Juan Cole

The transcript of Obama’s speech in Cairo is here. In connection with Obama’s speech, Esquire presents an excerpt from my new book on the Muslim Brotherhood and the need to encourage it toward democratic practices and values. The presence of Muslim Brotherhood members in the audience at Cairo has been controversial among some Republican congressmen, […]

The USG Open Source Center translates and analyzes Syrian Press reports on Obama’s visit to the Arab world Syrian Papers Discuss Obama’s Arab Tour, Statements; Urge US Pressure on IsraelSyria — OSC SummaryThursday, June 4, 2009 Document Type: OSC Summary Syrian newspapers on 4 June discuss US President Barack Obama’s tour of the region and […]

President Barack Obama arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for consultations with Saudi King Abdullah. Reuters notes: “Saudi Arabia is among the United States’ top 15 trading partners, with two-way trade worth $67.3 billion last year. The kingdom, whose currency is pegged to the dollar, has expanded trade with Asia in recent years but still […]

My column at Salon.com is out, on the Arab world’s perception of President Barack Obama on the eve of his major address in Cairo. Excerpt: ‘ The Brookings poll shows that just three issues are cited by most Arab respondents as determinative of their view of the United States. In order, they are Iraq, the […]

The Taliban had kidnapped around 350 students and teachers from a school in the Bannu Frontier Region on Monday. According to some reports, the Pakistani military has now rescued all but 37 of them. This kidnapping is the sort of behavior that is turning the public against the Taliban. The Pakistani military says that it […]

Anouar Majid writes in a guest op-ed for Informed Comment: This year, a few scholars are commemorating the 400th anniversary of one of the darkest episodes in history, an event that should be widely known and discussed, but which, alas, has remained buried in the archives of memory. In April 1609, King Philip III of […]

President Barack Obama says he will be more honest than past presidents with Israel. Israel, a great friend of the United States and a country we like and admire on its merits, has nevertheless dug itself into a very deep hole with its determination to colonize the West Bank and to keep the Palestinians stateless. […]

A bomb at a bus station in Kohat, northern Pakistan, detonated on Sunday, killing one and wounding 8. It is suspected that this bombing is another in a series aimed by the predominantly rural Taliban at taking revenge on urban people for the campaign launched against them by Islamabad. As the Pakistani military claimed to […]

The USG Open Source Center translates an op-ed by Abd-al-Malik Ahmad Al Al-Shaykh welcoming president Obama to Saudi Arabia: Excerpts: Saudi Writer Hopes Obamas Visit Will Serve as Takeoff Point Toward Global PeaceArticle by Abd-al-Malik Ahmad Al Al-Shaykh: “Welcome to President Barack Obama”Al-Sharq al-Awsat OnlineSunday, May 31, 2009 Document Type: OSC Translated Text Your Excellency […]