Current Analysis Intifada in the Aftermath By now, accepted wisdom says that an unexpected outcome of the September 11 attacks in the US may well be the Palestinian Authority's salvation from extinction at the hands of Ariel Sharon. But the more optimistic scenario, that the sudden reordering of US strategic priorities in the region Rema Hammami • 9 min read
Current Analysis Understanding Political Dissent in Saudi Arabia The weeks following September 11 brought to the surface the tense undercurrents in the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia. In the aftermath of the horrific attacks in New York and Washington, word spread that many of the hijackers were from the Asir, the mountainous southwest province of Gwenn Okruhlik • 8 min read
Current Analysis Trying to Try Sharon The concept of universal jurisdiction in international law is undergoing a historic test in Belgium. On November 28, a Belgian court will decide whether Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon can be tried for his alleged role in the slaughter by Lebanese militiamen of untold numbers of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians Linda A. Malone • 7 min read
Current Analysis Aid Drops in Afghanistan In the wake of the military offensive against Afghanistan that began October 7, the United States is settling in for what appears to be a long-term campaign. As the Bush administration selects its next military targets, some five million people inside Afghanistan who depend on international food aid for Jeff Drumtra, Margaret Emery, Hiram Ruiz • 6 min read
Current Analysis Afghanistan's Refugee Crisis Over the last two weeks, an estimated 15,000 Afghan refugees have fled to Pakistan, and hundreds of thousands more are reportedly on the move within Afghanistan. This latest flight of Afghans from their homes deepens a humanitarian crisis that has troubled the region for more than 20 years. Already, Margaret Emery, Hiram Ruiz • 7 min read
Current Analysis Pakistan's Dilemma Pakistani media reports indicate that on the evening of September 14 the president, General Pervez Musharraf, met with his cabinet and national security team in a marathon session lasting until the early hours of the next morning. The task at hand was to decide if the Pakistani government should accede Kamran Asdar Ali • 6 min read
Current Analysis Business as Usual in Syria? Over a year after Bashar al-Asad succeeded his father as president of Syria, the Ba'thist regime has proven once again that it can best operate as a closed system. The reversals of political and economic liberalization in February and March of 2001 are not the only indicators. Bassam Haddad • 8 min read
Current Analysis Investigating the Cole Bombing The investigation of last October's bombing of the USS Cole in Aden continues to irritate US-Yemeni relations. Last week, the agreement worked out between the Clinton White House and Yemeni authorities in November 2000, in which the FBI was allowed to submit questions to Yemeni investigators and Charles Schmitz • 5 min read
Current Analysis Closure As soon as the Israeli army jeep disappears around the bend, a dusty minivan emerges from the grape fields outside Beit Ummar, a farming town in the southern West Bank. Revving the engine as he accelerates into the turn, the driver leans out the window and yells, "Go! Go! Chris Smith • 6 min read
Current Analysis How the Sanctions Hurt Iraq (This article was updated on November 14, 2001.) Colin Rowat • 10 min read
Current Analysis Explaining Egypt's Targeting of Gays Note: Hossam Bahgat, author of this article, was dismissed from his position at the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights two days after it was published. EOHR's secretary-general has commented in the Egyptian press that he won't defend the 52 men arrested on the Queen Boat Hossam Bahgat • 6 min read
Current Analysis Under the Guise of Security The view from Ahmed Khalil Abu Samra's window is a bleak one. To one side is an Israeli military post. To another, towards the Palestinian town of Dayr al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, lie Abu Samra's wrecked greenhouses and the remnants of uprooted olive Chris Smith • 6 min read
