Until our politicians act, U.S. complicity in the carnage will continue. Allowing Washington to arm Saudi Arabia’s assault on Yemen spells disaster for the humanitarian crisis there, as well as for the people of Saudi Arabia and the United States.
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Oil Is Still heading to $10 a Barrel
Posted July 1st, 2016 at 11:24 am (UTC-5)
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[T]he world continues to be awash in crude, and American frackers have replaced the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries as the world’s swing producers. The once-feared oil cartel is, to my mind, pretty much finished as an effective price enforcer.
Who’s Winning the Middle East’s Cold War?
Posted June 22nd, 2016 at 3:29 pm (UTC-5)
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Iran also has an overwhelming manpower advantage, with a population of an estimated 77 million, compared to Saudi Arabia’s 28 million. And while its army is far less well equipped than its rival’s, it is much larger….This has left the Saudis feeling abandoned and vulnerable.
Sykes-Picot +100 Years
Posted May 18th, 2016 at 4:37 pm (UTC-5)
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100 years ago this week, a British colonel and a French diplomat drew a few lines on a map of the Middle East. Those lines were the first draft of borders that are still disputed, and battled over today.
Mark Sykes and François-Georges Picot were empowered by their governments to secretly work out an arrangement to split up the Levant part of the Ottoman Empire even before World War I was over.
Sykes & Picot came up with areas of British (area A and area in red) and French influence (area B and area in blue). The brown shaded area would be internationally administered. The secret plan was signed on May 16, 1916, two-and-a-half years before World War I ended.
Sykes-Picot was seen as a betrayal of the Arabs by the British, who promised their support for an independent state in exchange for Arab support against the Ottomans.
Memories of that supposed betrayal remain strong. When the Islamic State bulldozed the barrier marking Sykes-Picot border between Iraq and Syria in 2014 they tweeted #SykesPicotOver.
So, is a line drawn in the sand 100 years ago the cause of the Middle East’s problems today?
Like most issues involving the Middle East, ask 10 people and you will get 10 different opinions.
The Giant al Qaeda Defeat that No One’s Talking About
Posted May 2nd, 2016 at 4:32 pm (UTC-5)
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The United Arab Emirates, under the banner of a Saudi-led coalition, late last month delivered a major blow to the most lethal Al Qaeda group on the planet—Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the primary Islamic extremist group operating in Yemen.
Is Saudi Arabia the Next Failed State?
Posted April 26th, 2016 at 2:34 pm (UTC-5)
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[I]f oil prices stay low, the Saudis might not have enough time to buy up the world’s stocks before their core asset is totally devalued. And without oil, the Saudi state has little else holding it together. The result could be another chaotic failed state — and this time in the home of Islam’s holiest sites.
U.S.-Saudi Relations: Salman Snubs, Obama Shrugs
Posted April 25th, 2016 at 2:35 pm (UTC-5)
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The truth is that, with or without Obama, the fabric of interests that once tied the two countries together has been fraying for some time now….US needs less Saudi oil…the question of whether Saudi Arabia is more of an asset or a liability in the fight against terrorism is much more finely poised.
An Awkward Silence in Riyadh
Posted April 20th, 2016 at 4:23 pm (UTC-5)
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How did the U.S.-Saudi relationship go so badly astray? It wasn’t that great to begin with. There has always been something incongruous about an alliance between a liberal democracy and a traditional monarchy relying on austere Islam and petrodollars to sustain itself.
Diplomacy’s Aversion to Power: Consequences of Retreat
In practice, aversion to the use of power undercuts the effectiveness of diplomacy. It has been said that power without diplomacy is blind, but it is equally true that diplomacy not backed by power is impotent.