• Russia moving into a critical period economically

    There is a concern that Trump will step in just when Russia runs out of steam. What does this mean, Russian interest rates are at an eye watering twenty one percent, the Rouble has lost value against the US dollar and the Chinese Yuan. There is an expectation that the rouble has further to fall,…

  • Syria….twelve years on

    Its not easy assessing the situation in Syria, but the facts are very easy to manage if you are cynical. The idea that Aleppo, Hama and possibly Homs have fallen is a significant factor in the analysis of the war. But the question is what has happened to the Syrian army that it capitulated so…

  • Jimmy Lai and the umbrellas of Hong Kong

    First published on 4th January 2024 The umbrellas have been put away for the time being, but the arguments of where Hong Kong stands still have to be navigated. Jimmy Lai, the editor, founder and owner of Apple Daily is being charged under Hong Kong’s legislature with a whole plethora of charges, that range from…

  • Is it time to get tougher with Russia….

    With the end of Navalny, Russians seem to have lost the one voice that could be heard by millions who were either gasping at the audacity of his latest prank or just finding an understanding of what an extraordinary man he was. But Russia has never been short of these kind of characters until now,…

  • Populism, US and Europe

    This is the republication of an article that I think is necessary after the US election.

  • Germany and the question of moving into the 21st Century

    The rules based order is moving into an uncertain period. The ideas of liberal democracy is also under threat with the movement of the US towards the unpredictability of its presidency, but the ideas and arguments that have kept the western world above the political machinations of the authoritarians has led to states that have…