by Thomas W. Lippman When Ramadan arrives in mid-summer, as it did this year, it usually guarantees that nothing of significance will happen in Saudi Arabia. The days of fasting are long, the heat is intense, and everybody who is… Continue Reading
by Thomas Lippman Has King Abdullah backed away from his longstanding refusal to have anything to do with an Iraqi government that includes Nouri al-Maliki? Reporters who were in Jeddah when Abdullah met with Secretary of State John F. Kerry… Continue Reading
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
by Henry Precht The Blame Game on Iraq threatens to eclipse the popularity of the World Cup — at least among American self-nominated experts on that poor country. Where have we heard those authoritative voices before — Kristol, Pollack, Wolfowitz — even the… Continue Reading
by Robert E. Hunter What do we, the United States, need — as opposed to want — in the Middle East? It’s no secret that the region is in a mess. But as Hamlet could have said about US responsibilities:… Continue Reading