How bureaucracy is destroying Malaysia’s agricultural sector
Over the last 30 years, Malaysia has miraculously grown into a middle income country, transforming itself from a primary producer of minerals and commodities,...
Not Just About Assad: Explaining the Russian-Iranian Axis in Syria
Russia and Iran – both members of the Caspian Five – believe they have acted as a main force for stability in the Caspian...
Syria, Serious, the most Syria-ous
How can we observe and interpret (the distance between) success and failure from a historical perspective? This question remains a difficult one to (satisfy...
A Struggle in Shadows: The Fight between a New and Old Iran
Prior to the 1979 Revolution Iran had experienced an epic transformation during the Pahlavi monarchy. During this time Iran transformed from a mainly tribal...
Spilt Milk: The Unintended Consequences of Russian Sanctions
In the United States the Office of Economic Sanctions Policy and Implementation (SPI) holds responsibility for the development and implementation of international sanctions. A...
Ending the vicious cycle in Syria’s ongoing catastrophe
Conflict in Syria is now in its fifth year and has become the world’s largest humanitarian crisis after the Second World War. ...
The file of the refugee crisis remains open
The massive influx of migrants – Arab and African refugees to Europe – is unanimously considered to have triggered this summer the most serious...
Putin: Cleaning Up an American Mess
The recent appearance of Russian President Vladimir Putin before the UN was a command performance for any Western analyst who wants a deeper and...
Outflanking Iran: The Salman Canal Proposal
The Riyadh-based Arab Century Center for Studies published a report last month that calls for a 950km canal to be built through Saudi Arabia...
How International Sanctions Helped Putin at Home
The United States imposed sanctions on Russia in response to the annexation of Crimea and subsequent involvement in the war in Ukraine. The sanctions...