For decades U.S. presidents have shown a willingness to hold hands with just about anyone for the price of oil.
Washington’s Problem in the Middle East: Policy, Not Personality
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Middle East & North Africa
Syria and the Dogs of War
“Blood and destruction,” “dreadful objects,” and “pity choked” was the Bard’s searing characterization of what war visits upon the living. It is a description that increasingly parallels the ongoing war in Syria, which is likely to worsen unless the protagonists step back and search for a diplomatic solution to the 17-month-old civil war.
P5+1 Stacks the Deck Against Iran
There seems to be no way that Iran can retain its self-respect in talks with the U.S., Russia, China, U.K., France and Germany.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar: Dueling Monarchies
The demise of secular autocratic regimes in the Middle East and North Africa has heralded a renaissance for Islamist parties in the region, igniting a rivalry for the hearts and minds of the Sunni world between the Gulf powers of Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Although neither country is a bastion of democracy at home, Qatar has proven much more amenable than Saudi Arabia to bolstering democratic Islamist movements abroad.
Khaled Meshal and Hamas Go Their Separate Ways
In order to respond to overwhelming Israeli power, Palestinians need political managers skilled in statecraft, not charismatic leaders who inevitably become corrupt autocrats.
Why Hasn’t West Responded to Beheading Videos as Some Muslims Do to Anti-Islamist Videos?
Islamic extremists poured gasoline onto fire to elicit the most violent responses to “Innocence of Muslims.”
Staunching Syria’s Wounds
Almost 18 months after the onset of popular democratic protests, the Syrian revolution increasingly resembles a bloody marathon with no clear finish line on the horizon. But as Syrian society slowly disintegrates, non-aligned states from the developing world may show the way forward to a diplomatic resolution.
Liberal Hawk Poised to Swoop Down on Iran
A commitment to nonproliferation can fuel calls for an attack on Iran just as liberal hawks supported invading Iraq to rid it of WMD and for humanitarian reasons.
Gaza Ahoy: Chronicling the Freedom Sailors
Freedom Sailors is the story of the birth of the ships-to-Gaza movement with the successful defiance of the Israeli blockade on Gaza in 2008, led by the small boats Liberty and Free Gaza. Within a few short years the effort would focus world attention upon the blockade and compel shifts in government policies as a result of the massacre on the Mavi Marmara.
No to War with Iran
Israel and the United States have waged a campaign of cyberwarfare and covert operations against Iran for the past several years. If Iran had taken similar actions toward Israel or the United States, we would have considered it a declaration of open war.