Arab & Islamic Politics

Growing unrest in Syria is increasingly spilling over the border into Turkey. So far 12,000 Syrian refugees have crossed into Turkey, and with a crackdown on the way in Idlib near the border, thousands more could be heading that way. Ankara has expressed outrage at the situation, calling the Syrian

The Middle East is hurtling in a new direction, and the United States must catch up or be left behind.

Today, Islamists have sought criminal charges against a Christian for tweeting an image of Mickey Mouse. In what world will they be democrats tomorrow?

On July 1 and 8, protestors plan to hold demonstrations in Cairo's Tahrir Square. If they experience the same violent repression seen at the June 28-29 protests, however, many will begin to question how much has actually changed since the days of former president Hosni Mubarak. New Violence in Tahrir

While Italy is in a sore state under the weight of its old elites, the CHP's revival will likely prevent Turkey from falling into a similar rut.

Barring a diplomatic breakthrough, Palestinian leaders plan to pursue a statehood resolution at the United Nations in September. Yet, the most striking feature of the debate surrounding this development is how little attention is being paid to the context of this initiative and what may happen the day after the

Iran's inability to aid Bahraini protestors could reduce its political influence among Shiite Arabs.

The June 22 announcement that a youth wing of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB) is splitting off to form its own secular party is emblematic of the unprecedented political activity in post-Mubarak Egypt. June 21 saw the second meeting of the National Democratic Alliance for Egypt, with fourteen smaller parties

The Israeli-Palestinian portion of President Obama's May 19 speech generated much more attention than his comments on trade, investment, and development initiatives to promote growth and opportunities across the Middle East. Yet without a strong and credible economic program, efforts to advance Washington's political and security agenda in the region