Saudi Arabia

(By James McMichael [jamesmcmichael.dc@gmail.com]) President Obama is considering supplying Syrian rebels with Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (Manpads). These antiaircraft missiles are small enough to be carried and fired by a single person; they can destroy jet fighters and civilian airliners alike. If President Obama gives his approval for their supply to Syrian rebels, he will […]

Islam

Will the US side with Saudi or Qatar in the Great Gulf Civil War?

contributors

(By Omar Ali) The Saudi strategy of offering military support to the US while exporting Muslim militancy and portraying itself as the protector of the two holiest sites in the Islamic world has backfired for both Saudi Arabia and the US. Tensions are increasing in the Persian Gulf, with Qatar on one side, and Saudi […]

Human Rights

Whether Princesses or Paupers, Long Road to Saudi Women’s Rights

contributors

(By Rothna Begum and Adam Coogle) When the story broke earlier this month of four Saudi princesses allegedly confined to their Jeddah home by members of their own family, the kingdom soon went into damage control mode. Within a week, several British newspapers started calling Human Rights Watch, asking if we knew about a news […]

Featured

Saudi King channels John McCain, demands Obama Take Hard Line on Iran, Syria, Muslim Brotherhood

Juan Cole

(By Juan Cole) President Barack Obama met late Friday with King Abdullah b. Abd al-Aziz of Saudi Arabia at the latter’s desert camp, flying out from Riyadh by helicopter. The tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United States have come about in part because Riyadh, after being skittish about George W. Bush’s muscular Neoconservatism in […]

Africa

Saudi Arabia Again Fails Human Rights 101 (UNHRC)

Juan Cole

The [United Nations’] Human Rights Council’s review of Saudi Arabia comes at a time of serious concern about the rights situation in the country. Authorities have intensified efforts to repress and silence peaceful dissidents and human rights activists, continue to systematically discriminate against women and religious minorities, and have arrested and deported at least 250,000 […]

Arab Spring

A New Arab Cold War: Saudi Arabia Pressures Qatar on Muslim Brotherhood, American Think Tanks

Juan Cole

(By Juan Cole) Saudi Arabia’s listing of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization and the withdrawal of the Saudi, Kuwaiti United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain ambassadors from Qatar signal a big geopolitical realignment in the Middle East. Qatar is the Red Prince of the Middle East. Despite being fabulously wealthy because of its natural […]

Barack Obama

Don’t Let the Global 1% off the Hook: Obama should Press Saudi State on Human Rights when he Visits Riyadh

contributors

(By Sarah Leah Whitson) President Barack Obama The White House Dear President Obama, As you prepare for your upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia, we write to urge you to include critical human rights issues in all your discussions with Saudi officials. While the purpose of your visit may be to discuss “ongoing cooperation to […]

Egypt

The Crimean Crisis and the Middle East: Will Syria & Iran be the Winners?

Juan Cole

(By Juan Cole) The Russian intervention in the Crimea is more direct and dramatic than the one in Syria, with actual troops deployed. But there are similarities. One of the little-noted rationales for Russian support for the Baath government in Damascus is that it is seen as more favorable, being secular and minority-dominated, toward Syria’s […]

Romance

Saudi Valentines elude Puritan Morals Police

Juan Cole

(Via AFP) Saudi Valentines defy the love police (via AFP) Red roses lurk hidden in flower shop back rooms and heart-shaped chocolates are sold under the counter, but Saudis still manage to buy Valentine’s gifts and defy the religious police. Florist Hussein came up with a simple solution to a ban on red tokens… […]