The Islamic State’s Problem With Women

ZURICH – It is telling that women feature heavily in the Islamic State’s rise and fall. While ISIS’s craven massacre of Yazidi women in Iraq and Syria helped put it on the map, its gradual downfall is coming partly at the hands of Kurdish women fighting against it on the front lines. It is easy Read More >

Iran-Asia Energy Partnership

Few countries in the world can match Iran’s geo-economic and geo-political significance in the global energy markets. The country holds the world’s largest proven natural gas reserve (18.2 percent) and fourth oil reserves (9.3 percent). It is a founding member of both the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the Gas Exporting Countries Forum Read More >

China is Diving into the Gulf, But For How Long?

It’s getting harder for Beijing to sell the story of non-interference in affairs of sovereign states.Like most other major global powers that have preceded it, China is becoming entangled in the Middle East. A friendlier region to its interests than its own neighborhood in East Asia, China found in the Middle East an attractive zone Read More >

Islamic State and the Coming Global Confrontation – Book Review

This book analyzes the origins and organizational structure of Islamic State (IS), examining its military triumphs and success in securing new recruits via social media. From its base in Iraq and Syria, IS has spread globally with 17 regional affiliates from Indonesia to Nigeria and sleeper cells in at least 60 countries, capable of atrocities Read More >

Science Diplomacy and the Nuclear Summit

Defined as a world summit, aimed at preventing nuclear terrorism, under the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) countries work to improve their nuclear security on the basis of the Washington Work Plan, which contains numerous measures and action points. Read more here.

The Role of Russia in Syria

The partial Russian military pull-out from Syria announced by President Vladimir Putin on March 14 continues to generate considerable commentary. Three interpretations stand out. The first sees Putin as cutting Russian losses, a view echoed by members of the Syrian opposition who have portrayed the pull-out as the result of its armed resistance, although there Read More >