Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies have punished Qatar. The real target is not the small, gas-rich emirate but the regional powerhouse that is Iran. The “crisis” enveloping the tiny Gulf state of Qatar is a classic case of that regional diplomatic specialty:...
Street celebrations following a nuclear deal in Tehran, Iran, 14 July 2015. Iran is emerging from its reputation as a Middle East pariah. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) By Jonathan Lyons The geopolitical logic in support of the Iran arms deal is certainly compelling,...
By Jonathan Lyons Instability across the heart of the Muslim world underscores an undeniable fact of modern life: religion matters as much today as it did more than 1,300 years ago during the formative period of Islam. The upheavals introduced by the U.S. invasion of...