The Last Straw, Israel's Hidden Agenda, Scenarios for an attack on Iran, Who are the Uyghers?

Hopelessly overcrowded, crippled by poverty, teeming with Islamist militancy, careless with its nukes—it sometimes seems as if Pakistan can’t get any more terrifying. But forget about the Taliban: The country's troubles today pale compared with what it might face 25 years from now. When it comes to the stability of one of the world's most volatile regions, it's the fate of the Himalayan glaciers that should be keeping us awake at night. The Last Straw: If you think these failed states look bad now, wait until the climate changes.

Israel's plan to annex the whole of Jerusalem, part of its efforts at bolstering its international legitimacy, is being carried out without regard for legal, moral or historical considerations, writes Dan Lieberman* in occupied Jerusalem Why Jerusalem? Israel's hidden agenda


With recent events in Iran, US-Israeli hawks are again pressing for strikes on Iran. Galal Nassar examines options and bleak consequences Scenarios for a US-Israeli strike on Iran

In a nutshell, the Uyghur are an ethnic minority in China who practice Islam and speak the Turkic language. They are thus both an ethnic and a religious minority, unlike the Hui, who also practice Islam but who are culturally and physically identical to the Han majority. The Hui comprise the vast majority of Chinese Muslims, so the Uyghur are a minority within a minority in that regard.The Uyghur's ancient homeland in central Asia was previously known as East Turkestan, and has been variously ruled by khanates, dynasties, and warlords throughout history. The region was also named Xinjiang ("New Territory") during the Qing dynasty. The Uyghur did establish a short-lived East Turkestan Republic between 1944 and 1949, albeit with Soviet help. That ended when the People's Liberation Army took control and the area was renamed the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Who are the Uyghur?