The attacks on U.S. embassies and consulates in Yemen, Egypt and in Libya have hurt America’s relationship with the Islamic world, especially the attacks that led to the death of J. Christopher Stevens, the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, and three others.  That’s the opinion of Nasser Weddady, the Director of Civil Rights Outreach with More »

The international aid organization OXFAM says the humanitarian situation in Yemen is worsening. They report severe hunger, widespread malnutrition and warn the next generation of Yemenis may not have proper medical treatment or education. We discussed the issue with Joy Singhal, manager of Oxfam’s humanitarian response in Yemen who spoke to us by phone More »

International donors have pledged another $2.4 billion in aid to Yemen, bringing the total to $6.4 billion promised this year.  At a donors’ conference in Riyadh, Yemen’s Planning and International Cooperation Minister Mohammed al-Saadi told delegates that Yemen will need another $5.4 billion dollars in the short term to aid its transition and overcome More »

Conflict brings with it not only human suffering, but also often produces setbacks for peoples’ cultural acquisitions and accomplishments. Yemen, one of the countries where the Arab Spring has unleashed aspirations for broader freedoms, has has proven no exception with its internal strife overshadowing the rich cultural heritage of one of the world’s oldest More »

- Strife in Yemen often overshadows the rich cultural heritage of one of the world’s oldest civilizations, but there is an effort to preserve the country’s past and make it relevant for the future. - Daniel Newman, a Middle East expert with Britain’s Durham University, explains why the situation in Syria will only worsen with More »

The escalation of violence in Syria stands in sharp contrast to the relative calm that followed a similar Arab Spring uprising in Yemen last year. In past months, Middle East observers have proposed that the transition from the 33-year rule of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh could be a model for the proposed departure More »

-United Nations observers have left Syria, saying they could not operate without cooperation from the government. -Could al-Qaida affiliates be mixed into the Free Syrian Army? VOA’s Cecily Hilleary talks to Elizabeth O’Bagy of the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War and Seth Jones of the RAND Corporation for two different views. -VOA’s Scott Bobb More »

-A court in Bahrain has sentenced Nabeel Rajab, a prominent rights activist, to three years in prison for his role in unauthorized protests. We talk to Brian Dooley, director of the Human Rights Defenders Program at Human Rights First, about the case. -Fears are growing that Lebanon could be drawn further into Syria’s conflict, as More »

Reforms do not come easily in Yemen. Hundreds of Republican Guard officers protested in front of the Ministry of Defense in Sana’a on Friday because the transitional government is seeking to reduce the powers of their commander, Ahmed Saleh, the son of ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh. At least the news from Yemen is not the More »

Sporadic fighting and unrest persist in Yemen although former leader Ali Abdullah Saleh bowed to protestors’ demands and ended his 32-year rule earlier this year. Is Yemen the forgotten child of the Arab Spring?  Why doesn’t it garner as much interest in the international community as other nations? For answers, VOA’s Susan Yackee spoke with More »

- Middle East Analyst Robert Powell with the Economist Intelligence Unit answers the question:  Is Yemen getting its due measure of international attention? - Michael O’Hanlon of the Brookings Institution addresses the possibility of international intervention in Syria. - President Obama signs an executive order that imposes more sanctions on Iran’s energy and petrochemical sectors. - Ramadan More »

As the Arab Spring swept through the Middle East and North Africa, a number of countries, both those affected by it and those which were only onlookers of the changes it brought, are seeking a way forward. Aside from their own uncertain futures and a seemingly open-ended conflict in Syria, relations with Israel loom More »

For many Americans, the use of armed drones is a necessity of our times. According to survey data, most see them as an integral part of the war on terror launched more than a decade ago in response to the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. On a global scale, however, Americans More »

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed Middle East democracy activists to the State Department on Tuesday, asking for their input on how the United States can help advance freedom and human rights in the region. Greeting the activists before the meeting, Clinton called on them to give their “honest assessments” of the best ways More »

International donors have pledged $4 billion in aid to Yemen to help the impoverished state boost the fight against Islamist militants and develop the Yemeni economy. British Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt says a group of mostly Arab and Western nations and international organizations made the pledges on Wednesday at a “Friends of Yemen” donor More »

- Yemeni officials say a suicide bomber has attacked a military parade rehearsal in the capital Sana’a, killing at least 96 troops and wounding more than 200 others. -Robert Powell, Senior Middle East analyst with The Economist Intelligence Unit, shares his views on the violence in Yemen and Al-Qaida’s role. -There is growing concern in Israel More »

The daily news is often filled with stories of conflict in the Middle East – whether it’s Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Bahrain, Iraq, the West Bank, or Yemen. The deluge of ‘bad’ news might give the impression that the region is somehow condemned to turmoil, that understanding and cooperation are so rare, they are almost More »

If there is to be another Arab Spring in the next few years, it will look markedly different from what has transpired in 2011-12. Social media and mobile phones clearly played a role. But satellite television was deemed the amplifier that took self-organizing groups on Twitter and Facebook and turned them into million-man (and More »

With U.S. troops reportedly guiding air raids from a nearby base for the first time, Yemeni jets attacked positions of al-Qaida insurgents Tuesday in southern Yemen’s Abyan province. Yemeni officials said a “four-pronged assault” on the militants was being waged on the ground, backed by heavy artillery and aerial bombardment, and that U.S. troops stationed More »