The laws of war, also known as International Humanitarian Law (IHL), consist of the four 1949 Geneva Conventions, their two Additional Protocols of 1977, the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907, as well as certain weapons conventions. Simply put, these instruments seek to spare civilians and others who are no longer active combatants from the […]
Throughout the western world, there have been some fairly grim public reactions to the terrorist attacks in Israel. If you are a reasonable person, of course, you were simply shocked and revolted by Hamas slaughtering hundreds of innocent party-goers, dragging vulnerable people from their homes to butcher them in the streets and unleashing a torrent […]
The world has just witnessed the worst attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust. Yet amid the international condemnation of Hamas terrorists, there has also been equivocation – and even celebration in some quarters. No other conflict stirs emotions like that between Israel and palestine – so why is it that the world’s only Jewish […]
I went to see Golda on Sunday. We’d chosen the day last week. Just an ordinary weekend trip to the cinema. But on Sunday it was anything but ordinary, because it was the day after Saturday – the most barbaric and deliberate attack on Jews since the Holocaust, in which (as I write) the number […]
Just over a week ago, mourners from across the globe came to commemorate the life of the UK’s greatest diplomat, Queen Elizabeth II. Amongst those who paid their respects at the funeral were leaders from Dubai, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. The attendance of these leaders, hailing from countries where UK diplomacy […]
When the Taliban dramatically gained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, they used bombs and guns to swiftly overcome state security forces. But they also had another valuable and effective weapon at their disposal: taxes. Long before the withdrawal of US troops, the Taliban had developed a remarkably state-like system of taxing citizens on everyday goods like […]
What a difference a decade makes. When David Cameron entered Downing Street for the first time in 2010, Russia seemed like a mere nuisance on the edge of Europe, the Arab Spring had not yet rocked the Middle East, and boosting relations with China was seen as the future. The UK was still a member […]
As a species, we are brought up with fairy tales. It is a sign of approaching maturity when we realise that they aren’t true. The principle that Britain doesn’t pay ransoms to kidnappers is being revealed as one such childish fantasy, because that it is all it is – a myth. The latest proof that, […]
Discussions of Iran policy are understandably focused on the issue of containing the country’s nuclear program, following resumption of negotiations in Vienna on Monday. But the narrow focus of those discussions warrants criticism, as it threatens to distract attention from other unresolved issues relating to Tehran’s malign activities. Iran’s clerical regime is widely recognised as […]
For those who are keen to persuade us we don’t need fossil fuels anymore, September must have come as a shock. The country faced an unexpected fuel crisis, causing shortages in shops, lengthy queues at petrol pumps and the looming threat of a winter of discontent. The truth is, for all the pomp and preaching, […]
On Sunday at 4.30pm, Newcastle are due to play Tottenham Hotspur at St James’ Park in their first match since being bought by Saudi Arabia. The purchase has been met with widespread condemnation as a form of ‘sportswashing’ – allowing a brutal state to present a positive image to the world – and, as a […]
Since leaving the EU, the United Kingdom has been confidently and assiduously seeking new partnership all over the world, including in the Middle East. As Anne-Elisabeth Moutet noted on CapX recently, September’s meeting in London between Boris Johnson and Abu Dhabi’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed, underlined the particular importance of British […]
Watching the traumatic images of thousands of desperate Afghans fleeing the tyranny of their resurgent Taliban oppressors it’s hard not to draw historical parallels. An obvious one is the fall of Saigon in 1975 — symbolised by a single iconic image of a US helicopter evacuating Vietnamese civilians while the North Vietnamese army closes in. […]
For many in the West it’s hard to credit that Iran was responsible for the recent incident in the Gulf in which a British oil tanker struck by a drone. The unprovoked attack on the vessel, which resulted in the death of one British seaman, and his Romanian colleague, is seen by many as tantamount […]
Lionel Messi’s emotional though lucrative move to Paris Saint-Germain is now complete. After scoring 672 goals for Barcelona, the football world eagerly awaits what he can bring to the French league. His new club’s owners, meanwhile, will be looking slightly further ahead, with a focus on 2022. Since Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) first bought a majority stake in Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in […]
How best to deal with Iran’s regime has been a serious conundrum for Western governments for four decades. This vexing problem will become much worse now that Ebrahim Raisi takes over as the country’s president. Like many of my colleagues in the UK Parliament, I have long recognised that in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the overwhelming […]
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