Will recognition from France, the UK, Canada and Australia matter? Or will Israel simply go on defying the vast majority of UN member states? September will tell us.

Amid growing competition for influence in Africa from the US, Moscow has been deepening military and economic ties there, especially in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. Now, it must deliver.

Discussions aimed at reaching a mutual understanding are vital to preventing miscalculation from either side

Baghdad wants good relations with Washington, but its ties with Tehran run deep. Under increased pressure, it may have to pick a side once and for all.

The two atomic bombs dropped on Japan by the US remain a subject of intense debate, and the world is still learning the lessons of those fateful events

Much more than good optics, the move aims to optimise the efficacy of governance at a critical inflexion point

Is Iraq finally stepping out from under Iran's shadow? Al Majalla covers the story from different angles and perspectives.

A pressure campaign by Washington to curb Tehran's influence over Baghdad seems to be yielding results, but any moves to disarm Iran-allied militias could stoke serious violence

Washington's long-term strategy to unshackle Iraq from Iranian influence is yielding results. Having pulled a potent mix of financial and military levers, the militias have been eerily quiet of late.

The formation of a parallel government in Sudan is not the beginning of a solution, but the deepening of a moral and political crisis