In The News

Oil Price Fall Leaves Gulf States With Difficult Reform Choices

Simeon Kerr February 4, 2015
Subsidies distort markets, and because consumers take the low prices for granted, governments struggle to restore fair-market prices. States that rely heavily on oil revenues struggle over whether to dip into reserves to continue subsidies or enact unwelcome reforms. Stability for many oil-rich states in the Persian Gulf hinges on oil revenues. The price of oil has fallen by half since summer...

A Tipping Point for Japan’s Foreign Policy

David Pilling February 2, 2015
The Islamic State has posted a video showing the execution of journalist Kenji Goto, a fate shared by other foreign captives after governments refused to pay ransoms that would strengthen the extremist group. Many Japanese had hoped that the journalist might be included in a prisoner exchange negotiated by Jordan; the Islamic State limited its promise to sparing a captured Jordanian pilot’s life...

A Not-To-Be-Missed Opportunity

Nayan Chanda January 30, 2015
The abrupt fall in oil prices, due to new technologies and a battle over market share between Saudi Arabia and the United States, creates clear winners and losers. Exporting countries that predicated budgets on oil priced near $100 per barrel struggle to adjust even as prices near $50 per barrel offer a brief respite for nations that depend on oil imports. “Amid signs that the price may fall...

As Yemen’s Government Falls, So May a US Strategy for Fighting Terror

Mark Thompson January 22, 2015
Any US effort to form ties in the Middle East is fraught with risk. The latest example is Yemen, whose president is a US ally in its efforts to subdue Islamic extremism. “Shiite Houthi rebels attacked the home of Yemen’s president as they rushed into the presidential palace in Sana’a, the Yemeni capital,” reported Mark Thompson for Time magazine. “Government officials said a coup against...

Charlie Hebdo Attack Spurs EU Anti-Terror Projects

January 20, 2015
The European Union seeks to partner with Muslim-majority nations on security and boost their Arabic language skills after the attacks in Paris. The plans – in response to attacks on newspaper offices and a Kosher grocery, both in Paris, leaving 17 dead – were announced after talks by 28 EU foreign ministers. Protest rallies condemning Charlie Hebdo cartoons were held in Chechnya, Palestine and...

Shadow Aid to Syrian Refugees

Elizabeth Dickinson January 5, 2015
The challenges of delivering aid to war zones and makeshift refugee camps are immense. Elizabeth Dickinson describes an unofficial shadow aid system for Syrian refugees in Jordan for the Middle East Research and Information Project: “Across the Middle East, the United Nations is coordinating the largest operation in its history to help nearly 3 million Syrian refugees at a cost of $4.2 billion in...

Clouds Over Charities for Refugees in Islamic Countries

Susan Froetschel December 18, 2014
The world has 50 million displaced people, and refugees have little choice but to depend on other countries and their citizens for generosity. Faith-based charities are often among the first to respond to humanitarian crises, notes the UN Refugee Agency, and Islamic faith-based charities are active in Pakistan, Iran, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey – lead host nations for refugees. Fundraising by...