Rare Expulsion of US Official from Bahrain Sets Back Reform Hopes

by Jim Lobe Monday’s expulsion order by Bahrain against a visiting senior US official has set back tentative hopes for internal reforms that could reconcile the kingdom’s Sunni-led government with its majority Shia community and drawn a sharp protest from… Continue Reading

WSJ’s Daniel Henninger’s Reagan

  by Jim Lobe As readers of this blog know, I’m not a big fan of the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board, which pretty much defines neo-conservative foreign-policy orthodoxy and is probably the movement’s single-most influential and effective proponent in… Continue Reading

U.S.: What Is the Greatest Threat of Them All?

by Jim Lobe* This month’s stunning campaign by Sunni insurgents led by the radical Islamic State of Syria and the Levant (ISIL) against the mainly Shi’a government of Iraqi President Nouri Al-Maliki is stoking a growing debate here about the… Continue Reading

Egypt’s Sentencing of Journalists Draws US Condemnation

by Jim Lobe* The administration of President Barack Obama joined international human rights groups around the world in “strongly condemn(ing)” Monday’s conviction and sentencing by an Egyptian court of three Al Jazeera journalists and 15 others for their alleged association… Continue Reading

Leadership and Climate Change

by Jim Lobe While this blog is devoted to U.S. policy toward the Middle East, it should come as no surprise to regular readers that I regard climate change as likely to be the greatest challenge faced by the United… Continue Reading