G-8 leaders pledged $20 billion in support of the Arab uprising in a communique. That same communique acknowledged that member nations did not follow through on their prior pledges of aid to Africa. All of the successful Arab revolutions thus far have been in Africa. I’m not expecting much out of that $20 billion. The [...]

The CFTC’s move against oil speculators who criminally profited from driving up prices in 2008 has put into sharp relief the current state of the oil markets, and the role of speculation. But according to some Wikileaked documents, Saudi Arabia told the US as far back as 2007 that speculation was artificially spiking prices, which [...]

If the situation in Yemen weren’t serious, it would almost be comical. The trajectory of events is familiar. The Gulf Cooperation Council, an entity dominated by Saudi Arabia, comes up with a deal for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to leave power after 30 days, with elections soon after, in exchange for legal immunity from prosecution [...]

Third time’s a charm. Or is it? After two aborted efforts, both sides in the Yemeni political crisis say they will sign a deal that will transition President Ali Abdullah Saleh out of power within 30 days. The deal calls for a transitional unity government with elections shortly thereafter. But once again, the deal only [...]

Just a few items about the bin Laden raid, some new information that we have now learned: • The White House still has not determined whether to release a photo of the corpse of bin Laden, which they have in custody. They are weighing the benefit of clarity and closure on his death with potential [...]

A deal that would have had Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh leave office within thirty days fell through over the weekend, as he refused to sign the deal brokered by fellow Gulf states. The formal signing ceremony was supposed to happen today. Saturday’s development was a new blow to efforts to mediate the months-old crisis [...]

The Yemeni opposition will sign the deal mediated by the Gulf Cooperation Council that would force President Ali Abdullah Saleh to resign his post within 30 days, and which would put a coalition government in place until elections are held. The Vice President would become President, but a Prime Minister would be appointed from the [...]

In reaction to the tanks now overrunning Deraa in Syria, the White House has begun to talk about “targeted sanctions” against the Assad regime. The White House, deploring “brutal violence used by the government of Syria against its people,” said President Barack Obama’s administration was considering targeted sanctions to make clear that “this behavior is [...]

After a few weeks of resistance, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has agreed to the original offer on the table from the Gulf Cooperation Council, a coalition of Gulf states. Under the deal, he would resign within 30 days in exchange for immunity from prosecution. But this doesn’t appear to meet the demands of the [...]

I mentioned yesterday afternoon that Syrian protesters, after completing a funeral procession in the city of Homs – the third-largest in Syria – decided to sit down in the main square and not leave until change came to the country. They lasted barely 8 hours before security forces struck in the middle of the night [...]

Friday has been a typically major day for protests around the Arab world, so let’s take a look at what went on today: • Egypt: Yes, protesters returned to Tahrir Square in huge numbers today, over 100,000 at last count, to demonstrate against increasing repression from the military, which is nominally in charge as we [...]