In The News

A Stalled Arab Spring

Dilip Hiro August 4, 2011
Revolutions are rarely smooth affairs. So the Arab Spring extends into the scorching heat of summer. Securing lasting change takes longer than many analysts in the West and young protesters on the streets of Egypt, Yemen, Syria, Libya and Tunisia might have anticipated, explains author Dilip Hiro. Quick exits by presidents of Tunisia and Egypt spread hope throughout the Middle East and North...

Hezbollah on Edge in Face of Syria Revolt

Rana Moussaoui July 29, 2011
Protests underway in Syria since March have forced Hezbollah in Lebanon to moderate its stance. Like Syrian leaders, Hezbollah, a powerful party in Lebanon which enjoys strong Syrian military backing, blames the unrest on a few extremists, which infuriates the protesters. Syria, 74 percent Sunni, is run by an Alawi family with connections to Shiite Iran and Hezbollah. A new, more democratic Sunni...

Egyptian Youth Sidelined From Their Own Revolution

Mohamed El Dahshan July 19, 2011
Egypt’s revolution is incomplete. Massive protests press on in Cairo and other cities, with many upset about the military overseeing transition from a crony dictatorship to democracy. Confusion of a transitional leadership and fast-approaching elections is unsettling: The transitional government lacks popular mandate, yet has little choice but to move quickly on budgetary and other matters with...

Obama's Winning Formula for Syria

Ali Younes July 14, 2011
With brutal force and intimidation visible the world over, Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad has lost his countrymen’s support. The international community responds with condemnation and sanctions. Al-Assad can resign, lead in establishing democratic rights or live life as a pariah. Regardless, Al-Assad is weakened, and that benefits the US, explains policy analyst Ali Younes for Ahram Weekly. If...

Riyadh Will Build Nuclear Weapons If Iran Gets Them, Saudi Prince Warns

Jason Burke June 30, 2011
Saudi Arabia actively campaigns to redirect international attention on Iran’s nuclear program and influence in the Middle East. If Iran develops a nuclear weapon, the West can expect Saudi Arabia will follow suit, Saudi officials advised NATO officials. A warning from Prince Turki al-Faisal, former Saudi intelligence chief and ambassador to the US, was implicit, but other Saudi spokesmen were...

Saudis Behead an Indonesian Maid

June 26, 2011
Crimes and punishments that cut across borders provoke global judgments on differences in culture and legal systems. Individual players in the sensational dramas represent their nations. Poor nations send millions of workers, 75 percent of them women, overseas as unskilled labor. Given the power imbalance, contracts, if any, are unenforceable. The migrant workers have few protections and are...

Turkey-Syria-Iran Triangle Is Being Redrawn

Nihat Ali Özcan June 26, 2011
Turkey as a moderate Islamic nation tried to foster good relations with both Sunni - and Shiite - majority countries, even after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 exposed, perhaps even exacerbated, Sunni-Shiite polarization. But the Arab uprisings this year have not only pushed Iraq into the background, but compelled nations like Turkey to take sides, explains Nihat Ali Özcan in an opinion...