Friends with Benefits

Posted on by Frank Brinkley

Britain has been both blessed and cursed by its so-called ‘special relationship’ with the United States. This is the convincing conclusion of Ian Buruma’s well-written history of the Anglo-American association over the past century. The phrase itself was popularised by Churchill, who, like successive prime ministers, emphasised the bonds uniting the two English-speaking nations: kith […]

It’s a Tough Neighbourhood

Posted on by Frank Brinkley

What do the Arabs want in Iran? The question has long puzzled me. They want to see the back of the Islamic revolutionary regime (most people do), but their relations with its pro-Western, nationalist predecessor were hardly very good either. Several years ago, over dinner in Istanbul with a group of veteran Saudi diplomats, I […]

The View from Beijing

Posted on by Frank Brinkley

China’s rise as a great power over the last thirty years has radically transformed our world. With its enormous economic might, it is capable of sending out shockwaves that touch us directly. It is a country in constant transformation. Beginning with its accession to the World Trade Organization in December 2001, China has sought to […]

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RLF - March

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