The son also rises
London: Ever since Bilawal Bhutto Zardari led PPP delegation to APC he has been in…
Browsing: Commentary
An obituary: Peres walks to eternity
There were of course people who might have used some nasty words about Shimon Peres,…
Bernie Sanders, from the campaign to the movement
The campaign of Bernie Sanders to become the Presidential candidate…
Where is the West’s moral compass?
Among the victims of the war in Syria during the past five years has been…
Creating Frankenstein: The Saudi Export of Wahhabism
Remarks at 2016 Exeter Gulf Conference This book project on Saudi public diplomacy using…
Saad Hariri spies a political lifeline in Lebanon
Lebanon’s recent municipal elections had more of a national dimension to them than usual. Because…
Obama’s false dichotomy: short beards vs. long beards
By all appearances, the Arab world today looks awash in extremism, but the prominence of…
Syria and the Holocaust: Putting ‘Never Again’ to the test
A girl looks through a fence at a camp for migrants and refugees near the…
Obama Drops Rhetoric as Assad Drops Barrel Bombs
As long as Syrian civilians are on the bullseye, nothing will be accomplished at peace…
Falling Oil Prices, the Saudis, and the Soviets
Stephen Sestanovich, a professor at Columbia University and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations,…
Spain In The Crosshairs Of Islamism
Spain, or at least the Spain of Islamic conquest and primacy, Al-Andalus, looms large in…
John McCain: Salute to a Communist
“For Whom the Bell Tolls” was my favorite novel, and its hero, Robert Jordan, my…
Does Obama Have This Right?
Sulaimaniya, Iraq — As one could see from President Obama’s recentinterview in The Atlantic, he…
Does Russia’s Faux Withdrawal Mean a New Crisis Is Coming?
Forbes Putin’s regime is less stable than meets the eye, and Russia’s future remains uncertain.…
Saudi Writer Asks How Muslims Would Act If Christian Terrorists Blew Themselves Up In Their Midst
Liberal Saudi journalist Nadine Al-Budair, who lives in Dubai, penned an article in the Kuwaiti…
Why the Nuclear Deal Hasn’t Softened Iran’s Hard-Line Policies
As the election process and continued regional aggression make clear, the regime won’t change what…
Choosing Iran’s Next Supreme Leader
While the Experts Assembly elected this month may be formally tasked with appointing the elderly…
After four months, Russia’s campaign in Syria is proving successful for Moscow
By Andrew Roth MOSCOW — Four months after launching airstrikes in Syria, the Kremlin is…
To End Syria’s War, Help Assad’s Officers Defect
By MOHAMMED ALAA GHANEMFEB. 3, 2016 AS the fraught Syria peace talks inch forward in…
Facts and Fictions: A Defense of the U.S.-Saudi Relationship
When I first visited Saudi Arabia in early 1994, I was amused to see that…
‘Acedia’ And An ISIS-Centered Life Full Of Toxic Purpose
Some might say that the spirit of the modern age, at least in the developed…
How Obama Created a Mideast Vacuum
By taking an overcautious approach in Syria, the president has highlighted America’s failure to have…
Obama’s Mideast Plan Faces a New Hurdle
U.S. officials concerned that Iran-Saudi conflict could undermine broader efforts in Middle East By JAY SOLOMON…
President Obama and the Terrorist Threat
On Sunday evening, December 6, President Barack Obama attempted to assure Americans that he is…
Sometimes the enemy of your enemy is still the enemy
With the growth of the Islamic State have come voices for the United States and…
We Should All Worry About Russia’s Confrontation with Turkey
Dozens of nuclear weapons are just miles from where Ankara shot down jet Geoff Wilson…
Russia’s Syria Propaganda
News about Syria has quickly replaced news about Ukraine in the Russian media, thanks to…
Held Together by Bruises, This Land Must Be Divided
Those who really love this land understand that it belongs to two peoples. Now, before…
The Not-So-Great Game in Syria, and How to End It
Russia has greatly complicated an already-fraught situation by picking a fight with Syria’s majority Sunni…
Zealots Should Not Oversee Holy Sites
Only objective secularists can safeguard the holiness attributed to these sites, to preserve the holiness…
Turkey needs to ‘upgrade’ its democracy, says former president
Tony Barber in London Having spent seven years as Turkey’s president, and five years before…
An Antechamber Of Jihad: The Media Space From Which ISIS Is Nurtured
Introduction It comes as no surprise that the startling phenomenon of Islamic State (ISIS) propaganda…
A Deal Among Enemies
The Iranian regime’s anti-Western regional policy has become much more important to its identity than…
I Got Syria So Wrong
I spent early 2011 trying to ease tensions between Syria and its neighbors. I never…
Return of the Oil Weapon
Forty-two years ago this week, Arab petroleum exporters banded together to impose an oil embargo…
Iran’s Majlis Unlikely to Settle Internal Dispute on the Nuclear Deal
The release of a special-committee report to the Majlis will be seized on by hardliners,…
A Muscovite Crusade, Daesh Style
Our worst fears were realized on Wednesday, September 30th, 2015. Kirill I, Patriarch of Moscow…
Beyond Nationalism and Religion: From Sunni Grievances to the “Sunni Nation”
From Iraq to Lebanon, through Syria, with clear echoes into the Gulf, Yemen, and Egypt,…
“Confronting Global Arrogance” versus “Defending the Sunni Nation”: A Clash of Narratives in the Arab Region
Two sharply opposed narratives are today in confrontation in the Arab world, notably in its…
The Non-Existence of Norway
On the refugee crisis The flow of refugees from Africa and the Middle East into…
“Pantomime of Outrage:” Obama and Syria
I’ve called attention to the writings on Syria of Amb. Fred Hof in several blog…
Why Khamenei’s Official Approval of the Nuclear Deal Matters
If the Supreme Leader is able to continue his strategy of purposeful ambiguity by manipulating…
On a tragic anniversary for Iraqi Christians, thoughts on why it matters
On the Catholic liturgical calendar, Aug. 6 is the feast of the Transfiguration of the…
The New Great Game: How Regional Powers Are Carving Up Syria
Recognizing the various spheres of influence in Syria and working with its neighbors to stabilize…
Yemen Conflict and Arab Uprising: Regional Fissures and Repercussions
Synopsis The Saudi military intervention in Yemen against Houthi rebels has repercussions in the kingdom…
The Northern Syria “Safe Zone”
Reports of an American and Turkish agreement to close a sixty mile stretch of the…
Faezeh Hashemi: Time To Fulfill Other Promises
People: Next Agreement Is On Civil Rights by Fereshteh Ghazi In their celebration of the…
Iran Will Cheat. Then What?
Knowing when Iran has violated the agreement is one thing; ensuring that there is a…
Iran Deal Leaves U.S. With Tough Questions
The deal with Iran is finally done. Given the stakes, it should be scrutinized. It…
Keeping Iran’s Feet to the Fire
Even with a deal now signed, the Obama administration still has many tools for countering…