Iraq Goes Dry Despite Opposition
The country is moving forward with its ban on alcohol despite protests from its youth and religious minorities
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Category: The Arab Nations
Culture boom in Baghdad
Frustrated with their politicians, young Iraqis are turning their backs on politics and throwing themselves into cultural life. Birgit Svensson reports from Baghdad.
Arab nations should press China on Uyghur Muslim abuses
Uyghur Muslims face mass atrocities, if not genocide, at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). With Chairman Xi Jinping visiting Saudi Arabia this week to meet with Arab leaders, these Muslim-majority countries have an opportunity to advocate for oppressed Muslims. Their fellow believers in China need their help.
Xi’s Saudi Visit Shows Riyadh’s Monogamous Marriage to Washington Is Over
In today’s Cold War 2.0, not only will Saudi Arabia refuse to choose sides, but it’s also likely to move closer to Beijing and Moscow.
In the Mideast, Feuds and Friendships Turn Orwellian
It is often difficult to keep track of one’s mortal enemies in the Middle East. One day you could be in the throes of a great cold or proxy war with rival regional powers, before the reality of inflation and currency crashes kicks in, or you want a larger pool of potential buyers for your homegrown drone industry, or you identify a new greater threat du jour, and you have to shift alliances.
One Small Handshake for the United States, One Giant Leap for US-Saudi Relations
President Biden has a powerful moral imperative for ending his feud with the crown prince: to ensure that the kingdom’s gradual pivot away from extremism doesn’t falter.
US Relations with Arab Gulf States: A Passing Crisis?
After US–Saudi relations deteriorated when Biden entered the White House, relations between the two countries have recently improved, with reports of a possible visit by the US president to Riyadh. What are the reasons for the rapprochement trend, and how can it affect Israel?
Jordan’s Restoration Efforts Push Back on Degrading Land
Efforts to restore damaged but once fertile land in Jordan’s desert is sprouting hope for one of the world’s most water-scarce nations, as a land assessment report Wednesday warned of the growing scale of global degradation.
Iraq’s ‘Other’ Minorities Still Endangered
The Islamic State group’s caliphate was mostly defeated as a territorially consolidated entity in Iraq by late 2017. Yet some of the most vulnerable peoples it targeted, such as Yazidis and Christian Assyrians, remain under existential threat.