Rutgers University
Toby Jones is an associate professor of Middle East History at Rutgers University and and the author of Desert Kingdom: How Oil and Water Forged Modern Saudi Arabia. From 2008-2009, he was a fellow in the Oil Energy and Middle East Program at Princeton University.
Saudi Arabia's weekend purge Crown Prince bin Salman Crown Prince bin Salman is in line to be the next King of Saudi Arabia, and he's tightened his grip on power with a weekend purge of 11 princes, four ministers and tens of former officials. The Royals are being held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Riyadh, but all of the officials are being charged with "corruption." Professor Toby Jones at Rutgers University is author of Desert Kingdom: How Oil and Water Forged Modern Saudi Arabia .
The Return of the Jihadi and Rethinking Our Failed War on Terror “The US has begun to mobilize a broad coalition of allies behind potential American military action in Syria.” That’s according to today’s New York Times, which reports that the intended target is the ultra-extremist Islamic State, which now holds much of Iraq and an entire province in Syria. The US is planning airstrikes in Syria—not targeting the Assad regime, but the Islamic State, considered a terrorist threat to American interests.
Is the Syrian Crisis about More than Chemical Weapons? In Sweden today, President Obama shifted responsibility for punishing Syria -- "I didn't set a 'red line,' the world set a red line" – and said the credibility of Congress is on the line. As the debate continues in Washington, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has delayed debate on a bipartisan resolution to authorize force against Syria. On the House side , Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and the Chair of the Joint Chiefs, General Martin Dempsey testified alongside Secretary of State John Kerry . One major player on Capitol Hill is AIPAC , the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. What's Israel itself doing behind the scenes? We hear how countries, including Saudi Arabia, are using the Syrian crisis to advance their own agendas as the Middle East gets more complicated than ever.
Politics, Oil Production and the Price of Gasoline In North Africa and the Middle East, recent disruptions are all about politics and liberation from despotic regimes. For the energy industry and for speculators it's the price of oil by the barrel. The concern of most Americans is the price of gasoline by the gallon, and it's rising fast.
Politics, Oil Production and the Price of Gasoline Moammar Gadhafi may or may not be driven from power. In the meantime, unrest and international sanctions have cut Libya's oil production by half. On Friday, unhappy Saudi Arabians plan a "Day of Rage," threatening instability for the biggest oil supplier of all. Fear of further disruption and rank speculation on oil are driving the price of gasoline higher. The concern of most Americans is the price of gasoline by the gallon, and it's rising fast -- even though the United States has plenty on hand at the moment. Should we increase domestic oil production? Tap into strategic reserves? Or jack up the Green Economy faster, whatever the cost?
The Price of Gasoline: Good News and Bad Since the high of $147 a barrel in July, the price of oil has dropped like a stone, to about $45 a barrel. The Automobile Association of America says gasoline prices have dropped in the US for the eighty-second day in a row, to an average of $1.70 a gallon. Worldwide, the price of oil is dropping so fast that dollar-a-gallon gasoline is possible sometime next year. That sounds like good news, but it's the product of a global recession, which the World Bank is now calling the worst since the Great Depression. Would Americans jump back into gas-guzzling SUV's? What about energy independence and alternative fuels? Should gasoline taxes be increased to combat global warming and promote international stability?
What is Trump's plan for Middle East peace? On his first foreign tour, President Trump has promised "peace" between Israel and the Palestinians. Are there any details for re-starting talks that have been stalled for the past three years?
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?