Be Consistent — Invade Saudi Arabia

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Mar 23, 2011 Once again an American president summons the passions of a human rights crusade against a reprehensible ruler whose crimes, while considerable, are not significantly different than that of dictators the U.S routinely protects.How long will the U.S. and its allies ignore the elephant in the room posed by an alliance for human rights and anti-terrorism with regimes in the Middle East that stand for neither? Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Marquis de Saudi

John Darkow, Columbia Daily Tribune, Missouri Mar 22, 2011 Dig deeper

Protests Banned in Saudi Arabia

Staff / Truthdig Mar 6, 2011 U.S. ally and oil-rich Middle East monarchy Saudi Arabia has responded to domestic dissent by slapping a ban on public demonstrations. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Down With Democracy, Let’s Have a King

Moshe Adler / Truthdig Feb 25, 2011 With a 10 percent rate of unemployment among his subjects and fear of the unrest that this could unleash, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia decreed an increase in aid to the unemployed, an increase in the salaries of government employees, an increase in aid to students, an increase in funds (more). Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Egypt’s Effects Go Beyond Its Borders

Staff / Truthdig Feb 3, 2011 What's happening in the streets of Cairo and elsewhere around Egypt is likely to lead to substantial changes in that country that could well be contagious across the region. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Hillary Gets Wiki-Served

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Dec 1, 2010 Hillary Clinton should cut out the whining about what the Obama administration derides as “stolen cables” and confront the unpleasant truths they reveal about the contradictions of U.S. foreign policy and her own troubling performance. Hillary Clinton should cut out the whining about what the Obama administration derides as “stolen cables” and confront the unpleasant truths they reveal. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Tough Times for Superpowers

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig Nov 30, 2010 The secret U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks leave one overriding impression: It's hard out there for a superpower. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Nigerian President Umaru Yar’Adua Dies at 58

Staff / Truthdig May 6, 2010 Speculation about the health of Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua ended Wednesday with the announcement of his death at age 58. Late last year, Yar'Adua's position was assumed by his second-in-command, acting President Goodluck Jonathan, but not without controversy. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

One Nation, Two Presidents

Gbemisola Olujobi / Truthdig Mar 30, 2010 Now, what was the interest of the Saudi authorities in keeping Yar’Adua, the president of a sovereign nation, incommunicado and out of his people’s reach for three months? And if the Saudi authorities had nothing to do with the president being out of reach, who kept him away from his officials and his people?Who kept Nigeria's President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, the leader of a sovereign nation, incommunicado and out of his people's reach for three months? Dig deeper ( 9 Min. Read )

Venezuela’s Whopping Oil Reserves

Staff / Truthdig Jan 23, 2010 A new assessment by the U.S. Geological Survey says that Venezuela's oil reserves could be double those of Saudi Arabia, a finding that could significantly alter the world's geopolitical stage and crude oil market. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

These Iranian Troubadours Show How Music Can Corrupt the Soul

Robert Fisk / Truthdig Dec 7, 2009 Music and Islam have a dodgy relationship. I guess it's really all to do with that most jealously guarded commodity, the human soul, over which music exerts such passion. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

There’s No Safe Sex in Saudi Arabia

Staff / Truthdig Oct 8, 2009 Bragging about one's sex life is lame, but is it lame enough to earn 1,000 lashes and five years in prison? A Saudi man has been sentenced to just that punishment for going on TV and talking about his extramarital liaisons. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )