Faisal Al Yafai

Contributor

Appeasing the far right with Dutch burqa ban could have repercussions

Adopting the policies of hardline parties normalises them

August 6, 2019

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, hoped for a larger majority than he achieved in Japan's national upper house election . Reuters/Issei Kato

Japan’s election revealed the uncomfortable conversations the country needs to have

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe emerged victorious at the polls, but vital debates around military legitimacy and a looming pensions crisis are yet to be fully addressed

July 23, 2019

Rescued Filipino fishermen are transferred to a ship after their boat was sunk in a collision with a Chinese trawler in the South China Sea. AP

Duterte's dilemma in the South China Sea

The leader of the Philippines faces an uncomfortable choice – lose face at home or stand up to a regional superpower, with no real backing

July 16, 2019

Outgoing Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras leaving the Maximos Mansion after a meeting with newly-appointed Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Costas Baltas / Reuters

Greece's Alexis Tsipras became a victim of his own budget cuts

The prime minister who came to power on a promise of change was booted out in the election because he was simply more of the same

July 9, 2019

President Beji Caid Essebsi's ill health formed part of a busy 24 hours in Tunisian news. AFP

Tunisia's party politics may be fractious, but its democracy remains robust

The strengths and weaknesses of the nation's parliamentary system have both been on prominent display

July 2, 2019

A member of the Taliban holds a flag aloft in Kabul. Reuters

Taliban talks must provide more than a route to an abrupt US withdrawal from Afghanistan

The future of the nation is at stake and the knock-on effects of a hurried US exit would be colossal – both for Afghans and the wider world

June 25, 2019

Sadiq Khan has risen above Mr Trump's attacks. AFP

Sadiq Khan cuts a strong and dignified figure in the face of Donald Trump's attacks

The mayor of London has skilfully used the US president's vitriol to position himself as a smart, courageous and likeable politician who stands up to bigotry

June 18, 2019

Russian President Vladimir Putin with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum. AP

Will China and Russia's marriage of convenience be a long and happy one?

While both nations look forward to building a new global future together, irreconcilable differences could drive them apart

June 11, 2019

The Chinese-operated port of Kribi in Cameroon. Adrienne Surprenant / Bloomberg

Africa's new free trade deal will transform the continent

Freer movement of goods, services and people within the continent will help businesses flourish and offer greater job opportunities to a young population

June 4, 2019

Cheering supporters hold posters of the imprisoned Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan in southeastern Turkey. AP

Abdullah Ocalan's return to public discourse could be a vote-winning strategy for Erdogan's ruling party

Allowing the jailed Kurdish rebel leader to release statements before the Istanbul election rerun is a smart and calculated move

May 29, 2019

A poster of Bashar Al Assad in Damascus that reads "leader of the triumph". AFP

Middle Eastern nations must decide for themselves how to engage with Syria

Washington is pushing for ostracism. Moscow is urging a rapprochement. Each is acting in its own interest, and the region should do the same

May 21, 2019

Albanian policemen attempt to avoid a petrol bomb thrown during protests in Tirana. AFP

With no roadmap to a European future, the people of the Balkans have taken to the streets

For years, EU membership has been the region's driving aspiration. Denied accession, its politics are now paralysed and increasingly volatile

May 14, 2019

A truck enters the rebel-held northern Syrian city of Idlib. AFP

Losing control of Syria’s central highways would be good news for Idlib’s militants – and a disaster for its people

The regime's latest efforts to retake vital roads will not improve the lives of the three million who live in the embattled province

May 7, 2019

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prepare to enter talks on Syria. EPA

In the Middle East, Russia can deal with everyone and is no one's best friend

Pursuing its own interests and not taking sides places the nation in a position of great strength

April 30, 2019

Syrians gather at the scene of a double attack in Syria's north-western city of Idlib, which is controlled by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham. AFP / Muhammad Haj Kadour

Hayat Tahrir Al Sham's advances have changed dynamics in Idlib

The militant group has seized large areas of territory, neutralised its competition and now holds the lives of three million Syrians in its hands

April 23, 2019

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