Eddie Roth/Post-Dispatch

While the Syrian ambassador to the United States was speaking to St. Louis residents this week, the heretofore chilly U.S.-Syrian relationship was warming across the world.

Syrian Ambassador Imad Moustapha spoke to a community forum at the University of Missouri-St.…

President George W. Bush | Getty Images

President George W. Bush was at times serious, funny and mocking in what has been billed as his last press conference as president. Read the Associated Press story here.

Among disappointments about his presidency, Bush…

Perusing al-Jazeera’s Arabic-language website the other day, I saw an article from mid-June about the presidential contest between John McCain and Barack Obama, specifically over statements they had made about their views on terrorism.

I thought it might be interesting to translate it…

An incredible story out of Iraq’s Anbar province from the New York Sun: “Iraqi Sheik Offers To Take Fight to Bin Laden”:

The leader of the tribal confederation that has fought to expel Al Qaeda from most of Iraq’s Anbar province is offering his…

(read part 1) 

In my last post, I discussed some of the stereotypes and misconceptions that Arabs have about America.

At the same time, many Americans have serious misconceptions about the Middle East. Although some may not admit it, most Americans do…

The Middle East region has consistently dominated world news coverage in the U.S. for many years, far outstripping coverage of events in Southeast Asia, Africa, South America, and even Europe. Few would disagree that this is due to the great…

President George W. Bush made a veiled reference to Barack Obama while in Israel yesterday, setting  off a political firestorm back in the states. Bush said that people seeking talks with Iran and radical Islamic groups are like those who…