An attack on the Indian Parliament opened up an escape route for Osama bin Laden in December 2001 — 9 December 2001, White Mountain, Afghanistan A mere two months into the US invasion of Afghanistan, a 15,000-pound Daisy Cutter bomb was rolled out of the back of a C-130 cargo plane. A bomb so large that it literally had to be dropped out of the back of one of the world’s largest airplane. The target…

The announcement on 17 November will be painful for everyone — The Chancellor and his Prime Minister have ‘rolled the pitch’ enough for us to know what’s coming on 17 November. Painful tax rises and spending cuts. The government have made a litany of pleas — “show pay restrain”, “the broadest shoulders will bear the burden” among them. The nation is…

This recognises the valour and contributions of the Indian sub-continent — For most of my years on Earth, I have held one grudge. It turns acute every November. Especially 11th November. Armistice Day is a solemn day of remembrance across the European continent, but especially so in Britain. Yet, for decades this day went un-commemorated for British Asians, many of whose…

German strategic thought, mercantilist attitudes, and martial traditions — all need a rethink — “Russia is the storm, China is climate change”, said Thomas Haldenwang, Germany’s domestic spy chief to a committee of the Bundestag last week. Pity that his own Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, did not seem to pay heed. Scholz is flying to Beijing this week with titans of the German corporate world…

We need to pay attention to this ‘libertarian coup’ — Like a good analyst and writer, I got my copy out early. After the first leadership debate I wrote Liz Truss’ economic plan is diabolically bad on the 19th of July. She had actually uttered very little till that point in her campaign, but it was enough to ‘leave me…

For all the good you’ve done, in the name of God, go — Boris Johnson and his family have decided to do the decent thing. Go on holiday so they don’t get in the way of the movers. How considerate. If only all of us could vacate our flats before the movers and packers trudged in. This is his second holiday in the…

An attack on the Indian Parliament opened up an escape route for Osama bin Laden in December 2001 — 9 December 2001, White Mountain, Afghanistan A mere two months into the US invasion of Afghanistan, a 15,000-pound Daisy Cutter bomb was rolled out of the back of a C-130 cargo plane. A bomb so large that it literally had to be dropped out of the back of one of the world’s largest airplane. The target…

India, not Taiwan, is the first line of defence against an expansionist China — South Asia is often called the second most unstable region in the world, after West Asia. Although this overlooks the many insurgencies and tumult on the African continent, the stakes in South Asia are high. Three nuclear armed neighbours share thousands of kilometres of unsettled borders across deserts, mountains, high…

The Tory party psychodrama is leading us into a national meltdown — I wrote about Penny Mordaunt and Liz Truss’ diabolical pronouncements on the economy, but the most striking aspect of the leadership contest is the sheer antipathy between the contenders. The final two, former Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, are busy tearing chunks out of each other. When…