Arab & Islamic Politics

Bahrain makes a desperate attempt to charm Washington even as the regime declares war on protestors back home.

This weekend may witness another Palestinian attempt to breach the frontier with Israel in a repeat of May 15's "Nakba (Catastrophe) Day," when thousands marched on border fences and crossing points during the annual Arab commemoration of events following Israel's 1948 founding. June 5 is being labeled "Naksa (Setback) Day,"

If the Asad regime falls in Syria, a key link in Iran's strategic chain across the region would be broken.

Although the financial implications of U.S. court verdicts against Syria are unlikely to change the regime's support for terrorism, they will impose an unprecedented price on Bashar al-Asad's increasingly reckless behavior.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of President Obama's May 19 remarks was how greatly they differed from his 2009 Cairo speech.

President Obama surprised most observers by publicly recognizing that the primary stumbling block preventing forward movement on the peace process is not settlements, or even the status of Jerusalem or the right of return, but Hamas.

The Obama administration's announcement yesterday specifically sanctioning Syrian President Bashar al-Asad begins to clear the fog that has clouded policy toward this pivotal country since the outbreak of mass protests weeks ago. As U.S. and international leaders have grappled with popular uprisings across the Middle East, the tension between moral

When administration officials insist that each country and each revolution in the Middle East is different and must thus be handled differently, they are correct. Case-by-case action is often wise. Case-by-case strategy is not.

Ever since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) assumed power in Ankara in 2002, Turkey has grown gradually cold toward cooperating with the West in the Middle East. Now, the AKP is increasingly taking issue with NATO.