Mecca

June 23, 2015 |

Meet Saudi Arabia’s Biggest (and Most Controversial) Twitter Star

Saudi Arabia is changing, some say. The authoritarian desert kingdom is becoming more responsive to the will of its people and the demands of the global information economy, say others. This idea...

May 13, 2015 |

The King of Saudi Arabia Skipped Obama’s Camp David Summit

While Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and deputy crown prince headed to America for a summit w...

April 29, 2015 | FDD Policy Brief

All in the Family: Saudi Clique Takes Over the State

Saudi Arabia has the rare distinction of being a nation named after a single family. On Wednesday, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud doubled down on this authoritarian tradition with a bold...

April 1, 2015 | Clifford D. May |

Satrapy Fishing in the Yemen

Three years ago, film-goers were treated to “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen,” which critic Kenneth Turan called a “pleasant fantasy” about the Middle East. Today, of cou...

February 2, 2015 |

Saudi King Salman’s Audacious Power Play

“You deserve more.” That’s what Saudi Arabia’s new King Salman tweeted to his peopl...

November 19, 2014 | Thomas Joscelyn

Gitmo ‘Poet’ Now Recruiting for Islamic State

An ex-Guantanamo detainee based in northern Pakistan is leading an effort to recruit jihadists for the Islamic State, an al Qaeda offshoot that controls large portions of Iraq and Syria....

October 3, 2014 | Reuel Marc Gerecht

Sandstorm

The great medieval historian Ibn Khaldun centered his understanding of history on asabiyya, which is perhaps best translated as esprit de corps mixed with the will to power. In his maste...

August 15, 2014 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

Syria Spillover: The Growing Threat of Terrorism and Sectarianism in the Middle East

Chairman Menendez, Ranking Member Corker, and distinguished members of the committee, on behalf of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies,it is a...

July 4, 2014 | Reuel Marc Gerecht |

The Man And The Myth

Urbi et Orbi, the city and the world, Tehran and the globe. In his turban and clerical robe, softly speaking of peace, Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, resembles a spiritual guide mor...

April 10, 2014 | |

Kuwait’s Embattled Justice Minister Part of Deeper Terror Finance Problem

A contentious battle over Kuwait’s reported role in terrorism finance is currently playing out in public. Earlier this year, the Kuwaiti Amir appointed a highly questionable figure to run h...

February 10, 2014 | |

The U.N. Assault on the Catholic Church

In the name of protecting children,the United Nations is now preaching to the Vatican. A report on the Holy See—released by a U.N. committee last week to much media fanfare—alleged th...

January 3, 2014 | Clifford D. May |

The Persian Triangle

On November 24, 2013, a “Joint Plan of Action” was concluded in Geneva by Iran and the permanent members of the UN Security Council—the United States, the United Kingdom, France...

November 29, 2013 | John Hannah |

Fear and Loathing in the Kingdom

Pundits and policymakers are missing the big worry about the Obama administration's Iranian nuclear deal: its greatest impact is not ensuring that Iran doesn't get the bomb, but that th...

October 3, 2013 | |

Saudis Stung by Obama Iran Initiative

President Obama’s Friday telephone call with Iranian president Hassan Rouhani—the first at such a level in over three decades—has exacerbated existing problems between the Unite...

August 2, 2013 | FDD Policy Brief |

Saudi-Qatari Rapprochement?

Today marked the first official trip abroad by the new Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.  Al-Thani...

July 26, 2013 | Reuel Marc Gerecht

The Great Collision

For most of those who were so hopeful when the Great Arab Revolt downed the dictator Hosni Mubarak two years ago, the travails of Egypt’s fledgling democracy have been depressing. Many in t...

June 27, 2013 | Clifford D. May |

Roll, Jordan, Roll

Amman, Jordan — American boots are on the ground here in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Nearly 5,000 U.S. military personnel joined Jordanian troops for “Eager Lion,”...

March 28, 2013 | Clifford D. May Scripps Howard News Service |

Crossing Jordan

Some Arab leaders have taken risks for peace – and paid with their lives.

March 18, 2013 | Bill Roggio The Long War Journal |

Palestinian Jihadist Trainer Killed Fighting for Al Nusrah Front

Co-authored by David Barnett A Palestinian jihadist military trainer and commander who was a member of the Tawhid and Jihad Group in Jerusalem and who previously served with Ham...

October 12, 2012 | James Kirchick Tablet |

Sinister Trend in Publishing

Saudi Arabia, China, and Iran ban books. Why are they being honored on the European book-fair circuit?