by Robert E. Hunter After six months, the Trump administration is facing its first major diplomatic challenge: the blockade of the Persian Gulf state of Qatar by four other regional countries, led by Saudi Arabia. This has led the so-far… Continue Reading
by Emile Nakhleh The Bahraini government’s decision on June 4 to shutter al-Wasat indefinitely yet again underscores the regime’s on-going assault on the freedom of expression and independent media. The information ministry claimed in its statement that it shut down… Continue Reading
by Jim Lobe Given the fast-moving events in the Persian Gulf region over the past two weeks, LobeLog decided to consult Chas W. Freeman, Jr., whose occasional lectures on key foreign policy issues have been featured on this site for… Continue Reading
by Derek Davison More than two weeks after they began boycotting Qatar, four Arab nations—Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—have presented the Qataris with a list of demands that they say Doha must meet in order to… Continue Reading
by Graham E. Fuller The tiny Gulf state of Qatar is today under harsh siege from nearly everybody in the Middle East, and portrayed as a “supporter of terrorism.” The US has bought into the mantra. What’s really going on… Continue Reading