by Thomas W. Lippman When Abdul Aziz al-Saud, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, was spreading his dominion across the Arabia peninsula nearly a century ago, one of his early decisions was to impose jizyah, the Muslim religious tax on… Continue Reading
by Eldar Mamedov When the European Parliament delegation visited Turkey last week—chaired by the influential chairman of the EP Foreign Affairs Committee Elmar Brok, a German Christian-Democrat—both the president of the Republic Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu… Continue Reading
by Aurelie Daher On February 8, the Syrian army launched an assault along the dividing line between Damascus’s southern suburbs and villages north of Quneitra and Deraa in the southern part of the country until recently controlled by remnants of… Continue Reading
by John Feffer During the Cold War, science fiction writers and politicians like Ronald Reagan imagined that the threat of an invasion from outer space could break down ideological barriers and unify the world. The arrival of giant bug-eyed creatures… Continue Reading
by Wayne White As 2014 draws to a close, there is no shortage of alternative suggestions about how to defeat the Islamic State (ISIS or IS). Most of them involve US escalation, driven by exaggerated notions of IS capabilities. Retaking… Continue Reading