Focus
Sunni-Shia schism
Rivalry and Mistrust Mark Relationship of Saudi Arabia and Iran
The Saudi execution of 47 persons early this month, including prominent Shi'ite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, severely aggravated an already icy bilateral relationship with Iran.
Old Enemies Renew Hostility: Saudi Arabia vs. Iran
In recent months, we have been seeing the disintegration of another formerly stable relationship in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Saudi Arabia Executed a Nonviolent Shiite Cleric—It’s Going to Cost Them Big
By raising sectarian temperatures throughout the Middle East, the Saudis risk escalating the unaffordable proxy wars they’ve already bogged themselves down in.
As Iraq Fights Islamic State, Violence Rises in Shiite South
As the sun sets over Iraq’s southern city of Basra, Ahmed Hilal rushes to lock his door. At night, every knock sends his heart beating faster. In the morning, the father of three or someone he trusts walks his children to school, barely five minutes away.
After Years of Proxy War, Saudi Arabia and Iran Are Finally Squaring Up in the Open
Ever since Saudi Arabia executed Shia Cleric Nimr al-Nimr for terrorist offences, tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have been escalating by the day.
