China’s economic support for Iran in recent years encouraged Tehran to come back to the negotiating table. Instability in the Middle East is as little in Beijing’s interests as it is in the West’s.
The United States and Iran may finally be converging on a shared commitment to a new nuclear deal. This agreement would not be perfect, but the alternatives are far worse.
Tunisia’s international partners have responded too leniently to its president’s announced programme of constitutional reform. They risk allowing him to remain over-powerful for years to come.
The August 2020 explosion left Lebanon in disarray, and thus far, the country’s principal political parties have united to delay, impede, and undermine the investigation
A motion to label the entire Hamas movement as “terrorists” is an attempt to score political points at the cost of a peacemaking strategy for Israel-Palestine.
What does the re-engagement of regional actors mean for the future of Syria? And what role can Europe play to create breathing space in the country?
How can Europeans more effectively advance their human rights agenda as part of, and while maintaining, their broader relationships with regional states?
European states face accusations of neglecting the matter of human rights in their southern neighbourhood, and even of being complicit. Yet they are failing to maximise the influence they could bring to bear.
It would be a mistake for the parties to the Iran nuclear deal to see the issue of guarantees in terms of economic targets. Instead, they should focus on how to normalise their economic relationship in the long term.
The attempted killing of the Iraqi prime minister looks set to transform the post-election landscape. European engagement could prove valuable, but it will need to strike the right balance between urgency and caution.