'Unconditional surrender' was never an option for Iran

The IRGC doesn't just defend the state, it runs it. To wave the white flag wouldn't just mean giving up its arms; it would mean dismantling the organisation and its patronage networks.

Futoshi Matsumoto

Rivalry in the Horn of Africa

Is the Red Sea moving toward an ordered space governed by capable states or toward a grey zone edging toward disorder? Read our February cover story to find out.

Al Majalla - London