David Blair's Blog, page 63

Barack Obama's Iran plan: an act of genius or a fool’s bargain?

President Obama's much-criticised offer to Iran may in fact be an act of genuine strategic vision, say David Blair and Peter Foster

150 years on, Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address still has the power to inspire

The 271 words of the most famous speech ever delivered by a US president have been studied by successors as a guide to great oratory

Belgium becomes fourth country to refuse to destroy Syria's chemical arsenal

The hunt continues for a country willing to accept Syria's poisonous stockpile for destruction on its soil

Albania joins list of countries to reject Syria's chemical weapons stockpile

Albania has become the latest country to refuse to destroy Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons

After the shambles of Sri Lanka, the Commonwealth needs a relaunch

First, the good news: David Cameron kept his promise to “shine a light” on Sri Lanka’s human rights record when he visited the country for the Commonwealth summit. If President Mahinda Rajapaksa thought this occasion was going to be a chance to showcase his regime, then he will have been...

Sri Lanka moves to quell protests before Commonwealth summit

Sri Lanka cracks down on demonstrators attempting to reach Colombo before Commonwealth summit which opens on Friday

The Sri Lankan government wants to showcase its country. Obstructing journalists is an odd way of doing it

The Sri Lankan government is not doing itself any favours. The Commonwealth summit begins on Friday and the press are duly arriving in force . So this is not an ideal moment for the authorities to start obstructing journalists and sabotaging demonstrations.

The UN came to Haiti and left behind a disaster. Let's hope they don't do the same after Typhoon Haiyan

In the end, the smell lives on as the strongest memory. Back in January 2010, I was sent to Haiti just after an earthquake had devastated the capital, Port-au-Prince. In the aftermath of this calamity, which claimed as many as 300,000 lives, the ruins of the city were pervaded by...

Why America and Iran need one another

The logic of diplomacy is driving these two great enemies towards a most unlikely entente, writes David Blair

William Hague says nuclear deal with Iran is 'on table' and 'could be done'

After failure of Geneva talks on Iran's nuclear programme, the Foreign Secretary says that progress was made and the gaps are 'narrow'