Israel did not bomb Iran last year. Why should it happen this year? Because it did not happen last year. The Iranians are proceeding apace with their nuclear program. The Americans are determined to stop them. Sanctions are biting, but the diplomatic process produced nothing visible in 2012. Knowledgeable observers believe there is no “zone More »
The United States has officially recognized the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people. It has also designated al-Qaida in Iraq-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra, which often leads the fighting effort in Syria, as a terrorist organization, thus making it illegal for anyone to buy it even More »
Nearly two years after the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, here we are once again with protesters back in the Egyptian streets, facing army tanks and tear gas, and this time with human rights defenders openly expressing concerns about the possibility of civil war. There’s only one way out of this: Egypt has to build More »
Washington’s relations with Bahrain are under strain after royal comments at a regional strategy conference in the island’s capital. The incident, described by the Associated Press as a “diplomatic flap” and a “public slap against Washington,” reopens the debate about the progress of reforms as street violence continues between Shi’ite protesters and security forces More »
In light of continuing pressure from abroad and mounting economic and political problems at home, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is preparing for the possibility of a generous compromise offer from President Barack Obama that would allow Iran to end the risk of military strikes on its nuclear facilities. The Supreme Leader seems to have realized More »
Asia specialists will not openly admit it, but they hate the Middle East. To them, the Middle East is the great distraction that keeps people from focusing on what’s really important – their own area in the Western Pacific. The media are primarily to blame, according to this narrative. The media love sudden drama, even More »
The conventional wisdom is that American presidents who win a second term are less bound by domestic electoral considerations that may impose constraints on their foreign policy. But in his second term, President Barack Obama is unlikely to take any bold initiatives in the Middle East. Indeed, he is far more likely not only More »
With President Barack Obama’s re-election, many people across the Middle East are contemplating what this region might expect from his second term. Over the next four years, Obama will likely continue the policy directions set in his first term: by completing the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, for example, and reaching out to global players like More »
“All of us share this world for but a brief moment in time. The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart, or whether we commit ourselves to an effort – a sustained effort – to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children, More »
- President Obama gets four more years in the White House - World leaders respond to the outcome of the U.S. election - Turkey starts the trial against Israeli officers of a deadly 2010 encounter on the high More »
- Obama or Romney? Americans head to the polls - The U.S. presidential election meets indifference in the Middle East - No matter who wins, Syria will remain a political challenge - Violence flares again in More »
Both U.S. President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger in today’s presidential election, Mitt Romney, have repeatedly called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down. Neither appears to have a clear policy for achieving that goal nor have they explained what the future of Syria should be. The situation is certainly complex. Syria is More »
As Americans ponder which US Presidential candidate they will vote for on November 6th, Arabs are also questioning which man--standing President Barack Obama or contender Governor Mitt Romney--will make the bigger difference for the Middle East. Here's how they weigh in on important issues. More »
In recent weeks, people the world over have heard a great deal about divisions and conflict between Muslim communities and America. Yet looking more deeply at American history shows how much American tradition actually runs in the opposite direction. In today’s seemingly divisive world, I cannot help but think of the values of America’s More »
Regardless of who is elected on November 6, Iran’s nuclear program is going to be one of the most important challenges the next U.S. president is going to have to confront. Unless Iran’s leaders shift course and suddenly decide to suspend their ongoing enrichment of uranium, the continuing progress of the Iranian nuclear program More »
- Middle East issues dominate the last of the U.S. presidential debates - What is the response among Jewish and Muslim American voters? - Report: the number of registered Syrian refugees has climbed to more than 358,000 - Qatar’s emir receives a hero’s welcome in the Gaza Strip - Egypt’s electricity woes amplify economic frustrations More »
The United States and Europe may eventually have to draw a red line for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his regime. The U.S. government should tell Assad that he must launch serious negotiations for a transition government. If he does not, Western governments should consider threatening to supply opposition militias with ground-to-air missiles in sufficient More »
In horror, I followed the events that led to the recent attacks on U.S. diplomatic missions in Cairo, Benghazi, Tunis, Khartoum and other cities. Given the eruption of similar reactions in the past, I was not surprised over the attacks per se as I was over the ability of some Muslims to cause so More »
The events of the past weeks have brought to the fore the tenuous nature of new democratic transitions in the Middle East and the role of the U.S. in its engagement with the region. A debate has emerged regarding principles of freedom of speech, incitement, and the nature of U.S. democracy promotion. Some have More »
Arab-Americans make up roughly 0.5 percent of voters who will cast a ballot in the November general election in the United States. But as VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports from Dearborn, Michigan – home to the largest Arab-American community in the United States – despite those numbers, their influence is growing, and Arab-American community leaders More »
