In The News

Limits of Saudi Oil Power

Fahad Nazer May 30, 2013
Saudi Arabia is facing multiple fronts for potential destabilization. A modern society and wealthy citizenry have depended on millions of skilled and unskilled foreign workers to build infrastructure and keep homes, banks and, restaurants running smoothly. Oil money is also behind tremendous investment in education and other social benefits. Yet fossil fuels are limited. Competition is keen as...

Syria Opposition Seeks to Unify

Khaled Yacoub Oweis May 27, 2013
The US and Russia are trying to schedule peace talks and end war in Syria, amid “new reports of atrocities, accusations of chemical weapons were used and the rise of al Qaeda–linked fighters among rebels,” writes Khaled Yacoub Oweis for Reuters. Washington threatens to provide more support for the rebels, but also wants to review a list of opposition leaders to ensure that moderates are included...

“I Am With the Uprising of Arab Women”

Marcia C. Inhorn May 21, 2013
It may surprise those who view Arab society as traditional and conservative that many Arab Muslim men are supportive of women’s rights. Marcia Inhorn, a Yale professor of anthropology, interviewed more than 300 men from 14 Arab nations – and reports in Slate that many men seek love and companionship in marriage and education and equality for their daughters. “The hundreds of professions of love...

Syria Crisis: Russia “Sends Sophisticated Weapons”

May 20, 2013
Russia has delivered highly advanced anti-ship missiles to Syria, reports the New York Times. The BBC News points out that the news arrived the same day as a UN report said the number of refugees from Syria had passed 1.5 million mark. Following a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon cautioned against a loss of momentum for holding a peace...

How to End the Forever War

Harold Hongju Koh May 14, 2013
Ending a war can be more time-consuming and challenging than starting one, especially the so-called global war on terror that has defied conventional notions. Harold Hongju Koh, professor of law and former dean of Yale Law School, describes how the war on terror transformed into endless war in this YaleGlobal essay based on a speech delivered in May at the Oxford Union. Koh refutes common...

Could Syria Conflict Become Regional War?

Jonathan Marcus May 13, 2013
Conflict raging in Syria – and increasing numbers of weapons entering the nation – could spread to Lebanon and other nearby states, reports Jonathan Marcus for the BBC News, adding that “a crisis that began as a popular upheaval in Syria could degenerate into a bitter regional war.” Sunnis fight against minority rule in Syria, and the Shia-supported Syrian regime resists with help from Hezbollah...

China Dips a Toe Into Middle East Peace

Edward Wong, Chris Buckley May 9, 2013
By hosting Mahmoud Abbas and Benjamin Netanyahu, China may be considering a more active role in Middle East diplomacy. The leaders of the Palestine Authority and Israel did not meet in China. “As China’s economy, national strength and international status grow, Arab countries are looking more to China,” suggests Guo Xiangang of the China Institute of International Studies in Beijing. China...