America’s decision to target Iranian agents in Iraq who may be involved in supporting violent militias is but another sign of the massive influence Iran is exercising in that troubled country. But the United States in fact facilitated Iran’s growing influence by toppling Saddam Hussein’s regime and that of the Taliban in Afghanistan, thus removing …

Abdelkareem Nabil Suleiman, an Egyptian college student and blogger, will be sentenced on February 22 in Cairo. His alleged crime is expressing his own personal opinion on issues of education, women’s rights, and government reform. As punishment, he could spend the next 15 years in prison. This is a travesty that should not be allowed …

When I launched my blog on February 6, 2005 I never imagined that it would become an obsession of mine or a mini-phenomenon for many people interested in the region. Yet within months of the beginning, it became clear to me that blogging was destined to become an integral part of my life, perhaps for …

In commemorating the 230th anniversary of America’s independence last July, President George W. Bush noted that the patriots of the Revolutionary War believed that all men are created equal, and with inalienable rights. Because of these ideals, he proclaimed, the United States “remains a beacon of hope for all who dream of liberty and a …

Think of the new Russia as a highway: People used to drive on the left side of the road; now, officially, they are supposed to drive on the right, but the changeover has been uncomfortable (especially for the authorities). So the country straddles the middle – which is understandable, but also dangerous. That’s a paradox …

The very sensible six-nation agreement reached with North Korea earlier this week to end its nuclear armaments program came at a time when more details were being circulated about an Iranian offer to the United States in Spring 2003 to address all bilateral issues that have chilled relations between Tehran and Washington. The contrast between …

It has been famously said that the Palestinians never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity. The recent meeting, hosted by Saudi King Abdullah, held in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, between Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, Ismail Haniya, the Palestinian Prime Minister, and Khaled Meshal, Hamas s political guru, seems to prove the …

The reconciliation between the leaders of the two major Palestinian groups, Hamas and Fatah, which was negotiated in Saudi Arabia last week, is being hailed as a major political breakthrough. But the national unity government created as a result of this agreement faces many daunting challenges. The agreement needs to be followed by an effort …

St. Valentine, a martyred Christian saint in ancient Rome, could have never imagined how love would evolve into a force in international politics. He probably only knew love for God and for his fellow human beings. The notion of love for a nation, or love for the leader of a nation, would have been peculiar …

Two years after the assassination of Lebanon’s former prime minister, Rafik Hariri and 22 others, including the former minister Basil Fuleihan, on Tuesday Lebanon was subjected to another terrorist attack in Ain Alaq, near Bikfaya, home of the Gemayel family. The bombings represented, most probably, another escalation by the Syrian regime. In assessing the possible …

Vladimir Putin made headlines last weekend when he blasted the Bush administration for its “almost uncontained hyper-use of force that has created a world where “no one feels safe. If he had been a Democratic presidential candidate, it would have been a standard stump speech. But coming from a Russian president, his remarks had pundits …

There is growing concern among the Western coalition forces about the worsening situation in Afghanistan. The insurgency has recently shown its bloodiest face since the Taliban’s ouster in 2001 and represents a ticking time bomb for the collapse of US policies in the country. The fallout of American policies in Iraq has been felt across …

Sitting in a hotel bar in East Jerusalem, an Israeli peace activist named Nimrod casually remarked to me, “I wish that American Jews would take a more moderate approach to the conflict. Sometimes they are so nationalist, it just makes things harder. The comment elicited tired, knowing nods from the other Israeli journalists and human …

Bush administration efforts to forge a US-Arab alliance against Iran are threatening to produce a new Middle East Cold War, with dangerous implications for regional stability, US interests and American lives. When Condoleezza Rice was in the region to lay the foundations for a united front with key Arab states based on the perception of …

Time has never been better for Somalia’s leaders to take the opportunity given to them by recent turn of events to establish and hold onto a lasting peace that they have been searching for in the past 16 years. Following the crushing defeat of forces loyal to the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) by the …

