Syria

“Just because we have to comply with these procedures doesn’t mean we accept them ... The final step is to raise our objections very strongly with member states, behind closed doors, with the parties who have influence on the government, including the Russians, who have been helpful on occasions,” she said. “There are no easy choices, especially when you are trying to work in every area, which is what we are trying to do.” … [Read more...] about More than 80% of UN aid convoys in Syria blocked or delayed

Earlier this year, China, another permanent member of the security council, flatly rejected the ruling of the UN-backed permanent court of arbitration in The Hague that its island building and wider maritime claims in the South China Sea have no legal basis. Beijing said simply that the decision did not apply, for no better reason than it did not fit its strategic objectives. China has also made clear, following North Korea’s recent, illegal nuclear test, that it reserves the right to block attempts at the UN to impose further sanctions if it does not like them, thereby further undermining attempts to rein in the rogue regime in Pyongyang. Recent joint naval exercises in the South China Sea suggest Russia and China are grimly intent on backing up each other’s bad behaviour. … [Read more...] about The Observer view on Russia’s actions in Syria and the failure of international law

However, after the intervention of Russia on Assad’s side, the war has swung in favour of the Syrian president and his allies, prompting Israeli officials to become increasingly concerned by a “day after” scenario that would mean Iranian power being projected on to its doorstep. … [Read more...] about Netanyahu accuses Iran of building missile production sites in Syria

“Hands are on the trigger and missiles are ready and will be launched at any moment that the enemy tries to carry out its sinister plot against our lands,” Salami said, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated to the Guards. … [Read more...] about Iran warns Israeli bases are within reach as pair lock horns over Syria

Baghuz is certainly not the last gasp for Isis in Iraq and Syria, but rather a sharp intake of breath before it goes underground. For years the organisation has prepared for this scenario: ultimately, a return to its guerrilla roots. It may well benefit from a fresh narrative, grounded in nostalgia rather than bloodlust. It will also gain some strategic advantage from the rise of the far right in the west, and most importantly, from the failure in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere, to offer a more just, law-based alternative on the ground. … [Read more...] about The caliphate is over, but Isis will be back in another form