
In his first interview with an Arabic-language news organization on Wednesday, President Obama spoke with Saudi-owned Asharq Al-Awsat about various issues related to the Middle East, the Iranian nuclear program, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
by Jordan Schachtel13 May 2015, 1:43 PM PST0

“Peanuts” fans well remember a recurring Fall theme in the Charles Schulz comic strip: Lucy holding a football on the ground for Charlie Brown to kick, only to remove it at the last second. Each season, Lucy repeatedly assured Charlie “this time” would be different. A gullible Charlie repeatedly put his faith in Lucy, but readers did not. They knew she had no compunction about lying.
by James Zumwalt13 May 2015, 6:16 AM PST0

An unnamed Arab League source tells Gannett’s Defense News that the heads of state of seven Arab countries will meet with Libyan officials on May 18 to discuss possible military intervention in that nation, as the Islamic State continues to expand its influence over large swaths of the country.
by Frances Martel12 May 2015, 8:20 AM PST0

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said Monday that they shot down a Moroccan F-16 fighter jet that was participating in the Saudi-led coalition against them and their allies.
by Edwin Mora12 May 2015, 7:28 AM PST0

Former Ambassador and Professor of Diplomacy and International Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Nicholas Burns argued that Bahrain and Saudi Arabia’s “snub” of a US summit was “a defeat for the White House and its foreign policy,” and
by Ian Hanchett12 May 2015, 7:12 AM PST0

Tuesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” NBC News chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell discussed President Barack Obama’s upcoming Camp David summit of Persian Gulf states that the leaders from four of the six invited nations are skipping, including Saudi King
by Pam Key12 May 2015, 7:00 AM PST0

Saudis and Houthis escalate Yemen war further, prior to ‘ceasefire’; EU seeks approval of military action in Libya against migrant traffickers
by John J. Xenakis12 May 2015, 4:00 AM PST0

U.S. State Department Spokesperson Alan Eyre gave an exclusive interview on Monday to Iran’s state-controlled Fars News Agency, according to the Tehran-based outlet.
by Jordan Schachtel11 May 2015, 2:14 PM PST0

The leaders from four Persian Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saudi, are expected to skip President Obama’s meetings with Arab rulers from the Gulf Cooperation Council this week.
by Edwin Mora11 May 2015, 1:14 PM PST0

Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen reportedly said on Sunday that they had accepted a five-day cease-fire proposed by Saudi Arabia earlier last week.
by Edwin Mora11 May 2015, 12:14 PM PST0

In an exclusive interview with Breitbart News at the South Carolina Freedom Summit this weekend, former New York Governor George Pataki provided a taste of what a Pataki presidency would look like, should he decide to formally enter the increasingly crowded race.
by Adelle Nazarian11 May 2015, 10:17 AM PST0

NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent and MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell stated that “there’s no other way to interpret” Saudi Arabia skipping out on a summit of Arab leaders at Camp David other than as a snub to the US
by Ian Hanchett11 May 2015, 9:49 AM PST0

Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states hit the Obama White House with a stunning vote of no confidence on Monday, as Saudi King Salman and three other regional leaders announced they would skip President Obama’s Camp David summit, scheduled for later this week.
by John Hayward11 May 2015, 9:13 AM PST0

Rohingya ‘death camps’ and ‘slave camps’ found in southern Thailand; Yemen war sharply intensifies, as ‘truce’ is offered.
by John J. Xenakis10 May 2015, 4:00 AM PST0

Saudi Arabia, suspicious that the nuclear agreement that the U.S. and other world powers hope to reach with Iran would only delay the Islamic Republic from developing a nuclear arms, is considering becoming a nuclear-weapons power before Iran, reports The Wall Street Journal.
by Edwin Mora8 May 2015, 1:26 PM PST0

Saudi Arabia has proposed a five-day humanitarian cease-fire in Yemen as long as the Houthis also refrain from the fighting.
by Edwin Mora8 May 2015, 9:31 AM PST0

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry pushed for a suspension of hostilities in Yemen as he arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, citing an escalating humanitarian crisis.
by Edwin Mora6 May 2015, 9:20 PM PST0

Saudi King Salman has been on something of a good-manners mission of late, disciplining members of the royal family and its employees for rude behavior. The latest to earn his ire, and get a pink slip in the bargain, was Mohammed al-Tobayashi, the head of royal protocol. Tobayashi made the mistake of thinking “royal protocol” included slapping a photographer in public.
by John Hayward6 May 2015, 4:30 PM PST0

In a surprise, Senegal joins a beleaguered Saudi coalition in Yemen; Pakistan and Saudi Arabia appear to reconcile over Yemen; ‘Saudi troops’ landing in Aden were really Yemeni troops
by John J. Xenakis6 May 2015, 6:22 AM PST0

Senegal announced on Monday that it will send 2,100 to support the Saudi Arabia-led campaign against Iran-backed Houthis rebels and their allies in Yemen, according to various media reports.
by Edwin Mora5 May 2015, 3:41 PM PST0

According to the St. Lucia News Online, Islamic State hackers were able to seize control of the official website for the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (commonly abbreviated as “SVG”) in the Lesser Antilles.
by John Hayward4 May 2015, 9:47 PM PST0

The emergence of a mysterious new pro-government Arab force in the Yemeni port city of Aden is fueling speculation that ground troops from the Saudi Arabia-led coalition have been deployed to combat the Iran-backed Shiite rebels and their allies, according to some news outlets.
by Edwin Mora4 May 2015, 12:29 PM PST0

Jimmy Carter blames Netanyahu for failure of Mideast peace negotiations; European Union in disarray over big surge in migrants this weekend; Saudi Arabia denies reports of Saudi ground troops in Yemen
by John J. Xenakis4 May 2015, 6:28 AM PST0

War in Syria turns more and more against al-Assad; Economy falters, surprising economists, while stock market bubble explodes; Financial firm analyst told to shut up about over-valued assets
by John J. Xenakis3 May 2015, 8:24 AM PST0

Saudi Arabia is still rich, but they are burning through their foreign reserve cash at a record pace due to lower oil prices and an unwillingness to cut the domestic spending that ensures the survival of the royal family. With the nation hemorrhaging cash, Saudi Arabia’s total foreign reserves fell by 5 percent, or $36 billion in just the last two months.
by Chriss W. Street2 May 2015, 10:07 AM PST0