Geopolitics / Middle East

Dec 06, 2011 at 18:19 | John Daly

So much for peace in the Middle East. On 5 December Prince bin Turki al Faisal, speaking at the “The Gulf and the Globe” conference in the Saudi capital Riyadh …

Dec 06, 2011 at 18:17 | John Daly

According to Iraqi Council of Representatives Oil and Energy Committee member Furat al-Sharei, the 10 oil fields that spread across the Iraqi-Kuwaiti frontier are still waiting to have a line…

Nov 16, 2011 at 17:25 | John Daly

As the drums for direct military intervention to derail Iran’s purported covert military nuclear weapons program beat louder in both Jerusalem and Washington, an overlooked issue is the possibility of…

Nov 02, 2011 at 08:42 | John Daly

Iraq’s announcement last week that U.S. forces would be required to leave Iraq under terms of the Status of Forces Agreement by 31 December blindsided Washington, and aroused predictable partisan…

Oct 18, 2011 at 07:38 | Editorial Dept

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Oct 14, 2011 at 07:53 | John Daly

As tensions between Washington and Tehran rise exponentially over the case of a purported assassination plot against Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the U.S., some American politicians are calling for military…

Sep 14, 2011 at 21:38 | John Daly

On 12 September Iran brought its first nuclear power plant in Bushehr online, connecting it to the country's electrical grid. Iranian officials at the opening ceremony said that the 1,000…

Sep 08, 2011 at 08:08 | John Daly

September promises to be an epochal month, as the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday night told U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a telephone call that he…

Sep 05, 2011 at 08:13 | RFE/RL staff

Russia's belated recognition of Libya’s provisional leadership on September 1 carried a hint of desperation. For months, Moscow had refused to recognize the National Transitional Council (NTC), was reluctant to…

Aug 05, 2011 at 07:48 | John Daly

Given the fiscal bloodletting in Wall Street and London on Wednesday, the West and its bureaucrats be forgiven for its internal financial navel-gazing. Nevertheless, a historic moment is occurring…

Jun 29, 2011 at 08:10 | The Oil Drum

The small archipelago nation of Bahrain can't seem to stay out of the news lately, as the government continues its containment of civil protests that it perceives as a threat…

Apr 15, 2011 at 08:59 | Open Democracy

In recent weeks, the Gulf state of Qatar has emerged as a leading advocate of international intervention on the side of the anti-Gaddafi rebels in Libya. It organised the politically-crucial…

Apr 15, 2011 at 08:52 | Robert Tait

From being the most assertively visible actor in the Middle East, it has seemingly become quiet and unnoticed, almost the forgotten country. Yet three months into what has become known…

Mar 14, 2011 at 21:54 | Global Intelligence Report

It appears the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has taken the unprecedented step of intervening militarily in the affairs of another member state to crush the democratisation movement there, which is…

Mar 04, 2011 at 08:37 | Robert Coalson

Authoritarian regimes across the Middle East and North Africa are falling apart one by one. Even oil-rich states like Libya, Bahrain, and Oman are not immune to the unrest. But…

Feb 24, 2011 at 07:55 | IWPR

The speech by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on February 22 - which was derided by many Arab analysts as delusional - sparked an interesting reaction across both the Arab mainstream…

Feb 23, 2011 at 07:25 | David Caploe PhD

At the heart of the Bahrain crisis is a Sunni / Shia Muslim split that is not limited to the small island off Saudi Arabia, but extends throughout the Persian…

Feb 18, 2011 at 08:32 | Gregory R. Copley

Egyptian Pres. Hosni Mubarak’s decision on the night of February 10, 2011, to hand over some of the powers of the Presidency to Vice-Pres. Omar Suleiman can only be seen…

Feb 09, 2011 at 07:29 | Gregory R. Copley

The prospect of an imminent, uncontrolled change in the leadership of Egypt, or other political paralysis in the state, as a result of growing popular unrest which began in the…

Feb 03, 2011 at 07:21 | Open Democracy

The small Gulf state of Qatar has translated economic assets and creative diplomacy into extraordinary global influence. But the eclipse of regional giants such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia is…