Lord Palmerston, Britain’s 19th-century prime minister, was reputedly the first person to have coined the phrase that Nations have no permanent friends or allies, they only have permanent interests. Many…
Iran’s economy is now open for business with more outside countries.
David Holt/flickr
Due to their histories, US companies won’t be at the front of the queue when it comes to doing business in Iran, but many can’t ignore the oil or other markets.
Ka-ching! The sound most countries heard when news of the nuclear deal with Iran broke.
Euro Iran via www.shutterstock.com
A scholars’ panel looks at the diplomacy, the science and the pragmatism behind the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed between Iran and six world powers.
But what do their citizens think?
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
It’s been assumed that most Arab countries are adamantly opposed to Iran’s regional rise and therefore not in favor of a nuclear deal. But is that really the case?
People sometimes overlook their profound differences if social forces unite them in a common, often ill-defined desire. Hostility to Muslims is creating an imagined solidarity that Islamists can exploit.
A Syrian refugee flees from ISIS attack.
REUTERS/Umit Bektas
There were more airstrikes against ISIS this July 4 weekend. Most politicians agree that ‘war is the answer.’ But here’s an argument that peacebuilding is the only realistic way to defeat ISIS.
An Afghan girl looks out of a damaged window of a shrine.
REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail
As the US slows down its troop withdrawal and China increases its involvement in Afghanistan, a warning that if the country is to see peace again, foreign meddling needs to stop.
Hype over the absence of the Saudi king at US-Gulf Cooperation Council summit obscures the real issues facing the US and its Arab allies.
When Australians hear about Foreign Minister Julie Bishop’s dire warnings and counter-terrorism raids, they could lose historical perspective on the threat posed by Islamic State.
AAP/Mal Fairclough
Dire government warnings and counter-terrorism raids in our suburbs paint a picture of the worst threat Western nations have ever faced. A little historical perspective is in order.
Sanctions intended to be biting have more often been toothless and about giving supporters the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes from taking a principled stand.
Cat dollar via www.shutterstock.com
Centrifuges, plutonium, uranium enrichment – what’s the nuclear science behind the deal to curb Iran’s atomic weapons program.
Foreign ministers Julie Bishop and Mohammad Zarif demonstrated a growing rapport between Australia and Iran in reaching agreement on some but not all fronts during her visit to Tehran.
EPA
Australia made progress on restoring trade and sharing intelligence on Islamic State in Iraq. Iran was less open to accepting the return of asylum seekers, which may prove a blessing in disguise.
Marzieh Afkham was the first female spokesperson in Iran’s foreign ministry.
EPA/Abedin Taherkenareh
We get the English word ‘chess’ from the Persian word Shah (king). The linguistic identification of this part of the world with chess belies its Indian origins, but in a country where the ancient nobility…
Iranians, who celebrated in the streets of Tehran following this month’s nuclear agreement, are keen to rebuild relations with the West.
EPA/Abedin Taherkenareh
By reaching out to Iran, Australia can help end a long stand-off with the West that prevented solutions to many of the world’s most dangerous problems, including Syria’s civil war and Islamic State.