David Blair's Blog, page 117

US Marines urinating video comes at singularly sensitive moment for Afghanistan

Leon Panetta, the US defence secretary, wasted no time to denounce the behaviour shown in the latest embarrassing video of American forces in Afghanistan. He had little choice, for this incident has occurred at a singularly sensitive moment.

Japan agrees to cut dependency on Iranian oil as US scores significant coup against regime

The drive to impose an oil embargo on Iran won the backing of the country's second-biggest customer on Thursday when Japan agreed to cut its imports.

Iran's nuclear power: the world must prepare for the inevitable to happen

Whenever an Iranian scientist is killed or a mysterious explosion takes place inside a sensitive facility, the veil is briefly lifted on an intense covert effort to derail Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

Iranian nuclear scientist latest victim of covert sabotage efforts

An Iranian scientist became the latest victim on Wednesday of a covert effort to sabotage the country's nuclear ambitions when he died in a bomb explosion in Tehran.

Iran nuclear scientist dead: mysterious recent deaths and disappearances

A steady drumbeat of killings has claimed the lives of five Iranian nuclear scientists since 2007, along with the head of the country's ballistic missile programme. Meanwhile, other senior figures have simply disappeared:

Syria: Inside the deluded mind of a dictator-at-bay

President Bashar Assad's bizarre analysis of Syria's crisis bears all the signs of oppressive ruler syndrome.

Russia 'worried' over Iran's nuclear ambitions

Russia has voiced rare "worry" over Iran's nuclear ambitions as the European Union brought forward a meeting of foreign ministers to decide whether to impose a potentially crippling oil embargo.

Syria: Assad's Arab League gamble looks unlikely to pay off

Syria's regime fought a stubborn diplomatic battle to prevent the Arab League from deploying observers inside the country.

Libya's government 'broke international justice standards' over Saif Gaddafi

Libya's new government has broken international standards of justice by holding Saif Gaddafi, the son of Libya's former leader, without access to a lawyer on charges that could carry the death penalty.

Syria: credibility of Arab League's General Mohammed Ahmed al-Dabi questioned

The Arab League has risked the "credibility" of its observers in Syria by choosing a Sudanese general with a record of presiding over human rights abuses to lead the mission, Amnesty International said on Thursday.