Why Twitter doesn't hold the key to the Foreign Office's revolving door
While negotiating the Foreign Office website looking for a list of its current ministers, I discovered the august institution has a link to FCO careers on Twitter. But there was nothing advertising the...
View ArticleBarack Obama threatened by Iraq prisoner release
America is halfway through unwinding its position in the Iraqi prison business. But, as in matters financial, the easy bit has been tackled first. The real pain lies from here on. News that five...
View ArticleIraq kills Iranian dissidents, earning brownie points in Tehran
The American-installed government in Iraq has shown its true colours. By fighting its way into an Iraqi camp of Iranian dissidents, possibly killing 11 people in the process, it has earned brownie...
View ArticleLawyers develop a sudden interest in Diego Garcia – but the real target is...
Diego Garcia is a place too mysterious to be anything but true. The Indian Ocean territory is a quiet obsession of mine. I've had a long standing application lodged with the US Pentagon to go there –...
View ArticleNato troops boost Taliban ranks by two thirds, implies British ambassador to...
We now have a figure for the boost that the foreign troop presence has given the Taliban in Afghanistan. Mark Sedwill, the British Ambassador to Kabul, has just said that "two thirds, maybe even more"...
View ArticleIraq accuses Saudi mullahs of orchestrating a terrorist campaign
A senior Iraqi government advisor this morning accused Saudi Arabia of sending legions of extremists across the border in an attempt to destabilise the country as American troops are scaled back. Iraq...
View ArticleEconomic recovery could be bad news for Germany
News that Germany and France have, with a mini-bound, escaped recession must be the most ominous development of the week. Though it has always proved a mirage in the past, the possibility of change had...
View ArticleWars are getting smarter but that doesn't mean better
Smart bombs are supposed to make clever wars. So a report that Israel is claiming a world record – don't ask who keeps score – for the use of smart bombs in a single campaign caught my eye. The...
View ArticleThe curious case of the oil traders, lawyers and toxic waste dumps in Africa
Cross-border justice for the world's poor and deprived is a wonderful thing in theory – but can produce allegations that don't stand up to scrutiny. As a study in crisis management, Trafigura's...
View ArticleBeer and politics mix as the German election draws near
Americans like to think there's a chicken in every pot. Afghans are similarly enthused by the idea of a Khalashnikov in every home. Germans, especially Bavarians, are truly proud when every village...
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