In The News

Times of India: Khashoggi Mystery

Nayan Chanda October 22, 2018
The death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul puts a spotlight on Saudi-US relations and investigations that seem more about spinning stories to ease public concerns than getting at the truth. “The Khashoggi mystery is proving hard to solve not because it is such a tough case to crack, but because the known facts are too simple to reach anything other than a damning...

NBC News: Rift Between US Allies Turkey and Saudi Arabia

Alastair Jamieson and Kristina Jovanovski October 14, 2018
Saudi Arabia has failed to produce video showing that Jamal Khashoggi left the Saudi embassy in Istanbul alive, and Turkey claims to hold evidence of a Saudi hit team murdering the journalist. Khashoggi’s s disappearance from what should be a safe place highlights blatant disregard for press freedoms and human rights. The incident is souring relations between the two nations that are both US...

The Week: US-Saudi Alliance Must End

Ryan Cooper October 11, 2018
An old proverb suggests people are known by the company they keep, and that applies to countries, too. “There is no better demonstration of the moral and political rot at the heart of the American government than its increasingly poisonous alliance with Saudi Arabia,” writes Ryan Cooper for the Week. “Saudi Arabia is no friend of democracy, liberty, or even common decency.” Oil wealth combined...

Reuters: World Court and US Sanctions on Iran

Stephanie van den Berg October 4, 2018
The International Court of Justice ordered the United States to ensure that its sanctions on Iran do not affect humanitarian aid or civil aviation safety, reports Stephanie van den Berg for Reuters. The United Sates rejects the court decision, plans to terminate the 1955 Treaty of Amity with Iran and suggests that Iran’s real complaint is US withdrawal from the international agreement on ending...

Spiegel: Killing Fields of Yemen

Fiona Ehlers October 3, 2018
Despite technological advances in warfare, bombings in Yemen are indiscriminate. Fiona Ehlers, writing for Spiegel Online, describes the anguish of interviewing a father who displayed love for his sons while serving tea in his family home and learning a few weeks later that three of his four boys were killed while riding a bus to school. The war in Yemen is overlooked by much of the world because...

OilPrice.com: Iran Sanctions Damage US Dollar

Nick Cunningham September 20, 2018
The United States withdrew from an international deal that contained Iran’s nuclear program and then reimposed sanctions. Oil traders rely on US dollars. “The role of the greenback in the international financial system is the reason why the U.S. can prevent much of the world from buying oil from Iran,” explains Nick Cunningham for OilPrice.com. “European policymakers have scrambled to try to...

DW: 5 Million Children in Yemen Face Famine

September 18, 2018
Yemen’s civil war is also a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The country of 27 million people is surrounded by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, the Gulf of Aden to the south and Oman to the east. Hodeida is a key port city on the Red Sea. “Renewed attacks on the Red Sea city by the Saudi-led coalition could temporarily shut down the key port, putting 5.2 million...