. But that is only part of the story.
Plenty of war clouds but no daylight in Governor Romney’s speech
Mitt Romney's foreign policy speech focused almost exclusively on the broader Middle East region. But what he really advanced was a policy of weaponised Keynesianism.
Time for Azerbaijan to open up
Azerbaijan has hydrocarbon riches and a strategic position, which means that all the great powers have an interest in good relations. But one family has dominated the political scene for many years, corruption is rampant and the economy needs diversifying. It’s time to open up.
Europe’s role in the Arab Spring
The outcome of the uprisings in North Africa is still in the balance and although it will be mainly up to the North Africans themselves to decide their future, Europe has a key role to play on the side of reform – especially Paris, Rome and Madrid.
Who is winning on human rights at the UN?
The gathering of world leaders at the United Nations this week will be punctuated by angry statements on the Syrian…
What Europe should tell Mohammed Morsi
The Brussels visit of Egypt’s first democratically elected president Mohammed Morsi is a striking reminder of the changes that have swept the Arab world in the last 18 months. Europe should not miss a historic opportunity to rebuild relations with the most important country in the region.
Morsi goes to Tehran, and Egypt gets its mojo back
Cairo and Tehran are talking to each other: Iran because it is increasingly isolated, Egypt because it is attempting to reclaim the mantle of regional leadership. Is this an example of Egypt's new foreign policy under Mr Morsi?