politics
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It is the anniversary this month of the complete liberation of Karabakh by the armed forces of Azerbaijan. Most of the regions of Azerbaijan taken by Armenian forces between 1991 and 1994 were reclaimed in November 2020 by the Azerbaijanis during, and as a result of, the 44 Day War. The rump of the former…
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On 15 October the Sunday Times reported that “five former British Defence Secretaries and the ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson have urged Sir Keir Starmer to supply Ukraine with long range Storm Shadow missiles to strike deep inside Russia, even without US backing.” This joint statement was preceded by a week or so of high-profile media…
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During the Great War of 1914 Britain invaded neutral Greece and occupied Salonika with a large force. This operation, far away from the Western front where the war would be decided, was called a “sideshow” by many in England and the French Premier even referred to the army as the “Salonika gardeners”. In Ireland a…
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James Sharp, former British Ambassador to Baku, was recently interviewed on Caliber, by Orkhan Amashov. The interview dealt with some similarities between the ‘Northern Ireland’ peace process/1998 Belfast, aka Good Friday Agreement, and the current, stalled Armenia-Azerbaijan peace negotiations. The focus of the interview was on the reluctance of Yerevan to meet Baku’s demand to…
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The new Taoiseach, Simon Harris, has stated that Irish unity is not his priority. It is merely an aspiration – as opposed to a policy. He has, therefore, returned the Irish state to the policy of De Valera. De Valera was conscious that ‘Northern Ireland’ had an ulterior motive as far as the British were…
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“My interest in Persia was aroused some years ago by the writings and the speeches of Professor Browne, and my interest to it was attracted because I have all my life thought that one of the greatest outrages against humanity that can be perpetrated is to kill the soul or the civilization of any nation……
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The recent intriguing documentary by Darragh Macintyre, The Secret Army, about Bowyer-Bell’s long lost 1970s propaganda film for the IRA – which was not all it seemed – has reopened the chatter about touts/informers. In particular, it has started the media off again on one of its favourite subjects, assisted by various anti-Sinn republicans, about…
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Two significant events have occurred in the South Caucasus in recent weeks. Firstly, the West has thrown its weight behind Armenia’s breakaway from Russian hegemony. Secondly, the Russian peacekeepers, who took up positions in 2020, have begun withdrawing from the Azerbaijani territory of Karabakh. Let us first acknowledge that Nikol Pashinyan has good reasons for…
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(Note: This article was written before the leader of the DUP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson was arrested on sex offence charges.) It seems that the DUP may be back to “feeding the crocodiles” again. According to the Belfast Telegraph (1.3.24): “Addressing his party members in Newry and Armagh on Wednesday night, Sir Jeffrey said that Northern…
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The World has entered a period of great flux. Thirty years ago it was in such a period after the collapse of the Soviet Union. That event came about with great suddenness, despite signs being there that something was going to happen of a fundamental nature. Likewise, today. In the late 1980s Soviet leaders and…
