Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at The World Weekly (with Manuel Langendorf) on March 2, 2017
Accompanied by an entourage of up to 1,500 people and 459 tons of luggage and equipment, the Saudi monarch this week kicked off his month-long trip to Asia in Malaysia and Indonesia. A range of deals were soon signed, including one in which Saudi oil giant Aramco bought a $7 billion stake in a major […]
Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at The Cipher Brief on February 19, 2017
The Cipher Brief sat down the Former U.S. Ambassador to Oman, Gary Grappo, to discuss the current state of affairs in the Gulf Cooperation Council. According to Grappo, many GCC policies have been driven by the competition between Saudi Arabia and Iran over regional leadership, and tension between the two countries is “a major issue […]
Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at Fair Observer on January 26, 2017
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants,” said Thomas Jefferson, America’s Third president. This quote came to mind in the aftermath of the US presidential election and Donald J. Trump’s improbable victory. Not because a literal bloodletting is in the offing, though we may […]
Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at The Cipher Brief on January 26, 2017
As has been the case for every one of his predecessors, Donald Trump will attempt to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Some resisted for a while, i.e., George W. Bush, while others jumped into the fray fresh after inauguration, such as Barack Obama. Each eventually tried and failed, President Obama most tragically, given his commitment to […]
Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at Fair Observer on January 18, 2017
President Obama has joined a long list of US presidents who failed in their Middle East policy. The Middle East may be where grandiose policies by well-intentioned but naive US presidents run aground. Despite some success, American presidents since Jimmy Carter have been known more for their failures in the troubled region—in Carter’s case, his […]