Michael Wahid Hanna

How the royal family addresses the increasing demands for reform will dictate where the issue of succession fits into the context of Saudi political discourse. With nascent opposition forces beginning to question the power of the monarchy, reactions to the impending succession will likely be a key indicator of the royal family's success in maintaining its social compact with its subjects.
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As Iraq's political leaders crisscrossed the region holding meetings in various neighboring capitals in the run-up to and aftermath of the March 7 parliamentary elections, they underscored a stark reality: Iraq's future is not solely in its own hands, and due to its weakness, the country's future course will be shaped by both the actions and interference of its neighbors. Less clear is Iraq's contribution to the region's future. more

In many ways, Turkey's rise as a major diplomatic player on the Iraqi stage serves as a counterpoint to Iran's magnified role, with both pro-actively promoting their interests by attempting to reintegrate Iraq into the region on their own terms. That stands in stark contrast to Iraq's Arab neighbors, who have utterly failed to seriously prepare for the United States' impending withdrawal. more

Yesterday's redeployment of U.S. combat troops out of Iraqi population centers has focused attention on Iraq's current security situation. However, looking at Iraq solely through the prism of short-term security trends clouds thinking about how the United States can best prepare for its exit from the country, and obscures the enduring disputes that undermine long-term prospects for stability. more

Saudi Arabia's myopic policy of shunning Iraq has had the perverse effect of amplifying Iran's already outsized influence there, and has also fueled Iraqi suspicions about the intentions of its Sunni Arab neighbors. Now, as the U.S. attempts to maintain Iraqi stability while gradually drawing down its military forces, it has increased pressure on Sunni Arab countries to begin normalizing relations with Baghdad. more

BAGHDAD -- Alliances with the local Sunni militias that the U.S. military calls "Sons of Iraq," but which are known locally as sahwat, have had a significant impact on the security situation in areas once ravaged by the Sunni insurgency. But the U.S. must now ensure that the government of Iraq implements concrete measures to formalize the relationship of the sahwat to the central government. Absent such concerted action, the fragile security gains of the past two years could collapse.
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The U.S. military's decision last week to release Bilal Hussein, an Associated Press photographer who has been held by U.S. military forces since April 2006 on accusations of links to terrorism, was not just a blow to the U.S. military's case against one prisoner. The case also raises a question war proponents may not want to answer. Namely, if the sovereign institutions and political processes that the U.S. troop surge was supposed to help foster actually take hold, will the United States respect them? more

Various explanations have been posited to make sense of the motivations of the Iraqi actors in the operation codenamed Sawlat al-Fursan (Attack of the Knights), which has been directed against the Jaysh al-Mahdi (JAM) throughout the south of Iraq. As it's clear that such an operation could not have been undertaken without the acquiescence of the U.S. government, a more important question is: What exactly does the United States hopes to gain from green-lighting and supporting the current operations? more