Joel Brinkley
It's not at all surprising that one of the Arab world's most senior diplomats is eager for
Arab officials, particularly leaders of the Gulf states, are not at all reticent to discuss their concerns about
The reason for that is simple. Who complains the loudest about
With considerable understatement,
That's why ambassador
He said his view was the result of a cost-benefit analysis.
"Despite the large amount of trade we do with
"If you are asking me, 'Am I willing to live with that versus living with a nuclear
The ambassador spoke the truth, but he also broke the rule. So a few hours later, his country's foreign minister said Otaiba's remarks, as quoted in news stories, "are not precise" and were "taken out of their context."
Good luck foisting that explanation on the world. The ambassador spoke from on stage with at least 200 people in the audience. Organizers tape-recorded the exchange. Just after the session, Rep.
Behind this kabuki dance, and despite the flowery language Arab and Persian leaders customarily offer in public discourse, the two sides actually hate each other. There could be no better illustration than this spring's Islamic Solidarity Games, scheduled to take place in
The games, a regional Olympics, were intended to encourage Islamic comity, just as the name denotes. But the unity began to fall apart months ahead of time, when the Arab states learned that
For 50 years the Arab states have argued, to little effect, that the body of water is actually the Arabian Gulf.
In January, the Arab states abruptly canceled the games.
More recently, the U.A.E. closed down 41 Iranian companies working in the Emirates, saying they were violating
Arab states don't believe
But Egyptian President
Late last month,
"Are they so afraid of two bombs?" he asked. The U.S. had just estimated that
Available at Amazon.com:
At War with the Weather: Managing Large-Scale Risks in a New Era of Catastrophes
- Is It Too Late to Stop Iran
- The Middle East's Private Little War
- Reality and Reform for How the EU Keeps Its Peace
- Chancellor Angela Merkel's Sinking Support
- The Real Reason Why Afghanistan Is a Lost Cause
- The War Drones On
- When the 'Right War' Goes Wrong
- The Afghanistan Paradox
- Pakistan's Gambit in Afghanistan
- Obama Wasting Opportunities in Latin America
- Stopping Nuclear Proliferation Before It Starts
- Veiled Truths: The Rise of Political Islam in the West
- Steps to Stop Iran From Getting a Nuclear Bomb
- Iran: The Nuclear Containment Conundrum
- Iran: The Right Kind Of Containment
- China Is the Key to Handling Nuclear North Korea
- Coping With China's Financial Power
- What China's Currency Reform Means For Investors
- Russian-American Obstacles Overshadow Obama-Medvedev Meeting
- Russia's Courtship of Silicon Valley
- Ukrainian Blues: Viktor Yanukovych's Rise and Democracy's Fall
- Russia: Prisoners of the Caucasus
- The Afghan Challenge Is Far Tougher
- New Guard, Old Policy on Afghanistan
- Fear and Uncertainty in Afghanistan
- Afghanistan: Bribing the Enemy
- Afghanistan Poses Difficult Challenges
- Defining Success in Afghanistan
- Sad Stan, Famous Petraeus
- The Challenge of Reconciliation in Kenya
- The Tyranny of Unity in Zimbabwe
- Mexico: The New Cocaine Cowboys
- Under Santos Colombia Could Rise to the Next Level
- Autocrats' Latest Weapon: Indirect Censorship
- Latin America's Rich Should Be More Generous
- Castrocare in Crisis
(C) 2010 Joel Brinkley