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James Dorsey

Dr. James M. Dorsey, a non-resident senior associate at the BESA Center, is a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University and co-director of the University of Würzburg’s Institute for Fan Culture.

In an ironic twist, the Islamic Republic and the Saudi kingdom could both end up backing the Taliban if it comes to power in Kabul.
The Taliban want the world to believe they have changed in the 20 years since they ruled Afghanistan, but only time will tell.
Education is emerging as a major flashpoint in competing visions of a future Muslim world. Rival concepts are likely to shape what amounts to a battle for the soul of Islam.
By granting the Jordanian monarch the honor of being the first Arab leader to visit the new president, the U.S. administration is putting wind in Jordan’s sails as it seeks to fend off Saudi claims regarding custodianship of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem.
Pakistan’s place in the new world order is anybody’s guess. Recent policy moves suggest options that run the gamut.
From sports to energy to international shipping, the Saudis are looking to position themselves as the regional powerhouse.
In a sign of the times, Turkish texts have replaced Saudi ones as the focus of criticism of intolerant curricula in the Muslim world.
A little-acknowledged provision of the JCPOA that curbed Tehran’s nuclear program explains the jockeying over the modalities of a U.S. return to the deal.
A Turkish nationalist TV station with close ties to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently aired a map outlining Turkey’s projected sphere of influence in 2050, rustling Russian and Iranian feathers.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is certain to be looking to capitalize on uncertainty in the region fomented by the Biden administration.
The Biden administration’s publication of an intelligence assessment that the Saudi crown prince approved the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi creates a fundamental challenge to the kingdom’s geopolitical ambitions.
A recent online survey of Iranian attitudes towards religion has revealed a stunning rejection of state-imposed adherence to conservative religious mores.