Congress’ DIY Approach to Saudi Arabia

by Diana Ohlbaum If there were a “basket of deplorables” for foreign countries, Saudi Arabia would surely be in it. The Saudi government holds one of the world’s worst records on religious freedom and women’s rights, and harbors one of… Continue Reading

Our Hardliners Are Still Helping Iran’s Hardliners

by Paul R. Pillar The unrelenting urge among American politicians to keep punishing Iran—or more precisely, to be seen supporting steps with that objective—continues to work against sensible statecraft and U.S. interests in multiple respects. One of those respects concerns… Continue Reading

Contesting the U.S.-Saudi Bromance With 1,000 Cuts

by Robert Naiman On September 8, Senators Rand Paul (R-KY), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Al Franken (D-MN) introduced a bipartisan resolution, SJ Res 39, to disapprove the $1.15 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia notified to Congress… Continue Reading

How Veterans Are Losing the War at Home

by Ann Jones A friend of mine, a Vietnam vet, told me about a veteran of the Iraq War who, when some civilian said, “Thank you for your service,” replied: “I didn’t serve, I was used.” That got me thinking… Continue Reading