Oil Uncertainty Threatens Iraq’s Ability to Rebuild

by Derek Davison The global oil market is undeniably in flux. Crude oil prices, after dropping at the start of this year to levels not seen in more than a decade, have climbed nearly $20 per barrel, back into the… Continue Reading

A Peace Plan for Syria—and for Kurds?

by Robert Olson James Dobbins, Philip Gordon, and Jeffery Martini, ranking members of Rand Corporation and former State Department officials, have authored another study advocating polices that the U.S. should pursue to obtain some kind of peace in Syria. Given the… Continue Reading

Protecting the World’s Shia: Where’s the International Community?

by Shireen T. Hunter Only a few short months ago, Saudi Arabia executed the Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Al Nimr, and the Nigerian military killed hundreds of the country’s Shia and severely wounded their leader Sheikh Ibrahim Yaqoub Zakzaki. Now,… Continue Reading

The Saudi-Iranian Rivalry and the Gulf Littoral States

by Giorgio Cafiero and Joshua Hodge It is hardly an exaggeration to say that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran disagree these days on virtually all issues facing the tumultuous Middle East. The two countries… Continue Reading

Answering the Appeal of the 51 Diplomats on Syria

by Robert E. Hunter This past week, 51 unnamed members of the US Foreign Service wrote to the State Department‘s policy planning director (who works directly for Secretary John Kerry) through the so-called “dissent channel.” This device was set up… Continue Reading