Arab World

Biden’s Double Standards: Iranian Civilians under severe US Sanctions but not accused Saudi Murderer Bin Salman

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Biden administration on Friday declassified and released a CIA assessment that Saudi crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman bears responsibility for the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 3, 2018. CBC: “U.S. intelligence report blames Saudi crown prince for murder of […]

Arab World

Gulf War: As Biden bombs Iraqis, 30 years on the consequences of Desert Storm are still with us

The Conversation

By Lorena De Vita and Amir Taha | – It was a short message to end a short war. On February 26 1991, Iraqi foreign minister Tariq Aziz put his signature to a letter addressed to the United Nations Security Council: I have the honour to notify you that the Iraqi Government reaffirms its agreement […]

US Foreign Policy

Yemen: a war with no military solution … and perhaps no political solution either

Brian Whitaker

( Al-Bab.com) – The Yemeni city of Marib lies 120 km to the east of the capital, Sana’a, with mountainous territory in between. It was from Marib, in the early stages of the six-year war, that pro-government forces hoped to launch an assault against the Houthi rebels who had seized Sana’a. Since then, though, the […]

Featured

Why the US needs to get out of Syria: Biden orders Bombing that kills 17 in Proxy dance with Iran

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Al-Quds al-`Arabi [Arab Jerusalem]’ reports that at least seventeen fighters were killed in U.S. air strikes on Thursday night on small bases on the Syrian border with Iraq. The bases south of Al-Bu-Kamal belong to the Brigades of the Party of God [Kataeb Hezbollah] and the Brigades of the Prince […]

censorship

Saudi Arabia: Proposed Reforms Neglect Basic Rights: Ongoing Repression, Absence of Civil Society Impede Progress

Human Rights Watch

( Human Rights Watch) – (Beirut) – Saudi Arabia recently announced a series of important and necessary reforms, but ongoing repression and a lack of respect for basic rights are major barriers to progress, Human Rights Watch said today. The repression of independent civil society and critical voices that can provide objective feedback decreases the […]

CIA

Biden’s New Mideast: In Nadir of US-Saudi Relations, release planned of CIA report Accusing Crown prince of Murder

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Biden administration will release a Central Intelligence Agency report concluding that crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman, 35, of Saudi Arabia, masterminded the assassination on October 2, 2018, of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. I’m not sure even an old foreign policy hand like President Biden understands how explosive this […]

censorship

Why Google’s Plans for a Saudi-Based Cloud are So Dangerous: Riyadh may demand Private Customer Data

Global Voices

By Dahlia Kholaif | – ( Global Voices ) – Tech giant Google plans to establish a new Google Cloud region in Saudi Arabia. Access Now, a nongovernmental digital rights organization, has raised alarm and requested the immediate halting of the plan, referring to the country’s “appalling human rights record.” The organization issued a statement […]

Feminism

Saudi women’s activist Loujain al-Hathloul released and tweeting

Global Voices

She remains restrained by a travel ban and limits on public appearances

Featured

Biden’s Saudi Game of Thrones: Is he trying to Sideline crown prince Bin Salman?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – BBC Arabic reports that Saudi Twitter has gone wild with responses to the apparent sidelining by President Biden of Saudi crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman, with many Saudis considering it a humiliation. White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said this week that Biden wishes to “recalibrate” the U.S. relationship with Saudi […]