Facts, News, Trends, Analysis
Late into the hours on Sunday, former President Jimmy Carter met with Khaled Meshaal, the militant leader of Hamas who lives in exile in Damascus, Syria. We know that the major issues discussed in that meeting include the fate of Gilad Shalit who was kidnapped by Hamas back in the summer of 2006 and has [...]
“So what if the guy threw his shoes at me?” questioned President Bush in the wake of an attempted assault in Baghdad. In the midst of a surprise final visit to Iraq, an intrepid Iraqi reporter, later identified as “Shoeless” Muntadar al-Zeidi, abandoned his objective journalistic stance and let his unconventional footwork do the talking [...]
As Syria steps onto the main stage again and foreign dignitaries are eager to do business with its president, Bashar al-Assad, is it necessary or fair for the West, under pressure from Israel, to continue to demand that it break ties with Hamas and Hezbollah?
If these are legitimate and recognized political parties in the Middle East [...]
Syrian top officials praise president-elect Obama’s choice of Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State. They see in this Obama’s seriousness for achieving peace in the Middle East. Progressive liberals back home however, who have backed the Obama candidacy for President are not happy with his choice. Of course, they too want peace in the Middle [...]
In this age of a shift in power in the United States, our President-elect has made the worrisome—and perhaps wise decision–to appoint many familiar names and faces to his new administration. In doing so however, he must be careful not to make the same mistakes of his predecessors. In respect of the Middle East, he [...]
The Iraqi government took the last step toward accepting the security agreement with the United States today. The three-person Presidency Council finally approved the pact, which was ratified by Iraqi Parliament last week. The main condition of the pact mandates the withdrawal of US troops from the country, with the last of them completely out [...]
Hezbollah has declared its confidence that it will be victorious in Lebanese elections next year. Currently, the militant group is a minority only by a slim margin, and Hezbollah senior officer Nawaf al Mussawi has asserted that victory in next year’s elections is well within sight. A major point of tension is the relationship between [...]
With the status of forces agreement passed, members of the Obama administration are turning their attention towards the future of American involvement in the region. Secretary Gates has expressed his support for the incoming President’s plan of action in Iraq, citing the fact that the timeline is firmly established. Given the withdrawal deadline now looming [...]
On December 2nd, officials from the US and Saudi Arabia signed a science and technology cooperation agreement that includes nuclear technology. Prince Torki bin Saud, vice president of the King Abdul-Aziz City did not indicate whether the document specified the peaceful use of nuclear technology. US officials hope the agreement will create more cooperation between [...]
Tuesday, Dec 2, 2008, the US and Saudi Arabia formalized a decades-long cooperative relationship with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
The MOU would facilitate greater agency-to-agency cooperation and provide increased access for scientists of both nations in areas such as material sciences, water purification, and education methods.
This agreement brings the relationship between the US and Saudi [...]
