European Parliament Condemns Human Rights Violations in Bahrain 

by Eldar Mamedov While the Trump administration is escalating tensions with Iran and moving closer to the Persian Gulf monarchies, the European Parliament (EP) took a step in the opposite direction. At its plenary session on February 16, it adopted… Continue Reading →

Bahrain and “Iranian-Backed Terrorism”

by Emile Nakhleh In a recent article, Matthew Levitt and Michael Knights of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP) highlighted Iranian support of “terrorism” in Bahrain and suggested a future path for the country “balancing security and human… Continue Reading →

Tales of Russian Ascendancy in the Middle East Are Overblown

by Perry Cammack and Richard Sokolsky The Syrian ceasefire that began on December 29 is the latest diplomatic coup for Russian President Vladimir Putin. It remains to be seen whether this initiative, which builds on the momentum of earlier talks… Continue Reading →

What Trump Means for U.S.-Bahrain Relations

by Jesse Schatz and Giorgio Cafiero Since Bahrain’s “Arab Spring” uprising erupted almost six years ago, Western governments and commentators have both criticized Manama’s crackdown on Shi’ite dissent and expressed cautious optimism about the prospects for reform. In Washington and… Continue Reading →

The Five Most Common Middle East Conspiracy Theories

by Reese Erlich I speak about the Middle East to people of various political persuasions around the US, from leftist college students to conservatives on AM radio talk shows. Most Americans are wary of further US military intervention in the… Continue Reading →