Cairo and Washington both see the upcoming dialogue as a means of signaling that political disagreements will not torpedo the core relationship anytime soon. On August 2, Secretary of State John Kerry visited Cairo to begin the U.S.-Egypt Strategic Dialogue. The high-level exchange reflects both countries’ desire to emphasize shared regional interests over the political… Keep reading →
Oil prices increased to their highest in nearly two months on Monday, following concerns over escalating conflict with Islamic State militants in Libya and threats to withhold exports from Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region. “Egypt bombed Islamic State targets inside Libya on Monday and Cairo renewed calls for a U.S.-led coalition to confront militants there a… Keep reading →
U.S. stocks were down on Monday following concerns from investors about Greek debt negotiations and unsatisfactory Chinese economic data on top of uncertainty about U.S. interest rates. “After the market’s strong week last week, nine out of ten S&P sectors finished down Monday, with healthcare and utilities the worst performers. Only energy finished up slightly,… Keep reading →
The latest shakeup among Saudi decisionmakers will require Washington to work on new relationships in Riyadh and perhaps reconfirm understandings reached at last Tuesday’s summit. Just two days after President Obama’s visit to Riyadh, King Salman has sacked several of the princes who met with the U.S. delegation. According to U.S. and Saudi reporting of… Keep reading →
The down surge in U.S. gasoline prices following the fall in global oil prices may finally be abating, according to Lundberg Survey Inc. “Prices are $1.2422 lower than a year ago, according to the survey, which is based on information obtained at about 2,500 filling stations during the two weeks ended Jan. 23 by the… Keep reading →
In its goal of pursuing statehood, the Islamic State became an oil state at the worst time. When international oil prices were trading closer to $100/bbl, it’s estimated that IS could have been making $6 million a day from black market oil sales. The oil price decline is altering the way IS conducts its business… Keep reading →
Four Washington Institute fellows discuss what the president’s address shows about his priorities in the Middle East, analyzing what he did and did not say and comparing his latest remarks to his past speeches. JAMES JEFFREY In his State of the Union speech, President Obama had the opportunity to educate the American people on the… Keep reading →
While Ankara’s decision for or against fighting ISIS will be a political one, the military’s lingering resentment toward the AKP, the PKK, and Arabs could be a formidable obstacle to Turkish intervention. In all the discussions about Turkey not being particularly supportive to the coalition fighting the “Islamic State”/ISIS, little has been said about the… Keep reading →
With King Abdullah in the hospital, the West should be bracing for a stormy succession battle in the House of Saud. The latest news from Saudi Arabia is that 90-year-old King Abdullah is, in the words of the crown prince, “recovering from [his] illness.” That could be about right: The king went into a hospital… Keep reading →
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a recent report, issuing the strongest warning yet on the devastating impact on climate change. According to the UN report, “even with adaptation, warming by the end of the 21st century will lead to high to very high risk of severe, widespread, and irreversible impacts globally.” One… Keep reading →
