Riyadh committed a crime and blunder; its communication strategy, so far, has been an unmitigated disaster. MbS is facing a challenge, to put it mildly.

The crisis over North Korea’s reckless but successful pursuit of nuclear- weapon capability and the misguided response thereto by the United States is taking the world nearer to an unnecessary and perfectly avoidable catastrophe.

Unfortunately, the incoherence in US policy under Trump makes one fear that the probability of a disastrous miscalculation is truly worrisome.

While the GCC crisis seems to be de-escalating, there is no end in sight as yet.

It is unrealistic and naïve to expect Qatar to surrender. And it is not beyond diplomacy to work out a face-saving formula

It is unlikely that Qatar will agree to align its foreign policy with that of Riyadh and to rein in Al Jazeera.

A rational decision maker in the White House does not have all options on the table and cannot start a war without South Korea’s consent. Diplomacy is the only option and this is as obvious as obvious can be.

What to make of the combination of Trump’s missile strikes in Syria, changes of mind about China and Russia, warnings to North Korea, signals about scaling up military presence in Afghanistan, and outreach to Turkey?

Though it began as a search for a path to political democracy, the Arab Spring was used or misused by external powers and entrenched interests within the Arab world to prevent the march towards democracy.

The partial cease-fire brokered and imposed by Russia and Turkey, with Iran’s concurrence, on Assad and the ‘moderates’, might mark a turning point in Syria’s tortuous journey since 2011.