Foreign Policy Blogs

Middle East & North Africa

The Ordeal of Seven Baha'i Leaders in Iran Requires World's Attention

The Ordeal of Seven Baha'i Leaders in Iran Requires World's Attention

The following piece was written by Ms. Donna Hakimian, a researcher and historian focusing on modern Iran and human rights.  Ms. Hakimian obtained her MA in Women’s Studies from the University of Toronto. She also holds a BA in Religious and Middle Eastern Studies from McGill University. As many in the Middle East clamor for […]

read more

An Irrelevant Apology

Judge Richard Goldstone issued an unexpected apology, years after his biased and one-sided report indicted Israel for human rights violations after the attack on Gaza Strip two years ago. While expressing remorse for his condemnation of Israel after admittedly only knowing some of the facts, Goldstone’s apology is largely irrelevant, as the anti-Israel bias inherent […]

read more

Violent Crackdown on the Town of Taiz

The Following piece is written by a Yemeni-based journalist who writes for Foreign Policy Association (FPA) and, due to serious security concerns, remains anonymous. As anti-government protesters gathered up on the main square of their city, Taiz, for another day of demonstration they were met by the Security Forces. In scenes similar to those witnessed in […]

read more

The Story of Maher Hassan

The Story of Maher Hassan

The Following piece is written by a Yemeni-based journalist who writes for Foreign Policy Association (FPA) and, due to serious security concerns, remains anonymous. Maher Hassan is not the only victim of the Saleh regime, but his tragedy and the message it carries, is rippling throughout the entire nation like a sandstorm. If Tunisia had […]

read more

Yemen Remains Entrenched in Political Crisis

Yemen Remains Entrenched in Political Crisis

The Following piece is written by a Yemeni-based journalist who writes for Foreign Policy Association (FPA), and due to serious security concerns, remains anonymous. After weeks of protests and many false starts, Yemen is no closer to a political solution. As Ali Abdullah Saleh continues to hold on to its presidential seat, the nation has […]

read more

www.Google.iq

www.Google.iq

Continuing on its quest to cover all of the world’s top 40 languages and 99 percent of its Internet users, Google has finally launched Iraq.

read more

Culture, epistemology and foreign policy: An alternative reading of U.S.-Turkish relations within the context of the Middle East

Culture, epistemology and foreign policy: An alternative reading of U.S.-Turkish relations within the context of the Middle East

Turkish-American relations have always been defined as a ‘strategic partnership’. Almost without exception, decision-makers and diplomats at the highest levels point to a particular ‘importance of the strategic partnership’ or ‘relationship’ whenever they try to define bilateral relations between Turkey and the United States. Surprisingly at the public level, we take this definition for far […]

read more

Condemnations All Around

In the aftermath of the killing of five Israelis, including three children, in the West Bank settlement of Itamar, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas offered a tepid condemnation, saying: “…violence produces violence and what is needed is to speed up a just and comprehensive solution to the conflict.” Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu immediately criticized […]

read more

Deal or no Deal

Deal or no Deal

The Following piece is written by a Yemeni-based journalist who writes for Foreign Policy Association (FPA), and due to serious security concerns, remains anonymous. After announcing on Friday the imminent resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh on favor of the Opposition, the Foreign Minister, Abubakr al-Qirbi is now playing on words. If Friday’s presidential address […]

read more

Protests in Syria

PROTESTS IN SYRIA While the NATO intervention in Libya continues, protests in Arabian Peninsula spreads to Syria after Yemen and Bahrain; against President Bashar al-Assad who ruled the country more than three decades after his father Hafez al-Assad’s regime. The Assads originally came from an elite minority in Syria which established itself first in top […]

read more

The Use Force in Libya

For the first time in its history, the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed a resolution allowing the use of force on a sovereign state. Political analysts and legal scholars argue that the international military intervention in Libya has legal grounds but still raises immense political and legal debates. There are evolving discussion on the […]

read more

Challenges of Egyptian Transition to Democracy

Challenges of Egyptian Transition to Democracy

The following piece is by a guest contributor, Dr. Hooshang Amirahmadi. Dr. Amirahmadi is a professor at Rutgers University and founder and president of the American Iranian Council. www.amirahmadi.com;  [email protected] The revolts in Tunisia and Egypt will go down in history as two of the fastest and easiest “revolutions” of all times! It is almost certain […]

read more

A Different Assessment of Iran's Internal Affairs after February 14, 2011

A Different Assessment of Iran's Internal Affairs after February 14, 2011

The following piece is by a guest contributor, Dr. Hooshang Amirahmadi. Dr. Amirahmadi is a professor at Rutgers University and founder and president of the American Iranian Council. www.amirahmadi.com;  [email protected] In the wake of the “revolutions” in the Middle East and “revival” of protests by the Green forces, some American “experts” of Iran are calling […]

read more

Yemen’s Day of Departure

Yemen’s Day of Departure

The Following piece is written by a Yemeni-based journalist who writes for Foreign Policy Association, and due to serious security concerns, remains anonymous. On what has been called a “Day of Departure”, Yemeni anti-government protesters gathered on the University ground in their hundreds of thousands, determined to make a stand. Although the memories of last […]

read more

NATO's Libya air operations center moves to Turkey

NATO's Libya air operations center moves to Turkey

As NATO prepares to take over the command of Libya air operations, NATO spokesman has indicated on March 25 that the İzmir NATO Airbase in Turkey will act as the command and communications center for further air operations. With this capacity a Turkish major-general and an American lieutenant-general will have the ‘authority and responsibility’ for […]

read more