Tag Archives: Saudi Arabia

The Trump-Macron Summit

Posted on April 25, 2018 by

April 25, 2018 With endless displays of camaraderie underling a special relationship between the two leaders and the two countries the Trump-Macron summit was a rather unconventional one, at least in terms of body language. But President Macron’s desire to … Continue reading →

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Iran Protests and the Middle East

Posted on January 4, 2018 by

January 4, 2013 The protests in Iran became a focus of international attention during the past week. In the background were the nature of the Iranian regime, its expanding regional reach which is largely a result of the 2003 US … Continue reading →

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State of Confusion in Riyadh

Posted on November 13, 2017 by

November 13, 2017 Candidate Trump called Saudi Arabia “the world’s biggest funders of terrorism.” President Trump made his first foreign trip to Saudi Arabia. On November 7, in the wake of the purges in the Saudi capital, he tweeted, “I … Continue reading →

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Orlando: A Collage of Views on the Background

Posted on June 20, 2016 by

June 20, 2016 Phrases like “radical Islam”, “jihadist terror”, “Islamic extremism” and “Islamophobia” have been with us for quite some time. The Orlando massacre must have galvanized the behind closed doors debate on them. And, while some use them openly … Continue reading →

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Synopsis: Turkey’s Foreign Relations

Posted on February 16, 2016 by

February 16, 2016 This is an attempt to describe, as briefly as possible, state of Turkey’s foreign relations. US-Turkey: Exasperation. Russia-Turkey: For the optimist the word of choice could be “tension”, for the pessimist “enmity”. China-Turkey: Apprehension. NATO-Turkey: Mistrust. EU-Turkey: … Continue reading →

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Combatting ISIL Remains a Formidable Task

Posted on February 10, 2016 by

Co-authored with Yusuf Buluc (*) February 10, 2016 On February 4, 2016 Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri, an adviser to the Saudi Defense Minister and also spokesman for the Saudi-led Arab coalition in Yemen reportedly stated, during an interview, that the … Continue reading →

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The Iranian Spring

Posted on February 1, 2016 by

February 1, 2016 It may not be about freedom of expression, respect for human rights or political reform but this still is an Iranian spring; more than anything else a diplomatic one, in the middle of a harsh regional winter. … Continue reading →

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