by Thomas W. Lippman Any evaluation of President Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia must deal with two separate questions: how did he perform, and what did accomplish? On the first, he did well. His meetings with the Saudis and leaders… Continue Reading
by David Vine Much outrage has been expressed in recent weeks over President Donald Trump’s invitation for a White House visit to Rodrigo Duterte, president of the Philippines, whose “war on drugs” has led to thousands of extrajudicial killings. Criticism… Continue Reading
by Giorgio Cafiero Throughout 2017, Bahrain’s six-year-old crisis has sharpened. Political space is narrowing as the authorities in Manama have upheld the dissolution of al-Wefaq Islamic Society (the country’s dominant Shi’ite opposition society) and kept its leader, Ali Salman, in… Continue Reading
by Emile Nakhleh The New York Times reported last Thursday that the US State Department has decided to lift human rights as a condition for the sale of F-16 fighter jets and other weapons to Bahrain, a small, Sunni, family-ruled… Continue Reading
by Paul R. Pillar The Trump administration has decided to remove any conditions regarding human rights from sales of F-16 fighter aircraft and other arms to Bahrain. The rationale for doing so is the idea that hard power considerations ought… Continue Reading