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

Can Kuwait Facilitate a Thaw in Saudi-Iranian Relations?

by Giorgio Cafiero Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid traveled to Tehran late last month to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. While making his rare visit to the Iranian capital, Kuwait’s top diplomat… 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

Human Rights Double Standard: Iran and Saudi Arabia

by Shireen T. Hunter   The question of how to help promote human rights globally has always had a political dimension. States often press these issues in the case of those countries of which they disapprove and ignore or downplay… Continue Reading

The New Normal in U.S.-Saudi Relations

by Perry Cammack and Richard Sokolsky Next week’s U.S.-GCC summit in Riyadh is the last opportunity for the Obama administration to recalibrate the U.S.-Saudi relationship. While officially a multilateral summit between the United States and the six Gulf monarchies, all eyes… Continue Reading