Officials from Riyadh to Khartoum have been working overtime to find a solution to Lebanon s latest political crisis. This week, Speaker Nabih Berri became the most recent leader to enter the fray with a plan of his own. The speaker has proposed an initiative aimed at resolving two of the more contentious issues that …

Here comes another February with a new Valentine s Day on the horizon, bringing to the fore fantasies and memories with scented candles and red flowers. When it comes to Valentine s it s all about expressing love and affection to our husbands or wives and fiancées. Early preparations for surprising gifts, romantic candlelight dinners …

Relations between the Middle East and the United States are undeniably strained. Evidence of this comes to us every day through the news, in movies and television, and in academic writings. What, though, is driving this hostility and what can be done to end it? A survey conducted by Zogby International examining how Arabs view …

Whatever critics at home and abroad may think, the “surge that President George W. Bush is planning for Iraq is more than a troop increase; it is a new and high-risk regional strategy. True, Bush’s plan will prove far too little and comes far too late to stabilize Iraq. But it does offer the United …

Egypt confronts a double problem on its northeastern borders – both Palestinian and Israeli. The two problems are intertwined and have interacted over the past six decades or so. However, they are also different, or at least require different sets of policies. While the Israeli question is geopolitical in nature and is defined most of …

You would have had to be stuck in deepest Mongolia to avoid hearing that the United Nations climate panel, the IPCC, issued a new report last week. Perhaps even in the depths of Mongolia, you would have heard the dire warnings emitted by journalists. You would have distilled from these agonized noises that the report …

Last month, a group gathered in New York City to celebrate the 80th birthday of Charles Peters, one of the true revolutionaries in modern journalism. For more than 30 years, Peters edited The Washington Monthly – a liberal magazine with a small circulation but a huge impact on American political culture. The usual measure of …

The most significant thing about the national unity government agreement signed Thursday by Hamas and Fatah in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, under Saudi auspices was that it was signed in Mecca under Saudi auspices. This is probably more important for what it tells us about Saudi diplomatic stirrings than what it says about Palestinian-Israeli issues. If …

Towards the end of 2006, the Euro-Mediterranean Ministers in their meeting at Turkey, stressed the need for strengthening the role of women in their societies. A framework and action plan was agreed upon for the next five years. It was agreed that the Euro-Mediterranean partners would embrace a holistic approach based on three interdependent and …

Dear Salameh, Your last letter reached me a short while before I started an interview with the new Minister Ghaleb Majadele. I was pleased to read him the warm words you wrote about his appointment as the first Arab minister in an Israeli government. Like many in the Israeli peace camp, I also hope that …

Soon after taking office in summer 2005, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sacked most of his country’s ambassadors. Many of the posts left vacant as a result have been slowly filled, but the resulting dearth of professional skill in the conduct of Iranian diplomacy continues to be evident to this day. In fact, at a time …

China’s president, Hu Jintao, is currently touring Africa, seeking to secure dependable sources of natural resources, but also to promote China’s “peaceful rise. Such tours are designed to give notice that China is emerging on the world stage, as well as to make it look respectable as a major world power. But China’s quest for …

CAIRO: The state of freedom overall in the Middle East declined in 2006 from the previous year, according to the findings of “Freedom in the World, the long-running annual survey released recently by Freedom House The decline is significant in part because the previous year had shown progress in a number of key Arab nations, …

Somehow, four years on, the debate about Iraq is still animated by wishful thinking. The White House talks as if a surge of 20,000 troops is going to stop a civil war. Democrats argue that when America withdraws its troops, Iraqis will finally take responsibility for their own security. But we all need to face …

Despite the surprise that greeted Hamas’ election victory in Palestinian parliamentary elections last year, the Islamic Resistance Movement did not come from nowhere. Hamas first emerged as a real player on the Palestinian social and economic scene during the first intifada that started in 1989. Even then it came from the ranks of the long-established …