For Saudis, the Product Negates the Message

by Thomas W. Lippman Ever since the Arab oil embargo of 1973-74 infuriated Americans with escalating gasoline prices and long lines at the pump, Saudi Arabia has spent lavishly in the United States on efforts to burnish its image among… Continue Reading

Saudi Executions: A Trap for Washington?

by Jean-Francois Seznec Observers of the Middle East woke up on the normally peaceful day after the New Year to the unsettling news that Saudi Arabia had executed 47 terrorists. Among the executed were three foreign nationals, 40 Saudi Sunnis… Continue Reading

Spotlight on the Islamic State

by Wayne White The extraordinarily gruesome execution of the Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh generated intense regional backlash against the self-anointed Islamic State (ISIS or IS). However, aside from Jordan, this affair may not translate into a major increase in military… Continue Reading