In The News

The Palestinian National Reconciliation: Regional and International Implications

Fadi Elhusseini June 26, 2014
After seven years, fragmented Palestine has come together to form a unity government that has implications for the entire Middle East. Unrest and conflict throughout the Middle East prompted compromise, suggests Fadi Elhusseini in the Middle East Monitor. “Developments in Syria and its repercussions in Lebanon have also prompted the Palestinian factions to reconsider their domestic policies.” He...

China's Tianhe-2 Tops Supercomputer Chart Again

June 25, 2014
The Chinese computer Tianhe-2 is listed once again as the world’s most powerful supercomputer. China has increased its presence by 20 percent in the Top 500 list of supercomputers while the US presence decreased by 15 percent, reports BBC News. However, the US still dominates the list with more than 230 computers. China has 76, almost as many as the UK, France and Germany combined with 30, 27 and...

As Conflict Grows in Middle East, US-Saudi Gulf Widens

Fahad Nazer June 24, 2014
The 2003 invasion of Iraq and the Arab Spring events have reconfigured the Middle East in fundamental ways. Civil war in Syria spills into Iraq, extremism spreads in northern Africa, and brakes are applied to fledgling democracy in Egypt. The United States and Saudi Arabia, longtime allies, are divided over how to handle unfolding disaster, argues Fahad Nazer: Saudi Arabia, preferring stability...

China Says It Will Help Iraq

Rita Brown June 18, 2014
Iraq is OPEC’s second largest producer, and political ineptitude, sectarian violence and impending civil war threaten future oil production and global oil prices. Disruptions in Libyan production have already added to supply problems, and many had hoped Iraqi producers to step up pace. The United States led a coalition to invade Iraq in 2003 and depose dictator Saddam Hussein, and withdrew by the...

Call for Inclusiveness May Not Work for Middle East's Sectarian Divide

Dilip Hiro June 18, 2014
ISIS, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, began as an Al Qaeda offshoot in Iraq and is described as more fanatical than the parent group. With up to 5000 troops, ISIS controls an area of Syria and now storms through northern Iraq exploiting power vacuums and frustrations over minority rights. The group imposes a rigid Sunni interpretation...

ISIS: The Greatest Terror Threat Since Osama bin Laden

Jamsheed Choksy and Carol E.B. Choksy June 17, 2014
The Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham, otherwise known as ISIS, is storming through Iraq. The Iraqi army as so failed to stop or contain the Sunni militants, and ISIS retrieves equipment abandoned by the Iraqis. The group is well funded, initially with aid from Qatar and Saudi Arabia for Syria rebels. “The Obama administration claims it will stand alongside the elected government in Baghdad,...

Tiananmen: Vietnam's Newspapers Criticize Crackdown

Nga Pham June 13, 2014
Vietnam news media shocked readers by covering the anniversary of China’s 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and deploring the harsh crackdown on protesters. In the past, Vietnamese news media avoided such topics. Like China, Vietnam is a communist government. This year’s coverage reflected recent tense relations between China and Vietnam. The two nations are engaged in bitter quarrel over islands...