Josh Rogin of Foreign Policy writes that Congress is starting to warm to the idea of confirming the U.S. ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford to Damascus despite the fact that some on Capitol Hill are still against the confirmation of having a U.S. ambassador to Syria.  Some on Capitol Hill are reluctant to confirm Ford since many other countries are withdrawing their envoys as a means to protest against President Bashar ...

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's troops surrounded the Damascus suburb of Harasta in an effort to maintain the ongoing crackdown on urban centers that have been the cite for daily protests.   According to residents, Harasta's entrances have been sealed off and troops are wearing "combat fatigues, helmets, ammunition belts and carrying assault rifles."  In addition, the water, electricity and telephone lines have been cut.  Since Monday, at least 20 people have ...

On June 13, Deborah A. McCarthy, the principal deputy assistant secretary of the Bureau of Economic, Energy and Business Affairs, spoke about the United States' commitment to engaging with partners and allies in the Middle East. According to McCarthy, the U.S. has taken numerous steps to help the region, including providing financial support to stabilize Egypt and Tunisia's economies.  In addition, the U.S. is also working with parliament to create enterprise ...

Toby C. Jones argues in the Atlantic that the U.S. should disband the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. The rationale for having a strong military presence in the Gulf dates back thirty years and has become outdated, he argues. With the Iraq war winding down, surplus oil flow and U.S. regional allies capable of maintaining domestic security, the basis of America's Gulf strategy is dissipating. Moreover, Jones argues, continued American presence is ...

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will travel to the United Arab Emirates soon to meet with members of the Libyan Contact Group. Assistant Secretary of State Jeff Feltman is currently in Abu Dhabi in preparation for the Contact Group meeting. Meanwhile the Senate Foreign Relations Committee postponed a planned session to discuss and possibly vote on another resolution about U.S. military involvement in Libya. NATO secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen called on alliance members ...

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appointed a new caretaker Oil Minister after being threatened with judicial action over his self-appointment. However, his appointment of Mohammad Aliabadi, the current head of the Physical Education Organisation and the Olympic Committee, is also seen as a close ally of President Ahmadinejad and has little apparent experience in the energy industry. Hamid-Reza Katouzian, the head of parliament's energy committee described the appointment as "the worst choice for the oil and ...

Writing in the New York Times, Pierre Razoux calls the Gulf  Cooperation Council's  decision last month to extend membership to Jordan and Morocco an effort to defend the Arab region's eight remaining monarchies from falling.  This effort signifies the council's fear of uprisings occurring in countries like Saudi Arabia where corruption, repression and socio-economic problems affect the youth and lead to protests. In addition, the Saudi government continues to support Syria's ...

Nawaf Obaid, senior fellow at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, says that reports of the downfall of the Saudi monarchy as "inevitable" are grossly exaggerated.  The speculation that mass uprising will reach Saudi Arabia is based entirely on casual perusal of Facebook pages calling for protests, he says : "17,000 Facebook fans or 'protesters' do not necessarily translate into 17,000 Saudi rioters The kingdom has long ...

Speaking at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Senator John Kerry (D-MA)  stated that the U.S. policy toward the Middle East needs a "readjustment to reflect the new realities of the region Too often over the past decade we have seen regimes in the region chiefly as bulwarks in the fight against terrorism, while looking away from abuses we find unconscionable."  He also noted that democracy and human rights concerns have been ...

Speaking from Jerusalem on Friday, Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) called on Obama to establish a no-fly zone in Libya to be organized by NATO, abandon its recognition of the Gadhafi government, transfer recognition to a transitional government formed by the rebels, and provide the opposition with support. "When a government massacres its own people, it loses legitimacy. So, we should no longer recognize the existing government of Libya," McCain ...

The House Committee on Foreign Affairs held its first Members’ briefing on Tuesday. The briefing focused on the future of Sudan following the completion of referendum elections on secession. To discuss the issues facing the country, the committee – chaired by Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and with Congressman Howard L. Berman (D-CA) in attendance – requested the testimony of three individuals: Princeton Lyman, Special Advisor for Sudan, U.S. Department of State; Richard S. Williamson, ...

On Wednesday, the United States Institute of Peace hosted a panel discussion on the future of Iraq following December elections titled “Iraq’s New Government: Now Comes the Hard Part.”  Tara Sonenshine, Executive Vice President of U.S. Institute of Peace introduced the panelists: Dr. Ali al-Dabbagh, Minister of State and Spokesperson of the Iraqi Government, Dr. Wisam Al-Ubaidi, the Al-Wifaq Al-Watani Party’s representative to the United States, Qubad Talabani, the Kurdistan ...

In a recent interview with the Council on Foreign Relations, Joost Hiltermann calls the new Iraqi government "a good basis for setting out," while also expressing concern about the power-sharing agreement. Hiltermann says the newly established National Council for Strategic Policy has yet to be fully defined, and that it remains to be seen whether "Allawi feels that it satisfies his earlier demands for having a real check against ...

The Iranian government slashed subsidies for gasoline yesterday according to a report in The New York Times. "After midnight on Sunday, the price of subsidized gasoline jumped to about $1.44 a gallon from about 38 cents a gallon." The report also states that there was an increase in the presence of security forces in anticipation of any unrest. Tehran Bureau provides reactions from Iranians in Tehran. Muhammad Sahimi explains that ...

Denise Natali writes at The Middle East Channel that the Kurds of Iraq face a number of challenges going forward and that compromising on their "highly-charged nationalist agenda" may be the best way to secure "long-term political and economic prosperity." Natali argues that the Kurds position has been fundamentally weakened due to their status as "a politically expedient swing vote" and the "ceremonial" nature of the presidency, which is ...

While many assume that Iran stands to benefit most from the current political situation in Iraq, Ranj Alaaldin argues that the involvement of Iran has spurred the US to support the attempt by Ayad Allawi to form a coalition with the Kurds (who hold 57 seats) and the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (who hold 18 seats.) "These developments mean that the Kurds have emerged as kingmakers," because both Allawi ...