freelance journalist and author
Freelance journalist and author of Passion for Islam: Shaping the Modern Middle East: The Egyptian Experience and A Kingdom's Future: Saudi Arabia through the Eyes of Its Twentysomethings; former public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Obama Delegation Pays Homage to Saudi Kings, Old and New President Obama cut short his trip to India to honor the memory of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. During four and a half hours in Riyadh, the President listed common "strategic interests" despite differences on human rights and other issues. Caryle Murphy is a freelancer who spent three years in Saudi Arabia.
Violence and the Politics of Religion in the Middle East Two years of bloody violence against a brutal dictatorship in Syria have awakened the ancient rivalry between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. It's become a religious battle, pitting neighbors against each other in Syria and across the Middle East, and is accentuating hostilities between nations, including Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Voting, but Not Driving in Saudi Arabia Two days ago, King Abdulla said Saudi Arabian women have the right to vote and participate in local elections, which the BBC hailed as "potentially the most important advance for women's rights in decades," underscoring Abdulla's stature as a reformist. Today came news that a woman's been sentenced to 10 lashes for driving a car.
Throw caution to the wind Zocalo commentator Joe Mathews has some advice for incoming California Gavin Newsom: don’t follow in the footsteps of Jerry Brown.
Politics, the World Order and Donald Trump’s New Year Newly divided government could mean change in this new year… or not. House Democrats don’t always stick together--and presidential campaigns could get in the way. The GOP might not heed Mitt Romney’s call for respectability. Meantime, will America’s allies unify to sustain world order without America’s leadership?
What AMLO Means to Los Angeles Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador has forged a special connection to Angelenos and Mexican-Americans.
Trump‘s Wall and the Politics of ‘Us Versus Them’ Politically, Trump’s great wall may not be worth the government shutdown. But it appeals to his base, including evangelical Christians. As the country’s white, protestant majority gives way to diversity, some fear that the essence of America is changing. Opposition to immigration in Western Europe is no coincidence.
