The limits of soft power: America’s war and its World Cup
When the US, Canada and Mexico were selected as joint hosts of the 2026 World Cup, they were supposed to be the “safe choice” for Fifa. Football’s global governing body had been criticised for previou...
5 Juni 23min
Replay: Who will fill the security vacuum in Gaza?
In its first report to the UN Security Council, the Board of Peace this month said Hamas’s refusal to disarm was the main obstacle to the reconstruction of Gaza. The board's leader, Nickolay Mladenov,...
29 Maj 21min
More weapons, less action: What are the Houthis up to?
It took the Houthis at least a month to enter the Iran conflict in late March and early April and the Yemeni rebels have been largely restrained since a Pakistan-brokered truce began last month. But t...
22 Maj 18min
Where does China stand in US-Iran conflict?
Trade ties and tariff relief were supposed to be the key issues on the agenda during US President Donald Trump's visit to China this week. But with the Iran war unresolved and the Strait of Hormuz sti...
14 Maj 14min
Your move: What next in battle for Strait of Hormuz?
US President Donald Trump has said a deal with Iran could be possible as negotiations to end the war gain momentum, again. Iran is reviewing a US proposal, which reportedly sets out limits for Tehran’...
7 Maj 22min
Making sense of Palestine’s local elections
Palestinians in Gaza have voted in an election for the first time in 20 years, some for the first time in their lives. Municipal elections took place last week across the West Bank but in only a singl...
1 Maj 17min
Can Iraq shake off the grip of foreign influence?
Iraq is in a race against time to choose a prime minister but, even after weeks of deadlock, the Co-ordination Framework – a coalition of major Iraqi Shiite parties – is still deliberating. The countr...
24 Apr 15min
Death penalty: The new threat to Palestinian detainees
Hussein Al Zweidi’s two-year detention in Israeli prisons were some of the hardest days of his life. He described a practice of physical and sexual abuse against prisoners, as well as poor conditions ...
17 Apr 20min
