In The News

Saudi Balancing Act

Karen Elliot House April 11, 2007
Saudi Arabia, which holds the world’s largest reserves of oil, must confront some complicated challenges: civil war in neighboring Iraq; resentment for a leading ally, the US; discontent among Saudi youth who cannot find jobs; widespread corruption; and rising religious extremism. King Abdullah, in his post for 18 months, is undertaking what are new steps for the kingdom, with “active and open...

Peaceful Resolution of the Iran-UK Crisis: Could It Be a Precedent?

Dilip Hiro April 9, 2007
The UK and Iran scored a mutual diplomatic victory, after negotiating the release of 15 British naval personnel from detention in Tehran. Although the precise details of the negotiations between Britain and Iran remain unclear, the peaceful conclusion to the crisis suggests that direct talks between disputing countries is the best way to resolve contentious issues. To avoid escalation, the Blair...

How Serious a Challenge?

Robert O. Freedman April 5, 2007
Russian President Vladimir Putin has long hoped to restore prestige for Russia at levels once enjoyed by the Soviet Union. But a weak economy, the Beslan school massacre and Ukraine’s “October Revolution” have weakened Russia’s stance, even among former Soviet republics. As a result, Putin has sought out a new arena for projecting power: the Middle East. America’s interminable conflicts in the...

Time for Détente With Iran

Ray Takeyh April 3, 2007
After decades of pursuing a policy of containment and preaching virulent anti-communism, Richard Nixon traveled to China in 1972, marking a new era of negotiation, compromise and cooperation that became known as “détente.” China, a rising East Asian power, assisted the US in exiting the unpopular Vietnam War, tackling more serious threats and bringing stability to the region; the US could gain...

The Rise in Extremism – Part I

Fahad Nazer March 30, 2007
As the US and its coalition partners wage their war on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq, extremists emerge elsewhere in the world. This two-part series examines how governments of Muslim nations tangle with religious extremism within their own borders. In the first article, author Fahad Nazer describes Saudi Arabia’s efforts to confront militants fighting in the name of Islam. Walking a tightrope...

An Arab Initiative That Can Work

Daniel Kurtzer March 22, 2007
Saudi Arabia leaders have organized consensus on an Arab-Israeli peace settlement – and will host a summit to re-launch the Arab Peace Initiative. “The gaps between Israel and the Arabs have never been narrower,” write Daniel Kurtzer and Rosemary Hollis. Bitter conflict in Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq galvanized nations throughout the Middle East to take practical steps toward achieving peace and...

Iran: Bad Tactics or Good Strategy?

Yevgeny Primakov March 20, 2007
In a world of hitherto five official and three unofficial nuclear powers, Iran is keen to join the club, as shown by its non-compliance with the UN Security Council’s resolutions. Although Iran insists that its nuclear program is strictly for peaceful purposes, it has rejected Russian offers to enrich uranium on its territory or in an international center, notes Yevgeny Primakov, the former...