Saudi TV series speaks volumes about regional dynamics

During the holy month of Ramadan, now underway, when TV viewership among Muslims traditionally skyrockets, Saudi Arabia’s MBC network is airing a series about Jewish families in a fictional Arab country in the late 1940s — a series that speaks volumes about what’s changing, and what isn’t, across the region. In the series “Umm Haroun,” …

Khashoggi’s killing was despicable, but US needs Saudi’s help in keeping Mideast peace

WASHINGTON – Let’s be clear: the Saudi murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was a despicable act by a regime that, even after enacting modest reforms recently, still tolerates virtually no domestic dissent. We should all be outraged, we should demand the truth, and we should look for ways to condemn such action in …

Unconventional Wisdom in the Middle East

Recent events across the Middle East put the lie to one of the foreign policy establishment’s most enduring tenets of conventional nonsense: that Israeli-Palestinian peace is key to greater regional peace and stability. Sharing concerns over hegemony-seeking Iran and radical Islamic forces like the Islamic State group and Muslim Brotherhood, the key Arab states of …

Iran Raises the Stakes

With America’s global attention largely focused elsewhere, Iran continues to expand its military capabilities – legally and otherwise – forcing the question of what Washington and its regional allies plan to do about it. Iran’s military expansionism of late encompasses a host of activities: pursuing illegal means to expand its nuclear and ballistic missile technology …

Iran nuke deal makes no sense with ayatollah threatening US, Israel

WASHINGTON – “Of course, yes, death to America,” Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei declared just last month, echoing the crowd chants as he marked the Persian new year. Seeking to turn the recent nuclear accord into a final deal, President Obama says he hopes a deal “ushers a new era in U.S.-Iranian relations,” with the …