Giorgio Cafiero

On April 29, the so-called caliph of Islamic State (ISIS or IS), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, appeared in an 18-minute propaganda video published by Al Furqan media network. In his first public appearance since the summer of 2014, Baghdadi covered a host of issues, including recent events. He addressed IS’s loss of Baghouz (the group’s last … Continue reading “Baghdadi Is Alive – and So Is the ISIS Narrative”

Since King Salman inherited the throne in Riyadh a year ago, Saudi Arabia’s execution rate has soared. Last year, the kingdom executed 158 people, marking a 20-year high. Apparently not content to rest on those dubious laurels, Saudi authorities followed that high water mark by executing 47 people – by beheadings and firing squads – … Continue reading “Saudi Arabia Executed a Nonviolent Shiite Cleric – It’s Going To Cost Them Big”

To hear Saudi leaders tell it, the primary threat to the kingdom’s stability is the Islamic Republic of Iran. Worried over Washington and Tehran’s slowly improving relationship, Riyadh has projected an increasingly militarized and sectarian foreign policy aimed at countering Iran’s alleged hegemonic aims in the Middle East. Yet tension with Iran is only one … Continue reading “While Saudi Arabia Goes to War Abroad, It’s Simmering at Home”

Nearly four years after NATO-backed rebels toppled the former Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi, the North Africa country has plunged into chaotic unrest. The failure of last year’s election to achieve political unity in Libya was most evident when Fajr Libya, or “Libya Dawn” – a diverse coalition of armed groups that includes an array of … Continue reading “Four Years After Gadhafi, Libya Is a Failed State”