Articles from the author

By some accounts, McChrystal had almost single-handedly succeeded in transforming the prospects of the Nato campaign in Afghanistan. But having painted a deeply unflattering portrait of the US president, his national security adviser and the vice-president, he has been told to pack his bags. As a result, it's now advantage Taliban

The exposure of a Russian spy ring in New York shows that, despite the thawing of relations between Russia and the West, espionage is alive and well

The government is floundering, but fears of a military intervention seem unfounded at present