'Against the backdrop of disputes in the South China Sea, there are ominous reports that China is trying to close the 20-year gap between its navy and that of the US'

'The Sahel states are facing starvation, as well as the obliteration of the delicate religious eco-system that enabled Sufism to survive'

Dictatorships may not be lumbering behemoths, but William J Dobson overstates the extent to which authoritarians have changed their ways

'Capitalism renews itself incessantly: it has survived wars and revolutions, booms and busts, depressions and inflations. As long as the West does not renounce capitalism, its long-term prosperity is secure'