U.S. Troop Withdrawals Threaten Greater Gulf Assertiveness

by James M. Dorsey As far as Gulf leaders are concerned, President Donald J. Trump demonstrated with his announced US troop withdrawals from Syria and Afghanistan [reports of the latter have been disputed by the Trump administration] that his insistence that the… Continue Reading

Political Backlash in the Gulf

by Henry Johnson If the United States seeks long-term stability in the Middle East, it must begin empowering opposition voices in the Gulf countries. A report published by Chatham House and presented at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace last… Continue Reading

U.S. Labels Iranian rebel group ‘terrorists’ ahead of talks

In a move on Wednesday that some analysts consider a concession to Iran ahead of the upcoming negotiations on its nuclear program, the U.S. State Department labeled the Iranian Sunni militant group, Jundullah, a “Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under Section 219 of… Continue Reading