Fighting for Democracy While Supporting Autocracy

ISIS and Bahrain’s F-16 by Matar E. Matar For the second time in recent history, the United States is trading away support for democracy and fundamental human rights protections in Bahrain as part of an effort to establish democracy and… Continue Reading

The Cameron-Rouhani Meeting: What Comes Next?

by Ellie Geranmayeh The meeting between Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and British Prime Minister David Cameron on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly yesterday was an important moment for geopolitics, British-Iranian relations, and the growing European dialogue with Tehran. Such… Continue Reading

How Obama Should Beat ISIS

by Emile Nakhleh In a speech before the United Nations on Wednesday, President Barack Obama offered a rhetorically eloquent roadmap on how to fight the Islamic State (ISIL or ISIS) in Iraq and Syria. He called on Muslim youth to… Continue Reading

Saudi Arabia: Champion of Human Rights?

by Thomas W. Lippman Imagine hearing news that North Korea was planning to organize an international conference on criminal justice reform, or being invited by Cuba to a conference promoting political freedom. The likely reaction would be incredulity, followed by… Continue Reading

Khawaja Arrest Exposes Bahrain’s Rights Abuses, US Hypocrisy

by Derek Davison If actions speak louder than words, then Bahrain’s decision to arrest the prominent human rights activist, Maryam al-Khawaja, on Aug. 29 demonstrates that, despite promises to the contrary, the island kingdom has no real intention of cleaning… Continue Reading