US Foreign Policy

( Tomdispatch.com ) – At the dawning of the British Empire in 1818, the romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley penned a memorable sonnet freighted with foreboding about the inevitable decline of all empires, whether in ancient Egypt or then-modern Britain. In Shelly’s stanzas, a traveler in Egypt comes across the ruins of a once-monumental statue, […]

Arab World

Why Palestinian Statehood is a Prerequisite for Arab-Israeli Peace and Expansion of Abraham Accords

The Conversation

By Simon Mabon, Lancaster University (The Conversation) – Mohammed bin Salman wants to bring Saudi Arabia into the Abraham accords, the network of agreements to normalise relations between Israel with other countries in the Middle East and, increasingly, beyond. Donald Trump would have enjoyed hearing this when the Saudi crown prince visited the White House […]

Iraq War

Is Venezuela the New Iraq?

Foreign Policy in Focus

By Richard W. Coughlin | November 18, 2025 ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – Iraq and Venezuela share an obvious trait: they are oil-rich states whose resource nationalism puts them at odds with U.S. geopolitical ambitions. For George W. Bush, Iraqi oil was framed within the “peak oil” panic and U.S. dependence on foreign […]

Donald Trump

Trump Shifts to Monarchy Promotion in Middle East

Foreign Policy in Focus

. By Edward Hunt ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – The Trump administration is transforming U.S. policy toward the Middle East by promoting monarchy as the ideal form of government. While the president toys with the idea of turning the United States into a monarchy, presenting himself as the country’s king, his administration is […]

Donald Trump

Trump Pledges F-35s to Saudi Arabia in return for an unlikely $1 trillion in Investment, Angering Israel Lobbies

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Al-Jazeera reports on the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to the White House. One US goal for the meeting was to induct Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords, which Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Kazakhstan have joined, recognizing Israel in return for US economic and […]

Latin America

Escalating the Escalation: A Short History of the Long War on Drugs in Latin America from Richard Nixon to Donald Trump

Greg Grandin

( Tomdispatch.com ) – Today, Donald Trump presides over his own Murder Incorporated, less a government than a death squad. Many brushed off his proclamation early in his second term that the Gulf of Mexico would henceforth be called the Gulf of America as a foolish, yet harmless, show of dominance. Now, however, he’s created […]

Featured

Syrian President Meets Trump, Pledges to fight ISIL and seek Security Pact with Israel

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – President Trump met behind closed doors on Monday with President Ahmad al-Sharaa of Syria for about an hour. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also met with his opposite number, Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani. One of the topics of discussion, according to the Syrian press, was ways […]

Featured

On the Occasion of Dick Cheney’s Passing: “All the Vice President’s Men”

Juan Cole

Richard Bruce Cheney, the 46th vice president of the United States, is dead at 84. He broke with the Republican Party at the end of his life and voted for Kamala Harris, perhaps aware of the way in which his own politics had turned the country to the far right. Long before Trump, Cheney purveyed […]

Donald Trump

Conflicting Visions of an International Force for Gaza in Istanbul and Washington

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Two visions of the future of Gaza are congealing, in two different power centers. One is the Arab and Muslim foreign ministers who met Monday in Istanbul, including Türkiye, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Pakistan, and Indonesia. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Tuesday morning that the […]