In war, the ordinary people always pay the piper
Lebanon’s 1975 war saw refugees enter Cyprus; chaos in Syria saw more people seeking asylum. Another influx followed the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza. Cyprus had no involvement in these battles, ...
Iran war only exacerbates Cyprus’ underlying economic challenges
Even before the outbreak of the war on Iran the Cyprus government faced profound challenges including the need to protect the living conditions of lower income households, to undertake investments ...
Iran: the paradoxical logic of victory in an asymmetric war
Wars do not all share the same definition of victory. In what are commonly called asymmetric wars – conflicts between opponents of vastly unequal power and resources – the logic is almost ...
NATO illusions and the reality of Cyprus’ deterrence strategies
In the wake of the March 2, 2026, drone strike on the British Sovereign Base at Akrotiri, President Nikos Christodoulides has moved to reorient the Republic of Cyprus’s grand strategy. His ...
Energy policy that leaves consumers paying more
In a damning finding, the report published at the end of February by the auditor general presenting the results of his audit of the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) concluded ...
Trump’s war may well come back to bite him
The events in Iran last week mark another milestone in the US presidency of Donald Trump. Once again, the pursuit of causes that appear on the surface to resonate with ...
Iran and the limits of force
The United States and Israel continue to strike Iran. Tehran is responding largely on its own, targeting Israeli and American positions as well as installations across the Gulf. Military deployments ...
The lesser-known challenges of public debt
As the EU attempts to balance fiscal discipline with the need for increased investment, public debt remains a key indicator of macroeconomic stability. Eurozone total debt stands at 88.5 per cent ...
How lawful is the Iran war?
No one believes that Iran was planning to attack the US and Israel imminently on Saturday a week ago, justifying the pre-emptive attack on Iran while negotiations were in progress ...
Take a breath in silence
I often find myself saying to stressed, overworked, younger friends, ‘Take a breath; take time for yourself.’ It’s an old saying – take a breather, and it’s one of ...
Impact of Iran conflict on oil and LNG
With senior US officials estimating that a war with Iran is now expected to last weeks, not days, and Iran’s declaration of war on Israel and the US, the ...
Wily Netanyahu, Simple Trump
Donald Trump is not just Binyamin Netanyahu’s glove puppet, but it is remarkable how much influence the Israeli prime minister has over the American president. If you are seeking ...
When power increasingly ceases to recognise legality
More than two millennia ago, Thucydides captured the essence of power in international affairs.
In the Melian Dialogue, when Athens demanded submission from the neutral island of Melos, its envoys ...
Arrests linked to Epstein fail to touch America’s powerful
“It’s amazing how the arrest of a 66-year-old man in Norfolk has raised the spirits of the entire country,” remarked a reader on the letters page of the Guardian ...
We have to ensure no ‘weepie’ end to the Cyprus movie
I have previously written about how, for Turkish Cypriots, the tragic events of 1963 to 1964 marked a profound rupture, during which their political equality, as enshrined in the Cyprus constitution, was ...
US-Israel attack on Iran was inevitable
As the US and Israel attack Iran and many of its people are conflicted about what should happen to their government, no patriotic Iranian welcomes the bombing of their country ...
Energy growth and security in an increasingly disordered transition
This was the theme of the International Energy Week 2026 held last week in London. IE Week is one of the most prestigious international annual conferences and it is organized by ...
Recovery and Resilience Fund: assessment and lessons for EU’s next financial framework
The EU is generally perceived as lacking the necessary flexibility to adapt to rapidly changing conditions in a timely manner, due to its complex political system and lengthy decision‑making ...
Choices, choices: a dismal track record for Cyprus
At the time of writing, the first meeting of President Donald Trump’s new Board of Peace has not yet concluded, so I cannot comment on its outcome. As I ...
So-called indicators of economic performance are misleading
During the administrations of the governments of Nicos Anastasiades and Nikos Christodoulides praise has been heaped on the economic performance of Cyprus by referring to statistics on its relatively rapid ...
Andrew’s very public arrest, but was it legal?
Technically he should have been asked to attend a police station as is normal police procedure in white-collar criminal cases
Prince Andrew was arrested on his 66th birthday last Thursday ...
The role of exercise in longevity and its importance in modern society
Over recent decades, life expectancy has steadily increased across most developed societies. Yet the real challenge of our era is no longer simply to live longer, but to live better – ...
Things that get my goat!
A friend and I wondered in what cloud those who fix low-incomes live. Income tax ceilings are lifting, yet we, living alone, recycling, pay €200 for rubbish collection. Previously, as a ...
The road ahead: philosopher king or money king
Last week’s column dealt with President Trump’s proposed Board of Peace and how it effectively formalised the split within the Western alliance. Cyprus has now found itself facing ...