For the Pakistani man on the street, the relationship with Saudi Arabia, the custodian of Islam’s two holy sites, is literally an article of faith. A Pew survey in 2013 found that 95 per cent of Pakistanis had a favourable opinion of the desert kingdom, and Pakistan was the only country in the Islamic world […]
Iran’s geostrategic location makes it an intrinsic part of India’s security and economic space. A stronger and more globally integrated Iran will be an asset for India. Read Here – The Hindu
With a new king and a young, untested defense minister, Riyadh has plunged headlong into war in Yemen. At stake is nothing less than the kingdom’s position of leadership in the Arab world. Read Here – Foreign Policy
The insistence on Iran being a threat is based on the delusion that Iran has remained unchanged since its inception as the Islamic Republic. Yet, three major indicators highlight a deep development in Iranian politics in the region. These signposts include Iran’s constructive regional military presence; its peaceful and balancing role in resolving politico-cultural issues […]
If Netanyahu is ousted, he’ll likely be remembered as a leader who failed to advance the peace process with the Arabs, failed to derail the Iranian nuclear program—despite inveighing against it for years—and devoted most of his energy to preserving a problematic status quo. Read Here – Politico
Turkish troops swept into Syria this weekend to recover remains from the first Ottoman sultan’s ancestor, who can’t rest in peace 800 years after his death. Read Here – The Atlantic
The Islamic State is no mere collection of psychopaths. It is a religious group with carefully considered beliefs, among them that it is a key agent of the coming apocalypse. Here’s what that means for its strategy—and for how to stop it. Read Here – The Atlantic
The news that the Obama Administration is seeking formal authorization from Congress to wage war against the Islamic State isn’t unexpected. For months now, it has been clear that the United States and its allies are gearing up for an all-out military assault on the jihadi fighters who have occupied large swaths of Syria and Iraq, including […]
Just as King Abdullah pledged massive new public expenditures to push back against the Arab Spring, Salman offered an estimated $30 billion in handouts to a wide range of Saudi social groups, including military officers, public employees, students, retirees, the poor, and disabled. Read Here – National Interest
The war in Afghanistan – for America, the longest war in its history – has ended. What now? Read Here – The Diplomat
looking beyond borders 