Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at Fikra Forum (Washington Institute for Near East Policy) on November 7, 2013
It has been one of the world’s oddest but strongest and most enduring relationships: the world’s oldest democracy and world’s most unalloyed monarchy. The United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia kept communism out of the Middle East and, following the 9/11 tragedy, mounted joint efforts to rid the region of violent extremism. With […]
Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at Global Post on November 6, 2013
Commentary: Despite a show of courtesy, President Hassan Rouhani gives no sign of moderating Iran’s ideology. The United States and international news organizations have made much of the new Iranian president’s peace and friendship initiative, tactfully scripted to charm a hopeful media and American public. But the international community would be well advised to look […]
Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at Fikra Forum (Washinton Institute for Near East Policy) on September 11, 2013
The Egyptian military’s removal of democratically elected President Muhammad Morsi from office and mounting troubles of newly formed governments in Tunisia, Libya, and Yemen raise questions about the future of democracy in the troubled region. As observed during the popular uprisings of early 2011 and events that followed, citizens of the region overwhelmingly desire the […]
Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at Fikra Forum (Washinton Institute for Near East Policy) on September 11, 2013
The Egyptian military’s removal of democratically elected President Muhammad Morsi from office and mounting troubles of newly formed governments in Tunisia, Libya, and Yemen raise questions about the future of democracy in the troubled region. As observed during the popular uprisings of early 2011 and events that followed, citizens of the region overwhelmingly desire the […]
Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at Fikra Forum on June 26, 2013
The U.S. Administration has now indicated it will provide military support to the Syrian opposition. How much military aid and to what purpose are questions we must ask as the broader region’s stability and our vital interests are at stake. In a region in which religious and ethnic tensions have never been far from the […]