The international tensions around Tehran’s nuclear programme have eased as diplomatic talks are agreed. But the intensive planning in Israel for an assault on Iran continues. This makes it vital to understand the scale and probable consequences of a war.
The Syrian capital at first sight offers little sign of the year-long conflict tearing much of the country apart. But a closer look reveals the fractures that are straining its social fabric, says Bushra Saaed.
Beijing's refusal to support intervention in Syria in support of the rebels is founded on a mix of strategic judgment and political calculation. But this still leaves it with the challenge of defining a distinctive international role, say Kerry Brown & Cassidy Hazelbaker.
The Palestinians’ inability to claim their right has been reinforced by long-term failures of thinking and strategy in which the eclipse of politics by essentialism plays a major part. But the new aspirations sweeping the Arab world create potential for progress, says Hazem Saghieh.
The toxins of the Israel-Palestine conflict continue to spill into a region that with difficulty and with setbacks is striving to embark on a new future.
An accurate reading of the Syrian crisis must take into account the political interests and motives of leading regional actors, says Rein Müllerson.
A year of violent repression and suffering leaves Syria's people as far as ever from achieving the freedom millions of them demand. Ayman Ayoub looks back and forward.
