Khaleej Times (Dubai)

Change He Can? | Khaleej Times

Cecille Isidro — Fri, 15 May 2009 14:46:00 -0400

What's more, it would represent a welcome break from the never-ending, futile bilateral talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority that constituted Bush's failed Annapolis process. But there is a danger. The US-based analyst Daniel Levy warns ...

US ‘Reset Button’ with Russia Not So Easy | Khaleej Times

Cecille Isidro — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 01:26:00 -0500

Anatol Lieven, an analyst with King’s College London, doubted whether the Obama administration could really press on with NATO expansion. ...

Nir Rosen quoted in the Khaleej Times | 'It's the Oil, Stupid!'

Communications — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 08:34:00 -0400

...Nir Rosen, one of the most astute and knowledgeable correspondents in the region, observes that the main target of the US-Maliki military operations, Moktada Al Sadr, is disliked by Iran as well: He's independent and has popular support, therefore dangerous.

Iran "clearly supported Prime Minister Maliki and the Iraqi government against what they described as 'illegal armed groups' (of Moktada's Mahdi army) in the recent conflict in Basra," Rosen writes, "which is not surprising given that their main proxy in Iraq, the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council dominates the Iraqi state and is Maliki's main backer."

"There is no proxy war in Iraq," Rosen concludes, "because the U.S. and Iran share the same proxy..." LINK

Parag Khanna in Khaleej Times | 'UAE a Rare Success Story'

Communications — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:11:00 -0400

American author and international relations analyst Parag Khanna yesterday called the UAE a "rare success story", attributing it to its geographical location, globalisation and blend of foreign legacies with indigenous power structures.

Speaking on the role of the emirates in the geopolitical market place, Khanna, Fellow and Director of Global Governance Initiative at the New America Foundation, a non-partisan, public policy institute in Washington DC, termed the UAE "a meeting point for first world European technology and third world labour".

"The UAE has a culture of Eurasia. It is a story of foreign legacies blended with indigenous power structures in a post-colonial world. It is also a success story of globalisation, which is rare in post-colonial countries," said Khanna, who was a geopolitical advisor to the United States Special Operations Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2007... LINK

Daniel Levy in Khaleej Times | 'Worlds Apart'

Communications — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 11:06:00 -0500

Worlds Apart (Khaleej Times - Dubai,United Arab Emirates) A number of analysts lay the blame on what they say is a failed policy and “good versus evil simplistic ideological stubbornness that the American public seems to be increasingly turning against”, said Daniel Levy, senior fellow and director of the Middle East Policy Initiative at the New America Foundation. “Expect more of the confusion on Iran, optimism on Iraq….” said Levy, who also served as a senior advisor in the Israeli prime ministers’ office. "There is no sign of political reconciliation in Iraq. Iran pursues its nuclear weapons programme; the Middle East peace prospects are probably the worst in at least 20 years; long-term trends in Afghanistan are not good; Pakistan may implode…," said the former administration official. On the issue of Iran pursuing its nuclear ambitions, he said: "There was no sign that the sanctions being considered by the Security Council against Iran would be immediate or effective. That was true before the NIE fiasco. Now there is no chance that sanctions will work." ...