Could a Power Grab by MbS Unravel Al Saud Rule
Cipher Brief Expert Emile Nakhleh is a retired CIA Senior Intelligence Service Officer and founding director of the CIA’s Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program Office. […] More
Saudi Arabia
Oil Price War Clouds COVID-19 Response
Bottom Line Up Front A Saudi effort to regain dominance over world oil production is weakening regional economic powers at a time of crisis […] More
COVID-19 Compounds Middle East Difficulties
Bottom Line Up Front The spread of coronavirus is compounding the well-known problems faced by Middle East governments and societies. The coronavirus crisis could […] More
Pensacola Attack Labeled Terrorism as U.S. Expels Saudi Military Students
Bottom Line Up Front Early this week, U.S. Attorney General William Barr labeled the December 6 shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola as an […] More
The Pensacola Shooting: When Trust Among Allies Fails
The U.S. is considering whether it will expel more than a dozen Saudi Arabian military students after a shooting at a naval base in Pensacola, […] More
Tensions with Iran Resurface
Bottom Line Up Front U.S.-Iran tensions are escalating again after three months of relative stability. U.S. officials report that Iran is resupplying its allies […] More
Saudi Air Force Officer Murders Three U.S. Navy Sailors in Pensacola
Bottom Line Up Front On Friday December 6th, Saudi Air Force Second Lieutenant Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani murdered three U.S. Navy sailors and injured 8 […] More
Saudi Arabia’s Relentless Campaign to Silence Its Critics
Bottom Line Up Front Saudi Arabia cultivated ties with Twitter employees and persuaded them to spy on various user accounts and report back to […] More
Russia Reaps Benefits of U.S. Withdrawal
Bottom Line Up Front As the United States continues its hasty withdrawal from Syria, Russia has consolidated immense leverage in the country. Acting as […] More
Iranian Missiles Are Key to Tehran’s Growing Influence in the Gulf
Bottom Line Up Front The increasing proficiency of Iran’s missile and drone technology is key to Iran’s regional influence and deterrent capability. The September […] More
U.S. Sanctions Approach a Blockade
Bottom Line Up Front On September 20, the Trump administration sought to completely shut Iran out of the international financial system by imposing new […] More
Reflecting on Khashoggi’s Murder One Year Later: Still No Justice for Jamal
Bottom Line Up Front It has been one year since the brutal murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, killed by a team of […] More
Managing Iran’s Actions to Avoid Collapse of Global Economy
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman is warning that military conflict with Iran would collapse the global economy. He made the statement during an […] More
What Future War with Iran Could Look Like
OPINION – It’s still unclear just how President Trump may further respond to the recent coordinated drone attack on a Saudi oil facility that has […] More
What’s Next for Iran?
The U.S. has decided to send additional troops to Saudi Arabia after an attack on an oil facility that seriously impacted the country’s oil production […] More
Riyadh and Tehran Inch Closer to War
Bottom Line Up Front S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, labeling the recent attack on Saudi oil infrastructure […] More
Are There Still ‘Red Lines’ in the Middle East?
Bottom Line Up Front The September 14 strike on Saudi critical energy infrastructure by Iran or one of its allies directly challenges U.S. regional […] More
Houthis Drone Attack Targets Major Saudi Oil Facilities
Bottom Line Up Front Over the weekend, Houthi rebels launched a drone attack against Saudi Arabia, targeting the Saudi Aramco crude stabilization facility in […] More