Whatever their rivalries, the authoritarian leaders of the Middle East did not want to see Hosni Mubarak removed from power. When you are a dictator - even with the title "King" - the forced departure of another dictator is not the kind...

Speaking at Harvard last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu criticized Israel's decision to continue building settlements on Palestinian land:

Jewish settlements [themselves] are illegal. How can we talk on the extension of [the] moratorium or extension of Jewish settlements?

With peace negotiations on the verge of...

In the June 1st edition of theWashington Post, journalists Scott Wilson and Laura Blumenfeld uncritically repeat Israeli claims regarding the Gaza aid flotilla as fact. Wilson and Blumenfeld should recognize that Israeli officials have a vested interest in discrediting the activists who challenged Israel's blockade of...

In the growing national debate on US-Israel relations, California's two US senators have very different things to say. On one side, Senator Barbara Boxer has firmly aligned herself with the pro-Israel lobby. On the other side, Senator Dianne Feinstein has adopted a more independent position in support of Middle East...

Although the reporting has improved in recent years, U.S. media coverage of the "war on drugs" continues to ignore the economic realities of just who is fighting who in the conflict. The drug war is best understood as a battle...

It is time to set aside the notion that U.S. drone missile attacks in Pakistan are some kind of secret. The pretense of secrecy has saved Obama Administration officials from having to publicly defend the military tactic.

But when Pakistani college students, think tank scholars, and New York Times...

Following growing public criticism, the Financial Times magazine fDi has withdrawn its recent "Asian Personality of the Year" award to Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of the Indian state of Gujarat.

fDi had stunned human rights advocates when it announced the...

It probably wasn't the first time that someone had organized an Independence Day cricket match in Pakistan. But it almost certainly was the first time that such a match occurred between a team of professional cricket players and a team of transgendered Pakistanis.

As the Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported,...

It has barely been a day since my last blog post criticizing a CNN commentator's Iran analysis. But somehow, CNN has already managed to outdo itself.

In a new article linked to its home page as of Monday, CNN.com heavily quotes the son of a former Iranian...

CNN.com columnist Ruben Navarrette Jr. is the latest to join the chorus of voices calling on President Obama to get tougher with the Iranian government. While tempting, the CNN commentator's words fail to consider the legacy of 25 years of U.S. intervention against Iranian democracy.

In a column...

Israel's massive blockade of Gaza continues, but it is easy to lose sight of what this really means. As the BBC reports, the blockade is so extensive that the Israeli government even bars musical instruments from entering the territory.

Little is allowed to leave Gaza...

In the 48 hours since President Obama's speech in Cairo, Israeli journalists and pundits have had a lot to say. Their comments offer insights into U.S. foreign policy that many American observers might not get at home.

Some were particularly struck by Obama's implicit linkage of Palestinian aspirations and other...

As the Pakistani military rains fire down upon villagers and Taliban alike, Pakistanis and members of the diaspora are engaged in numerous online debates about the future of their country. In some cases, they are offering perspectives that the rest of us should listen to.

While the vast majority of...

It is always easy to tell someone else what they need to do. Just point your finger, clear your throat, and boldly offer your advice. Don't worry about the realities of history -- just speak your mind.

In his recent essay, "The Dilemma of the 'good' Muslim," Deepak Chopra is...