COMMENT | ANDREW PI BESI | When commenting on the 1980–1988 Iraq–Iran war, Henry Kissinger once remarked that it was “a pity both sides can’t lose”. It was a chilling distillation of a worldview in which distant conflicts are not tragedies to be resolved, but instruments to be managed. Alongside Zbigniew …
Read More »What is happening after U.S. “blockades” Strait of Hormuz?
CAIRO, EGYPT | Xinhua | No vessel breached the U.S. blockade on Iran in the first 24 hours, the U.S. Central Command said on Tuesday, while ship-tracking data showed that several vessels continued to pass through the Strait of Hormuz on the same day. That raises three questions: What is …
Read More »Trump says Iran war “very close to being over”
WASHINGTON | Xinhua | U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday morning that the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran is “very close to being over.” In an interview with Fox Business, Trump also indicated U.S. strikes would continue as long as necessary to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, repeating threats …
Read More »When fools go to war
COMMENT | FEDERICO FUBINI | Although one might be hard-pressed to find similarities between the wars in Ukraine and Iran, Donald Trump’s April Fools’ Day speech from the White House has brought the parallel into sharper focus. To be sure, Ukraine is a democracy (however imperfect) aspiring to European integration, …
Read More »Energy crisis strengthens case for green transition
VIENNA | Xinhua | The International Vienna Energy and Climate Forum, which concluded over the weekend, marked the first major global energy gathering since the latest U.S.-Israel-Iran tensions, a conflict that erupted on Feb. 28 and sent global energy prices sharply higher amid fears of supply disruptions. Under the theme …
Read More »A bad deal today means a bigger war tomorrow
COMMENT | MOHAMMED AL DHAHERI & RIKARD JALKEBRO | Diplomatic instinct suggests that, when conflicts intensify, parties should head to the negotiating table. That impulse might be rooted in genuine moral concern, but there are times when heeding it is dangerous. Now is just such a time: negotiations to …
Read More »The nature of the American State
US troops before leaving Afghanistan. One of many countries American presidents have invaded to achieve their war plans How the war against Iran is not a Trump creation but a deep-seated American way of doing things THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | US President Donald Trump campaigned on …
Read More »Why U.S.-Iran talks failed to reach an agreement
BEIJING | Xinhua | After 21 hours of marathon-like negotiations, the United States and Iran failed to reach an agreement in the latest round of talks, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Sunday in Islamabad, Pakistan. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency also reported that negotiations in Islamabad concluded …
Read More »No deal reached after hours of rare high-level U.S.-Iran talks in decades
ISLAMABAD | Xinhua | No agreement was reached between the United States and Iran in the latest round of talks held in Islamabad, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said here on Sunday, as negotiations concluded without a breakthrough despite intensive engagement. Vance said the U.S. side had presented its “final …
Read More »Pakistan prepares for U.S.-Iran talks amid heightened security
ISLAMABAD | Xinhua | Pakistan has stepped up security and logistical preparations as delegations from the United States and Iran are expected to arrive in Islamabad for high-stakes talks aimed at easing tensions in the Middle East following a recently announced two-week ceasefire. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Thursday …
Read More »
The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price