Brad Davies

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Jul 5, 2014, 3:33 PM

Iraq is an ex-country (and the Kurds already know it)

The jihadists formally known as ISIS have declared their caliphate. The peshmerga is digging itself in to its newly-acquired territory, clashing with jihadists and drawing up plans for full independence. Sunni and Kurdish politicians are abandoning Iraq's government. To paraphrase John Cleese: Iraq is no more, it has ceased...

Jan 8, 2014, 10:44 PM

A farewell to gas masks?

During the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, the Saddam Hussein regime (or rather, to put it more accurately, Saddam Hussein - we are talking about an absolute dictatorship here) became increasingly concerned with Iraq's purported "Kurdish problem". In the chaos of war,...

Nov 23, 2013, 3:07 PM

Selfies and ice cream in Al-Qaeda’s Syria

Charles Kinbote, narrator of Vladimir Nabokov's Pale Fire and ex-king of a fictional country called Zembla, writes extensively throughout the novel of his troubled past. As king, he was overthrown by groups of extremists and later held captive in his palace, presumably for...

Aug 29, 2013, 9:51 PM

The noninterventionist moral high ground isn’t very moral

With talks of forceful reprisal for the Syrian regime's bestial chemical attack, more and more eyes are turning to the divisions within the United Nations Security Council. British MPs in the House of Commons have today debated the issue...

Aug 1, 2013, 12:49 PM

The importance of being Khamenei

President-elect Rouhani can say 'moderate' all he wants; Iran's brazenly hardline Supreme Leader still has the final word

Jul 4, 2013, 6:48 PM

Syria’s rape crisis

Rampant sexual violence is integral in the Syrian conflict and the world must end a 'culture of impunity' for perpetrators

Jul 2, 2013, 7:29 PM

The rise of Syria’s Kurds

After the Gulf War in 1991, and the subsequent expulsion of Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait, Iraqi Kurds - after suffering ruthless persecution that culminated in the genocidal Anfal Campaign - gained de facto autonomy in the north of Iraq. With the...

Jun 16, 2013, 11:24 PM

Hearts and minds in Syria

The wooing of "hearts and minds" has been at the centre of military interventions for decades. President Johnson used (some would probably say abused) the phrase in reference to operations and goals in Vietnam, and the same can be...

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About Me

Brad is from the UK and is currently pursuing a career in journalism.