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 →

After Orlando: Twitter Recoils from Islamophobia, Takes Aim at Gun Laws

by Saif Shahin Twitter users responded to the shooting in Orlando, Florida, with an abundance of love and prayers for the victims, their families, and the gay community in America, fury against political leaders for failing to institute stricter gun… Continue Reading →