Political Islam and US Policy in 2015

by Emile Nakhleh This year Arab political Islam will be greatly influenced by US regional policy, as it has been since the Obama administration came into office six years ago. Indeed, as the US standing in the region rose with… Continue Reading

Why Does ISIS Hate Shi’a?

by Graham E. Fuller ISIS has particularly targeted Shi’a as a key part of their brutal onslaught against any practice of Islam that does not conform to their narrow ahistorical interpretation view of their religion. We hear a lot from… Continue Reading

Mubarak Acquitted as Egypt’s Counterrevolution Thrives

by Emile Nakhleh The acquittal of former Egyptian President Muhammad Hosni Mubarak is not a legal or political surprise. Yet it carries serious ramifications for Arab autocrats who are leading the counterrevolutionary charge, as well as the United States. The… Continue Reading

Bahrain’s Sham Election Ignores Calls for Reform

by Emile Nakhleh Bahrain’s national election planned for this Saturday portends no change in the al-Khalifa regime’s anti-Shi’a stance and is yet another futile exercise in sham democracy. The mainstream al-Wefaq Shi’a opposition party has decided to boycott the election… Continue Reading

The GCC’s Security Dilemma

by Mark N. Katz The states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)—Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman—are frustrated. Four of them—Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE—have vast quantities of petroleum. All of them… Continue Reading