'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'

Rory Stewart's new book Can Intervention Work? wants to help politically unstable nations but doesn't know which way to turn

‘If the law books say it’s never lawful to kill tyrants, it’s the books that need changing, not Western policy’

‘Turning Syria over to rebel control would produce far-reaching benefits. The US and Europe must bring Bashar al-Assad to the Hague’

Exiled tyrants need no longer fear: a luxurious afterlife awaits them in a club for failed dictators

‘France and Britain might have achieved the stated goals of protecting civilians and toppling Gaddafi had they intervened a month earlier. Now they have no guarantee of success.’

Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy by David Leigh and Luke Harding reveals the Wikileaks founder's facile politics and ignorance of history