Building an Unlikely Coalition Against ISIS

by Thomas W. Lippman Throughout the Middle East, television news broadcasts on state-owned channels have always featured what Western journalists ridicule as “coming and going stories”—a delegation from some country or organization arrives, the delegation meets the king or president,… Continue Reading

Saudi Anger Masks Concern About Loss of Influence

by Emile Nakhleh via IPS News Saudi Arabia’s public anger against the United States masks the kingdom’s growing concern about its diminishing influence in the Persian Gulf and the wider Arab world. It has nothing to do with U.S. policy… Continue Reading

Saudis Should Welcome A US Move Toward Iran

by Thomas W. Lippman Shortly after President Obama’s startling telephone conversation with Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani, a Saudi Arabian journalist wrote that “The phone call between Obama and Rouhani shocked the Gulf states, Jordan, Turkey, Israel, and other countries.”  No matter… Continue Reading