Trump Joke About Israel Reveals His Ignorance

Juan Cole / Informed Comment Aug 22, 2018 In a conversation earlier this summer with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Trump reportedly said, "[In a one-state scenario,] the prime minister of Israel in a few years will be called Mohammed.” Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Saudi Arabia’s Bin Salman Savagely Lashes Out, From Yemen to Qatar to Canada

Juan Cole / Informed Comment Aug 9, 2018 The yacht-loving Renaissance art collector who tried to pull the wool over the eyes of the American elite is a serial diplomatic disaster. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Jordan’s King Warns Pence of Instability Over Jerusalem

Juan Cole / Informed Comment Jan 24, 2018 King Abdullah II may be afraid that his American alliance, unpopular with many in his country, will tag him as a traitor to Islam and the Arab nation. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Saudi Bigot-in-Chief Declares Iranian Shiites ‘Not Muslim’ (Video)

By Juan Cole / Informed Comment Sep 7, 2016 The statement by the chief mufti for the interpretation of Muslim law in Saudi Arabia is a huge step back from the limited progress the Saudis had made toward being a more inclusive country. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Here Are Six Policies Obama Wants Saudi Arabia to Change (Video)

Juan Cole / Truthdig Apr 19, 2016 After his critical comments in an interview in The Atlantic last month, Barack Obama’s visit to Saudi Arabia is going to be awkward. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

King Abdullah: Royal Pain

Mark Fiore / Truthdig Jan 29, 2015 I was curious how you could be king of a country that beheads people, doesn’t let women drive and regularly flogs people and be remembered as a “reformer” when you die. Dig deeper

New Saudi King to Obama: Lower-Price Oil Policy Won’t Change

Juan Cole / Truthdig Jan 28, 2015 That Saudi Arabia is treated with kid gloves only has one explanation: It pumps over 10 percent of the petroleum produced daily in the world. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Dozens of Top U.S. Officials Swarm Saudi Arabia to Hail the New King

Peter Z. Scheer / Truthdig Jan 28, 2015 President Obama cut short his trip to India, where he lectured the locals on women's rights, to personally express his warm wishes to the new monarch of Saudi Arabia, a country where women are not allowed to drive and where women and men are beheaded for crimes including sorcery. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Egypt Cancels Revolution Fete to Mourn the Saudi King Who Derailed Revolution

Juan Cole / Truthdig Jan 26, 2015 In a great irony, the Egyptian government attempted to cancel the commemoration of the January 25 revolution four years ago, on the grounds that the late King Abdallah of Saudi Arabia needed to be mourned. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

‘Left, Right & Center’: Tumult in the Arab Peninsula, SOTU, N.Y. Corruption

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jan 24, 2015 Truthdig Editor-in-Chief Robert Scheer and the other "Left, Right and Center" panelists ask how will Saudi Arabia's new king manage the challenges of the region after Abdullah's death? New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is indicted on corruption charges. Also, the European Central Bank announced an aggressive bond-buying program. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

How Stable Is Saudi Arabia?

Juan Cole / Truthdig Jan 24, 2015 The kingdom faces a severe budget shortfall because of the plummeting price of petroleum, and all this instability takes place against a backdrop of substantial regional turmoil. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

‘He Was Not a Benevolent Dictator, He Was a Dictator’

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jan 23, 2015 Dead at age 90, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (at right) was praised by President Obama "as a force for stability and security in the Middle East and beyond." But analysts accuse him of turning the Syrian uprising into a proxy war with Iran, and U.S. diplomatic cables identified the country as the world's largest funder of militant Islamist groups. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )