The announcement that Haider al-Abadi will succeed Nouri al-Maliki as Iraq’s new prime minister is welcome news for Iraqis. Maliki once claimed to seek inclusiveness as Prime Minister. By 2010, however, as political alliances became more clearly drawn along strict sectarian lines and after his delayed appointment to a second term, Maliki turned to sectarian […]

Israelis and Palestinians must dramatically overhaul their approach to reaching peace, i.e., a paradigm shift in approach. Before negotiators return to the table, their respective leaderships must address the issues and attitudes of their populations in a direct and blunt conversation, the kind of conversation that requires leadership the region has not seen since Menachim […]

The United States seeks democracy and inclusive government while Iran looks for Shi’as to dominate Iraq. The blitzkrieg-like advance of the Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham in Iraq and its successive victories in that country’s Anbar, Ninewah, Diyala and Salah al Din provinces have provoked fanciful speculation of cooperation between the US and […]

Neither Presidents George W. Bush nor Barak Obama can be accused of causing the the current crisis in Iraq. However, both bear responsibility for that nation’s current state of affairs. Both erred in failing to understand the historical nature and profound depth of Iraq and the region’s sectarianism and the ease with which idealists, ideologues […]

Iraq is collapsing. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has promised to respond. But the ease with which ISIS fighters took major cities and the shocking capitulation of the Iraqi army and police raise serious questions over Maliki’s leadership and the army’s capability. Outsiders, including Turkey, Iran, the US and even the Kurds, are making their […]