Combating ISIL should not be America’s business, it is Saudi Arabia’s

by Ahmed E. Souaiaia* ISIL is a global threat but it is a bigger threat to the Middle East than to U.S. homeland. It is a bigger threat to Muslims than to Americans because, until now, the absolute majority of victims are Muslims. The U.S. could be part of a coalition that should combat ISIL Read more

Continue Reading

The paradoxical nature of religious and ethnic states and the genocidal impulses

by Ahmed E. Souaiaia* The Arab Spring that freed some of the peoples of the Middle East from state imposed fear produced an existential challenge for increasingly heterogeneous communities, forcing people to define the nature of the state and the character of the country where they live. It is true that self-rule and self-determination require Read more

Continue Reading

Contextualizing David Ignatius’ claim about “John Kerry’s big blunder in seeking an Israel-Gaza cease-fire”?

Contextualizing David Ignatius’ claim about “John Kerry’s big blunder in seeking an Israel-Gaza cease-fire”? by Ahmed E. Souaiaia* David Ignatius, a journalist with extraordinary access to the halls of power but apparently limited sound reasoning argued that John Kerry has committed a “big blunder in seeking an Israel-Gaza cease-fire.” He explained that “Kerry’s error has Read more

Continue Reading

Chaos and anarchy in the Middle East: How did it happen?

Takfīris‘ path to their “caliphate” is soaked with the blood of Muslims by Ahmed E. Souaiaia* The most important event of the summer might end up being ISIL’s (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) declaration that it has restored the caliphate. For the second time in the past two decades, Salafi Islamists have gained Read more

Continue Reading

Why have many Syrians voted for Bashar al-Assad and what is the U.S. administration’s alternative to elections it does not particularly like?

by Ahmed E. Souaiaia* Syrians vote, June 3, 2014. Most Western governments and some observers argue that the elections that took place in Syria on June 3, 2014 were not legitimate because not all Syrians were able (or willing) to participate, they were held under war conditions, and Syrians were coerced into voting for the Read more

Continue Reading

To preview Syria’s future, consider Algeria today

by Ahmed E. Souaiaia*   Algeria was destined to become an African powerhouse. The largest country in the continent, it is populated by only 39 million people but endowed with huge natural resources: 159 trillion cubic feet (tcf) and 12.2 billion barrels of proven natural gas and oil reserves, respectively, and vast expanses of land, Read more

Continue Reading

Is Ukraine becoming for the West what Syria has been for Russia?

by Ahmed E. Souaiaia* Riding the wave of protests known as the Arab Spring, many Syrians rallied to demand more political and civil rights. Without the hesitancy that characterized their initial reaction to the protest movements in Tunisia and Egypt, Western administrations and some of the Persian Gulf regimes immediately threw their support behind the Read more

Continue Reading

Obama in Saudi Arabia to talk security and terrorism; the Saudis seem prepared, but are they really?

The new Saudi anti-terrorism law is anti-dissent, anti-civil rights draconian law? by Ahmed E. Souaiaia* For weeks even before President Obama’s arrival in Saudi Arabia, the rulers of Saudi Arabia have worked hard to make the summit successful. They knew that extremism, regional stability, and the Middle East peace process are high on the U.S. Read more

Continue Reading

Worried for their own security, the rulers of Saudi Arabia expand their own list of “terror organizations” and criminalize dissent

by Ahmed E. Souaiaia*   8 years in prison for tweeting in support of a demonstration Days after recalling its top diplomats from Qatar, Saudi Arabia published a list of organizations and activities that are deemed criminal and prohibited Saudi citizens and residents from joining or supporting such organizations. The two events might appear to Read more

Continue Reading

Lack of real representation of Syrians doomed the Geneva meetings

by Ahmed E. Souaiaia*   Two rounds of indirect talks between representatives of the Syrian government and some representatives of the Syrian Coalition have failed to launch a political dialogue to end the deadly crisis in Syria, now entering its fourth year. The failure was expected. Members of the opposition forces did not represent even Read more

Continue Reading