More: Saudi Arabia
US-Saudi nuclear talks: A barometer for whither the Middle East?
Talks aimed at transferring US nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia serve as an indicator of where the Saudi-Iranian rivalry is heading as well as...
Arab anger: Governments and protesters walk a fine line
A little noticed subtext to furious protests across the Middle East and North Africa against US President Donald J. Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as...
A new war in the Middle East?
In the Middle East, a new stormy confrontation may emerge. After the ISIS militants’ defeat and the beginning of a political settlement in Syria,...
The ‘Why’ Of the Embassy Move to Jerusalem: ‘Nose to Nose With a Con Man’
The Jerusalem story is the centerpiece of news this week. Donald Trump and Mike Pence, an evangelical, in favor of moving the embassy and...
Tackling Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism: A Pakistani-US collision in the making
A recent government surrender to militant demands for stricter adherence to Islam mediated by the military coupled with the release from house arrest of...
Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem: Letting a genie out of the bottle
US President Donald J. Trump has let a genie out of the bottle with his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and intent to...
Qatari Wahhabism vs. Saudi Wahhabism and the perils of top-down change
A multi-domed, sand-coloured, architectural marvel, Doha’s biggest and national mosque, symbolizes Qatar’s complex and troubled relationship with Saudi Arabia. Its naming six years ago...
Egyptian President Al-Sisi steps up repression to cover policy failure
Egyptian general-turned-president Abdul Fattah Al-Sisi would likely be the first to admit that an iron fist is no guarantee for retaining power. Not because...
Saudi Arabia’s Lebanon gamble may pay off
Time will tell, but Saudi Arabia’s gamble to pressure Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed, Lebanese Shiite militia, by forcing Saad Hariri, the country’s prime minister, to...
The Russian strategy in the Middle East
The Russian Federation has already won the war in Syria and is therefore the hegemonic power throughout the Middle East. Despite tensions at the...