Arkiv-Global View

Political campaigns are obsessed with two things: Telling every possible voter exactly what they want to hear in order to get them to the polls and cast the "right" vote, and telling them that message for as close to zero dollars as possible.

Down a dusty backstreet in the Baghdad neighbourhood of Karada this month, I met Sheikh Raad Al Kafaji, a former Iraqi Army officer specialising in artillery, and a veteran fighter from the days of the Iran-Iraq war. He is head of the al Kafaji tribe and a commander in the Kata’ib Hezbollah militia, one of the Shia militias at the forefront of the fight against ISIS in Iraq. After the fall of Mosul in July, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani issued a religious edict (fatwa) calling on Iraqi “citizens to defend the country, its people, the honor of its citizens, and its sacred places”.

Down a dusty backstreet in the Baghdad neighbourhood of Karada this month, I met Sheikh Raad Al Kafaji, a former Iraqi Army officer specialising in artillery, and a veteran fighter from the days of the Iran-Iraq war. He is head of the al Kafaji tribe and a commander in the Kata’ib Hezbollah militia, one of the Shia militias at the forefront of the fight against ISIS in Iraq. After the fall of Mosul in July, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani issued a religious edict (fatwa) calling on Iraqi “citizens to defend the country, its people, the honor of its citizens, and its sacred places”.

The announcement earlier this week that Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel would be leaving his post was something of a surprise, because it represents a gamble on the part of a normally cautious White House. President Obama’s team is betting that replacing its third Defense Secretary at a time of multiple foreign crises and domestic political discord will allow it to refocus and reclaim its security policy as it enters its final stretch.

The announcement earlier this week that Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel would be leaving his post was something of a surprise, because it represents a gamble on the part of a normally cautious White House. President Obama’s team is betting that replacing its third Defense Secretary at a time of multiple foreign crises and domestic political discord will allow it to refocus and reclaim its security policy as it enters its final stretch.

Turkey's 11th president, Abdullah Gül, delivered a speech at British think tank Chatham House on Wednesday and emphasized his support of a parliamentarian regime rather than a presidential government.

Turkey's 11th president, Abdullah Gül, delivered a speech at British think tank Chatham House on Wednesday and emphasized his support of a parliamentarian regime rather than a presidential government.

Pope Francis has warned that the world sees Europe as "somewhat elderly and haggard" during a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

The Pope said the continent felt "less and less a protagonist", in a world that regarded it with mistrust.

He also called for a "united response" to the help the boatloads of migrants arriving in Europe.

Pope Francis's whistle-stop visit to Strasbourg disgruntled some, who accused him of neglecting Europe.

Pope Francis has warned that the world sees Europe as "somewhat elderly and haggard" during a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

The Pope said the continent felt "less and less a protagonist", in a world that regarded it with mistrust.

He also called for a "united response" to the help the boatloads of migrants arriving in Europe.

Pope Francis's whistle-stop visit to Strasbourg disgruntled some, who accused him of neglecting Europe.

JEFFREY D. SACHS The biggest economic news of the year came almost without notice: China has overtaken the United States as the world’s largest economy, according to the scorekeepers at the International Monetary Fund.