Voice of America Radio

The United Nations estimates there are now more than four million Iraqis who are either internally displaced or have fled the violence in their homeland to become refugees, mostly in neighboring states. Middle East analysts say the crisis is continuing to grow and is straining services in Syria and Jordan, where most of the refugees now live. VOA correspondent Meredith Buel has details in this background report from Washington.

The United Nations says the magnitude of the crisis is staggering.… more

Iranian-born author and scholar, Afshin Molavi talks about Iranian politics, Saudi Arabia’s growing diplomatic role in the Middle East and US policy toward the region. He also discusses "the new Silk Road, an economic dynamic fueled by India and China's rising influence in the Persian Gulf region, with VOA’s Spozhmai Maiwandi, program Manager of the South and West Asia Division, and host Carol Castiel.

To listen to the interview, please download the attached MP3 recording below. Additional audio formats… more

Before the U.S. toppled Saddam Hussein, Iraq had been something of a counterweight to Iranian power in the Middle East. Now with Saddam gone, Iranian political influence has been expanding, not just in Iraq, but in the region. As VOA correspondent Gary Thomas reports, Saudi Arabia is not happy about the shift in what had been a delicate balance of power.Empowering Iran was not one of aims of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. Nevertheless, analysts say, it… more

U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton, a Democrat from New York, and Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, were the keynote speakers at a conference this week unveiling a number of radical ideas meant to inspire change in U.S. policy on areas such as health care, climate change, and energy efficiency. Both senators, who say they are good friends despite political differences, said they believe the country needs courage and compromise to make the radical changes they say are needed… more

Hassan Nasrallah and Moqtada al-Sadr are both deeply religious Shi'ites who say they believe Islam holds the answer to the problems facing Muslim societies. They head organizations with a militant wing and a network that provides social services for thousands of the poor in their countries. Both are powerful politicians. They believe in armed resistance.

Both men are anti-American and anti-Western. The U.S.-led coalition in Iraq says Moqtada al-Sadr is responsible for much of the violence in Iraq, including… more

The European Union's foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani have been meeting in recent days to discuss ways to resolve Iran's nuclear standoff with the West. Tehran recently hinted that it would be willing to freeze its uranium enrichment program for two months in a bid to jumpstart talks with the European Union and the United States.

Iranian journalist Afshin Molavi, a fellow at the New America Foundation, calls Iran's reported offer… more