As usual, news is a bit thin at this time of the year, but for those who are looking for holiday reading in the political sphere I've put together some links to interesting stuff that I've come across recently.
Category: War and peace
We warn the Turks
Turkey is headed back to the polls, in an election that's unlikely to solve anything but may give the country's fractious opposition parties another opportunity.
If not peace, what?
Opponents of the Iran nuclear deal have good reasons for not being too explicit about what their alternative is.
Another ceasefire, but the war continues
Another ceasefire falters in Ukraine. It's clear what the Ukrainian government is trying to achieve, but Russia's war aims are less obvious.
Sanctions, east and west
American sanctions against Cuba have had more than fifty years to work, but haven't. Sanctions against Russia, however, are doing unexpectedly well.
Fragile ceasefire still holds in Ukraine
Ukraine's ceasefire with its separatists has succeeded in stopping most of the fighting, but a permanent solution to the conflict still seems a long way off.
And so it came to this
A hundred years ago, Europe descended into the nightmare of the First World War. Could something like it happen again?
Some thoughts about “terrorism”
Terrorism everywhere, it seems: Ukraine, Iraq, Gaza. Or are we using the label as a substitute for serious thought?
Death of a peacemaker
Eduard Shevardnadze, the last Soviet foreign minister, dies peacefully in retirement. His life is worth remembering.
Blood and iron in Ukraine
Progress towards a resolution in eastern Ukraine has been made not by negotiation but by military action. Sad as it may be, that's how the world often works.
The World is Not Enough 