by Jim Lobe Much of the West is focused on the latest sectarian provocations by Saudi Arabia, such as the execution of Shiite leader Sheik Nimr Baqr al-Nimr followed by the formal breaking of diplomatic relations with Iran in uber-retaliation… Continue Reading
by Emile Nakhleh As Arab publics reminisce on the fifth anniversary of the 2011 upheavals against their dictatorial regimes, they must feel dismayed and angry at what has transpired since then. The unprecedented euphoria that accompanied the Arab Spring and… Continue Reading
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
by Shireen Hunter Saudi Arabia finally executed the elderly Shia cleric, Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, even though many Muslim and other religious leaders as well as the United Nations and a number of political leaders had urged—at least privately—Saudi Arabia… Continue Reading
by Wayne White The recapture of most of the Iraqi city of Ramadi is good news, especially since Iraq Army units backed by Sunni Arab tribesmen pulled it off without abusive Shi’a militias. This victory, however, was tarnished by the… Continue Reading