I’m not a big lover of large events. Crowds: no, don’t like them. Football matches, too many people. Being at home on the laptop: yes, much better! Also, fanfare and big-time media hype sets my teeth on edge. Guess where this is going...

The cliché is that during the fog of war you can’t really find out what’s going on. Keeping out nearly all international media, as I’ve said before , is one very effective way of ensuring that things are enveloped in doubt, claim and...

I hope Mossey is having a ball out in Washington DC for Obama's inauguration. As a bit of a political junkie myself, I have a sense of what he must be feeling. It could simply be relief that, after eight long years, we're finally...

After three weeks of shelling and with over 1,200 people killed and more than 5,000 wounded, the Israeli bombardment of Gaza is finally, or at least temporarily, over. All reports describe the peace as fragile, with Hamas demanding...

Dreams From My Father, Barack Obama , (Paperback, 464 pages, Canongate Books, rrp £8.99, available £4.99) On Tuesday I will go along to Queen’s University Belfast for an event, to be addressed by the United States Consul General, Susan...