Saudi Arabia Bans Flogging

The following article on the recent Saudi ban on flogging, as usual with all Western reporting about matters within the Kingdom, gets a few things wrong. …

An Examination of Barack Obama’s Pro-Shi’a and Pro-Iranian Middle Eastern Policies.

Looking back at the various policy choices made by the Obama administration I am struck by the fact that the main things that he did in the Middle East …

The Killing of Jamal Khashoggi

In reading all of the reports in the Western press concerning the killing of Jamal Khashoggi I have noticed one gaping hole in the analysis; and that has to do …

REQUIEM FOR A PRINCE

The arrest of Prince Waleed bin Talal bin Abdelaziz Al Sa’ud and several other princes in Saudi Arabia is a clear sign that the new Crown Prince Mohammed bin …

Shaking Down The Qataris

There are two key issues that lie at the heart of the recent attempt by the Saudis and the Emiratis to exert power over the State of Qatar. The principal one …

The Saudi Succession Redux

The recent change in the line of succession in Saudi Arabia took a number of observers by surprise but I understand that it had been carefully planned for some …

A Realignment of American Middle East Policy?

It was interesting to watch President Trump’s speech to the assembled notables of the Arab and Islamic world today. Besides the obvious climb down from his …

Plus ca change plus c’est la meme chose

Given the ongoing jihad that the Islamic State, Al Qaeda, Jamaat Al Islami, Jamiat Ahli Al Hadith and other Islamic organizations have declared against the …

Will The Saudis Get The Bomb?

One of the possible consequences of the US nuclear deal with Iran will be for Saudi Arabia to start to develop its own nuclear capability. The deal with Iran, …

The Confusion of US Policy Towards Saudi Arabia

The current visit of President Barack Obama to Saudi Arabia and the GCC has highlighted a number of elements of confusion in US policy towards the Kingdom. …