Henry of Arabia

by Greg Grandin The only person Henry Kissinger flattered more than President Richard Nixon was Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran. In the early 1970s, the Shah, sitting atop an enormous reserve of increasingly expensive oil and a key… Continue Reading

The Saudi Problem

by Paul R. Pillar Saudi King Salman visits Washington this week amid disagreement between the United States and Saudi Arabia on a broad range of issues. Moreover, the disagreements are rooted in fundamental characteristics of the anachronistic Saudi regime. Many… Continue Reading

Iran Deal: Overture to the Middle East Grand Opera

by Robert Hunter The US debate on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran is in full swing and will not be resolved soon. That must wait until the final vote in the House and Senate on whether to… Continue Reading

A Reformation Dialogue This Ramadan

by James Spencer Recently, the UK’s youngest suicide bomber died in Iraq, and a British convert to Islam was killed fighting for al-Shabaab against the Kenyan Army. At much the same time, President Obama has confessed that the US still doesn’t have a complete… Continue Reading

Is Saudi Arabia’s Assault on Yemen Just About Curtailing Iran’s influence?

by Gabriele vom Bruck According to Saudi foreign policy commentator Khalid al-Khalil, “having another Lebanon, another Hizbollah, is out of the question for us. We will not allow it happen no matter the cost.” He was referring to Yemen’s Ansar Allah,… Continue Reading