The world watched with disbelief when Saudi Arabia and its allies decided to punish Qatar for supporting terrorism in the region. These allegations against Qatar had been the sole preserve of Syria and other countries who suffered the after-effects of the Arab Spring in 2010.
More attention needs to be paid to the Syrian Grand Mufti’s charges that the Middle East is being destabilised by Western forces
The current claustrophobic squeeze imposed on Qatar is part of a larger game being played out between the coalitions led by Saudi Arabia and Iran
Sanjay Kapoor Delhi
Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has raised many eyebrows with his radical stance on Palestine
Shubda Chaudhary Delhi
Prof Laleh Khalili speaks to Hardnews, on the violent protests against Saudi Arabia in Iran, the rising scourge of sectarianism, the rise of the Islamic State and the future of the Middle East. Excerpts
Sadiq Naqvi Jaipur
Since the peak of June 2014, the price of oil has plummetted by about 70%. At the time when the price was in the vicinity of $140 per barrel, no one really believed it could ever come down. So-called oil experts talked about “peak oil” theory and how the petroleum reserves were dwindling and so the price of oil would never fall below $100 per barrel. Think-tanks that put out regular updates scared people by saying a barrel of Brent crude could cost about $200. This was a scary scenario for consumers, but music to those economies that live off commodities.
Hardnews Bureau Delhi
Sabika Zehra Delhi
Editorial: July 2014
Hardnews Bureau Delhi
The ISIL scheme for a sectarian Islamic Caliphate can prove to be a thorn in India’s side with its threat to the latter’s oil dependence and its manifesto of Sunni-Shia hatred
Sanjay Kapoor Delhi