by Ahmed E. Souaiaia* At the same time President Obama was meeting with the rulers of the GCC member states, Foreign Policy magazine published an article by Michael Pregent arguing that “Saudi Arabia is a great American ally.” Responding to the increased number of critics of Saudi Arabia, the author ignored all the facts and Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia * Abstract: Before WikiLeaks released the Saudi diplomatic cables in 2010, the rulers of Saudi Arabia had cultivated the image of being deliberate, moderate, and averse to confrontation. Since the start of 2011, the Saudi rulers have behaved in ways that annulled that perception. The Saudi rulers hosted the Tunisian dictator Read more
Continue ReadingStaffan de Mistura Since the start of the proxy-war in Syria, the United Nations tried to end the violence. However, because of the geopolitical nature of the conflict, which made a Syrian-Syrian solution all but impossible, all attempts have failed and two UN envoys resigned. However, the rise of ISIL, the refugee crisis that threatened Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia al-Sharq al-Awasat coverage Journalism in Arab countries: With the increased violence and potential for sectarian war in the Middle East, one would think that the media and journalists would pay more attention to details, facts, and the language they use to report about the death and destruction in that part of Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia A day after the couple Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik killed 14 people in San Bernardino, CNN reported that Malik had made “a pledge of allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.” Subsequently, it was reported that Malik attended al-Huda, a religious institute whose funding and curriculum were decided by Saudi Read more
Continue ReadingbyAhmed E. Souaiaia Abstract: The organization known today simply as the “Islamic State,” or by its Arabic acronym, Daesh (English, ISIL), has historical and ideological roots that go beyond the territories it now controls. These deep roots give Daesh confidence that it will succeed in dominating the world, but give others reasons to believe that Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia* Source: aa.com.tr Turkey’s elections, despite the difficult circumstances and some of the intimidating practices against Kurdish voters and the media, are victory for those who believe in an empowered citizenship and peaceful transition of power. This is especially important because, in Islamic societies, fostering shared governance and strengthening democratic institutions Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia* On Friday 30, it became clear that the war in Syria is not a civil war. It is now a global proxy war, initiated by Saudi Arabia and Qatar to eliminate Arab governments that do not reliably support the Saudi (or Arab League) position. When the international community was threatened by Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia* When ISIL suicide bombers killed more than 32 people at a cultural center in Suruç, near Kobani, the AKP led government unleashed waves of airstrikes against PKK fighters in southern Turkey and northern Iraq, instead of launching punishing trikes against ISIL. When two suicide bombers targeted a peace coalition activists, mostly Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia* When presidential hopeful Ben Carson appeared on Iowa Press (October 2), he was given a chance to explain to Iowans why he thinks that a Muslim should not be a president. He argued that Islam, because of sharia law, is not compatible with the U.S. constitution and because of that he Read more
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