Author: Sarah Akel

The Annapolis summit and the efforts to revive the peace process have exacerbated the tension that already existed between Prime…

A demoralizing aspect of much international political behavior, commentary, or policy counsel on Syria in the past two years has…

By its nature, war is a formative event. Often when war begins, various processes come to an end and are…

Former US Diplomat John Bolton is no longer in office, but he still has a lot to say about American…

Immediately before publishing this communiqué from HRW, friends in Damascus informed us of the arrest of Walid el Bunni, brother…

While the world obsesses this week over whether the ill-fated Annapolis conference will result in the ultimate Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement,…

Syrian authorities this week arrested more than 30 people who had been working for political change, escalating a crackdown on…

New York: It was oddly delicious watching a has-been dictator bask in the undeserved tribute of a Western host’s welcome,…

On December 4, President Bush met in the White House with a few pro-democracy members of the Syrian opposition, including…

By Thomas E. Ricks Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, December 11, 2007; A03 A former top Pentagon official blamed the…

Saddam Al-Ashmouri For Yemen Times SANA’A, Dec. 8 — Last week, the Yemeni Parliament agreed to rescind Parliament member (MP)…

By Peter Baker and Dafna Linzer They call them “deep dives,” special briefings for President Bush to meet with not…

The French daily “Le Monde” confirmed today the arrest of journalist Guillaume Dasquié in relation with the following article, whose…

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syrian writer Ali Abdullah has been jailed three times in the past 13 years. One of…

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 — American intelligence agencies reversed their view about the status of Iran’s nuclear weapons program after they…

Wednesday afternoon, Saad al-Hariri’s Mostaqbal party agreed to a constitutional amendment that would allow Lebanese Armed Forces Commander Michel Suleiman…

** It is their ‘good’ one that is the real ‘bad.’ An emotional Musharraf relinquished his post by handing over…

November 2007 (somewhere) Ya Allah I am a humble believer in my good forties. My knowledge of Islam goes back…

Saudi Arabia’s intelligence operations are set to undergo restructuring to cope with international information challenges, head of the Saudi Intelligence…

By LARA SETRAKIAN Nov. 21, 2007 — Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Justice is defending a sentence of 200 lashes for…

The U.S. provided Israel with information about Syrian air defenses before Israel attacked a suspected nuclear site in Syria, Aviation…

Ten weeks have passed since the Israel Air Force attacked in Syria, and there is still no reliable information about…

** FREEDOM OF SPEECH: ‘ALL THE OTHER ARAB COUNTRIES ARE DICTATORSHIPS’ Facebook ban marks latest in series of restrictions that…

By Faiza Saleh Ambah JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 21 — Saudi officials have revoked the license of human rights lawyer…

On 18 October 2007, the Human Rights Committee completed its review of Libya’s fourth periodic report, which was due for…

NEW YORK – Israel and the United States are generally considered Siamese twins, with a common mouth and heart. The…

Another Buddha destroyed, and the world answers with silence The world watched in horror when Taliban forces destroyed the monumental…

Preparation of the World Public Opinion for Starting War with Iran When the war with Iraq was about to start,…

The overwhelming majority of Pakistanis are moderate; it is my hope that they will unite in a coalition of moderation…

The Pakistani president uses the Islamist boogeyman to tighten his grip on power and quell an independent judiciary. November 6,…

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today designated four individuals affiliated with the Syrian regime’s efforts to reassert Syrian control…

– Abir Zaki

JIDDA, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 25 — On a marshy peninsula 50 miles from this Red Sea port, King Abdullah of…

By Craig Whitlock Washington Post Foreign Service ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — On Sept. 6, 2006, President Bush announced that the CIA’s…

C R U D E O I L THE S U P P L Y O U T L O…

Islamabad/Brussels, 22 October 2007: The insurgency in Balochistan province will only subside when free, fair and transparent elections establish a…

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad may be gaining support across the Muslim world for his fervent criticism of the United States,…

The following is the latest entry in Mohammad Ali Abtahi’s weblog (http://www.webneveshteha.com/en/weblog/). Mr Abtahi was, during the second term of…

Hyphenated Europeans – like hyphenated Americans – help stymie the fear that angry right wingers – European and Muslim -…

By DAVID S. CLOUD WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 — In a sweeping indictment of the four-year effort in Iraq, the former…

American citizens must face the fact that torture is happening ‘in their names’ and by their country – despite George…

Even as President Ahmadinejad denies the existence of gay Iranians, this Atlantic report describes the history and practice of homosexuality…

Illustration by John Blackford. By Peter van Agtmael/Polaris (desert), Konstantin Inozemtsev/Alamy (money). Billions over Baghdad Between April 2003 and June…