Victory Without Soldiers?
With the war in Syria becoming ever more complex and murderous, it’s worthwhile to revisit a guiding principle of Barack Obama: The use of American military power is likely to do more harm...
Mecca
It’s Time for the United States to Start Worrying About a Saudi Collapse
As if there weren’t already enough problems to worry about in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia might be headed for trouble. From plummeting oil prices, to foreign policy missteps, to growing t...
Op-eds
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...
Op-eds
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...
Op-eds
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...
Policy Briefs
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...
Op-eds
Saudi King Salman’s Audacious Power Play
“You deserve more.” That’s what Saudi Arabia’s new King Salman tweeted to his peopl...
Op-eds
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....
Op-eds
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...
Op-eds
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...
Legislative Testimonies
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...
Op-eds
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...
Op-eds
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...
Op-eds
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...
Op-eds
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...
Op-eds
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...
Op-eds
Saudi-Qatari Rapprochement?
Today marked the first official trip abroad by the new Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. Al-Thani...
Policy Briefs
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...
Op-eds
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,”...
Op-eds
Crossing Jordan
Some Arab leaders have taken risks for peace – and paid with their lives.