Middle East & Africa
Saudi Prince Mohammed’s Achilles Heel: Misreading tea leaves in Washington
Emboldened by perceived White House support, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman appears to have stepped up his risky, so far faltering effort to...
FIFA on Trial: Qatar’s World Cup back in the firing line
Testimony of a star witness in a New York courtroom has revealed new allegations of Qatari wrongdoing in its successful bid for the 2022...
Iranian Perspective on Egyptian Revolution: From Optimism to Despair
From the Iranian perspective, Arab Spring and movements for Islamic resurgence in the Arab world were inspired by Islamic Revolution (1979) in Iran. It...
Transition in the Middle East: Transition to what?
Transition is the name of the game in the Middle East and North Africa. The question is transition to what? Dominating...
Saudi-UAE push to mobilize tribes against Qatari emir
Nearly six months into the Gulf crisis, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are attempting to mobilize tribal opposition as well as little...
Kenya’s Democratic Disappointment
Kenya's Supreme Court had voided the result of the presidential election held in August, but following a voting rerun – over two months and...
The Lebanese crisis
On November 4 last, during the great "purge" within the Saudi elite, the Lebanese Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, resigned claiming that his life was...
Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s return to Lebanon: A moment of truth
The proof will be in the pudding when Prime Minister Saad Hariri returns home in the coming days to a country in which friend...
The power struggle within Saudi Arabia
In the current vision of the Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, the Saudi national anti-corruption Commission “Nazaha” has worked very well. The anti-corruption Nazaha...
Arab media: Saudi purge promises tighter control
Long-standing Saudi efforts to dominate the pan-Arab media landscape appear to have moved into high gear with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's purge that...