Revealed: The Lessons of Khobar Towers

by Paul R. Pillar Saudi Arabia reportedly has taken custody of Ahmed al-Mughassil, accused of being a central figure in the truck bombing at Khobar Towers in eastern Saudi Arabia in 1996 in which 19 American airmen died. The report… Continue Reading

Intervention in Libya, and It Wasn’t American

by Paul Pillar Last week the United Arab Emirates, aided by Egypt, conducted airstrikes against Islamist militias in Libya. The targeted forces are among the contestants in the surging turmoil and civil warfare in Libya. The airstrikes do not appear… Continue Reading

Clueless in Cairo

How Egypt’s Generals Sidelined Uncle Sam by Dilip Hiro Since September 11, 2001, Washington’s policies in the Middle East have proven a grim imperial comedy of errors and increasingly a spectacle of how a superpower is sidelined. In this drama, barely… Continue Reading