East Asia and the Pacific in the New World Disorder

by Chas Freeman I attended my first PPI gathering in 1997 at Larry Hull’s place in Agate Beach, Oregon.  I remember Bob Maynard politely but pointedly questioning my prediction that Pacific Asia was about to make a comeback as the… Continue Reading

Saudi-UAE moves hint at willingness to engage with Iran

by James M. Dorsey Recent moves by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates suggest that the two Gulf states may be looking for ways to reduce tensions with Iran that permeate multiple conflicts wracking the Middle East and North… Continue Reading

Bombing the Rubble

By Tom Engelhardt You remember. It was supposed to be twenty-first-century war, American-style: precise beyond imagining; smart bombs; drones capable of taking out a carefully identified and tracked human being just about anywhere on Earth; special operations raids so pinpoint-accurate… Continue Reading

The Gulf crisis produces snail-pace social change and a dangerous arms race

by James M. Dorsey A two-month old crisis pitting Qatar against an alliance led by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia is proving to be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it has revived momentum for unprecedented, albeit… Continue Reading