Steve Royston

Meddle in Afghanistan: The Lesson from History Is Clear

Meddle in Afghanistan: The Lesson from History Is Clear

STEVE ROYSTON: My Summer reading has been dominated by books which consider how major powers, in particular Britain, have come to grief in Afghanistan

 Francis Matthew

China’s Influence Based on ‘Failure to Engage’

China’s Influence Based on ‘Failure to Engage’

FRANCIS MATTHEW: Arab concerns are largely irrelevant to the Chinese as Beijing looks to reinforce its self-perception as the premier Asian power.

 Tabsir

One Middle East Certainty: The Blood Keeps Flowing

One Middle East Certainty: The Blood Keeps Flowing

DANIEL M. VARISCO: Whether it’s Syria or Yemen the bloodshed just seems to go on. It’s always been so.

 Common Ground News Service

Prizes: Nobel Gets Muslim World Right, Pulitzer Doesn’t

Prizes: Nobel Gets Muslim World Right, Pulitzer Doesn’t

DR MUQTEDAR KHAN, CGNEWS: Whatever you think about prizes they help to define an era. Pulitzer judged wrong this year.

 Common Ground News Service

How To Secure Women’s Rights in Afghanistan

How To Secure Women’s Rights in Afghanistan

DAVID CORTRIGHT, CGNEWS: We asked Afghan women how they believed their hard won rights could be secured.

 James M. Dorsey

The $750,000 Guantanamo ‘Pitch’ to Cooperate

The $750,000 Guantanamo ‘Pitch’ to Cooperate

JAMES M. DORSEY: The $744,000 pitch outside a $39 million penitentiary-style building is intended to reward the most cooperative of the 120,171 inmates.

 Juan Cole

Goodbye Bin Laden. Now It’s Time to Exit Iraq

Goodbye Bin Laden. Now It’s Time to Exit Iraq

JUAN COLE: Post Osama, President Obama should do us all a favour and now remove U.S. troops from Iraq.

 Steve Royston

Democracy Performance Review : Could do Better

Democracy Performance Review : Could do Better

STEVE ROYSTON: The concept of government for the people and by the people – is as far from a reality at the end of 2010 as it ever was.