The Chinese-mediated agreement between the two West Asian rivals, Iran and Saudi Arabia, on 10 March, will re-establish diplomatic relations between the two countries after a seven-year period of cold hostility. This agreement and Chinese mediation methodology change the regional strategic landscape in historic ways.
Civil war in Yemen cannot be seen merely from the prism of sectarian conflict as its roots go into the historical political positions of different groups and geostrategic interests of regional powers. Hegemonic designs of Saudi Arabia backed by the United States have intensified the conflict, leading to thousands of deaths and acute humanitarian crisis. It remains to be seen how far the recently concluded Stockholm Agreement between warring camps would contribute to a durable peace.
For the past few months, there has been growing evidence of the hazards posed to soldiers and citizens of war-afflicted zones by the use of depleted uranium in anti-tank weapons. Increased cases of cancer and other health disorders have been reported from Iraq and from the Balkans. It is now clear that the US was aware of the potential dangers of depleted uranium, but its efforts at cover-up are, however, under increasing international scrutiny.
