World

Syrian Religious Leader Demands 'Separate' Region for Druze
Syrian Religious Leader Demands 'Separate' Region for Druze

A prominent Druze leader in southern Syria demanded on Monday the creation of a separate region for his minority community, as he seeks to unite local armed factions following sectarian violence last month. The week of bloodshed in Sweida province began on July 13 with clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin but rapidly escalated, ...

UN Security Council to Vote on Embattled Lebanon Peacekeepers
UN Security Council to Vote on Embattled Lebanon Peacekeepers

The United Nations Security Council will vote Monday on the future of the peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, which has faced opposition from the US and Israel. The Council will consider a French-drafted compromise to keep the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), deployed in 1978 to separate Israel and Lebanon, for another year ...

Iraq Seeks to Repatriate “Hundreds” of Foreign Female Prisoners and their Children
Iraq Seeks to Repatriate “Hundreds” of Foreign Female Prisoners and their Children

Iraq has announced plans to send back to their home countries “hundreds” of foreign women prisoners and their children, but two foreign diplomats told AFP on Monday that such procedures are expected to take a long time. The initiative excludes women sentenced to death but covers detainees affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group as well ...

How Trump Can Save Lebanon from Iran's Influence
Op-edHow Trump Can Save Lebanon from Iran's Influence

Hezbollah disarmament must come before any governance reforms can succeed.   Lebanon stands at a crossroads. After decades of Iranian manipulation and Hezbollah's stranglehold on the country, President Donald Trump has a historic opportunity to help the Lebanese people reclaim their nation while advancing key American interests. But success ...

Syria President to Speak at UN General Assembly
Syria President to Speak at UN General Assembly

Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, will speak at the United Nations General Assembly next month, a foreign ministry official told AFP on Monday, the first Syrian leader to do so in decades. Sharaa "will take part in the United Nations General Assembly in New York where he will deliver a speech", the official said, ...

Iran Nuclear Talks with European Powers to be Held in Geneva
Iran Nuclear Talks with European Powers to be Held in Geneva

Nuclear talks scheduled for Tuesday between Iran and Britain, France and Germany will be held in Geneva, Iranian state media reported. "On Tuesday, Iran and the three European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal, along with the European Union, will hold a new round of talks at the level of deputy foreign ministers in Geneva," state ...

SpaceX Delays Starship Megarocket Launch in Latest Setback
SpaceX Delays Starship Megarocket Launch in Latest Setback

SpaceX delayed a planned test flight for its Starship megarocket by 24 hours until Monday, saying it needed time to troubleshoot problems, in the latest setback for Elon Musk's behemoth after a series of explosive failures. The recent problems have led some observers to doubt whether the world's biggest and most powerful launch vehicle will be ...

Washington Makes Military Aid Overtures to Sahel Juntas
SpotlightWashington Makes Military Aid Overtures to Sahel Juntas

Under President Donald Trump the United States has reset relations with West Africa's military leaders on a mutual back-scratching basis, bartering help fighting jihadists for the Sahel region's mining riches, experts say. While Joe Biden was in office the US suspended most of the development and military aid it sent to Burkina Faso, Mali and ...

Row Breaks Out as US Diplomat Criticises France on Antisemitism
Row Breaks Out as US Diplomat Criticises France on Antisemitism

France's foreign ministry said Sunday it would summon the US ambassador after he criticized the government for what he said was its insufficient action against antisemitism in a letter to President Emmanuel Macron. The letter from Charles Kushner, dated August 25 but leaked to the media on Sunday, echoed Israel's criticism of France days earlier, ...

Diplomacy and Totalitarianism
AnalysisDiplomacy and Totalitarianism

Observing international life today conveys puzzling images and ambivalent feelings about its complexion. We have a difficult time categorizing events, making sense of political evolutions, and dealing with them. The collapse of the conventional political taxonomy with its binaries and ideological lenses invites us to rethink our intellectual ...