Saudi Arabia is using its oil wealth to invest huge sums in other countries, apparently to diversify its own economy. Critics are concerned that the build-up of financial muscle abroad could be used for political ends. Cathrin Schaer reportsMore

United Arab Emirates strongman Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who was formally elected president on 14 May, has led a realignment of the Middle East, creating a new anti-Iran axis with Israel while fighting a rising tide of political Islam in the regionMore

Syrian opposition activists say they know what it's like to go up against the Russian military. Some experts think things may have turned out differently in Ukraine if the West had stood up to the Kremlin over Syria. By Diana HodaliMore

It is getting hotter and hotter in Iraq. Fifty degrees or more is no longer a rarity. The state between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers is now one of the hottest countries on earth. Muwafaq Mubareka from Baghdad is determined to fight global warming. Birgit Svensson paid the climate hero a visitMore

Western states have fought against terrorism not only in Afghanistan, but also in Syria and Iraq – leaving behind people who were once their partners in fear and poverty. Hisham A. Hellyer talks in interview about the "war on terror" and the role played by the West 20 years on. Interview by Andrea BackhausMore

Twenty years after 9/11, the United States is recalibrating its war policy. However, its assertions that the era of endless wars is over are a myth, writes Maha HilalMore

Although the United States clearly could have done a better job of managing its departure from Afghanistan, the tragedy playing out this month has been 20 years in the making. From the outset, America and its allies embraced – and never reconsidered – a top-down state-building strategy that was always destined to fail. Commentary by Daron AcemogluMore