Mai Yamani
Mai Yamani's most recent book is Cradle of Islam.
Whenever Saudi Arabia has felt an existential threat – and it regards Iran’s regional ambitions as such a threat – it has relied on an external power to protect it. And, given mounting distrust of the… read more
Since the Al Saud clan established the Kingdom to which they gave their name in 1932, the exercise of power in Saudi Arabia has been shaped by the intrigues and intricacies of royal politics. But neve… read more
To the relief of the Saudi royals, the Arab Spring did not lead to the creation of functioning democracies in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, Libya, or Syria. Still, these countries' popular uprisings… read more
The contrast between the deaths, within a week of each other, of Libya’s Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi and Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdel Aziz is one of terminal buffoonery versus decadent gerontocracy… read more
Ten years after the 9/11 attacks, Al Qaeda has been marginalized, but not by Saudi Arabia, which nurtured the terrorists, or by the US, which waged wars against Bin Laden and his acolytes. Instead, it… read more
With the eviction from power of his allies in Egypt and Yemen, and the looming withdrawal of most US troops from Iraq, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah is feeling isolated and betrayed. But a key part of … read more
Women have played a leading role in the revolutions unfolding across the Arab world, and now Saudi women, too, are beginning to demand change. The spark was as unlikely as it is revealing of Saudi Ara… read more
Osama bin Laden’s death should open the international community's eyes to the source of his movement: repressive Arab regimes and their extremist ideologies. Otherwise, his example will continue to ha… read more
Ali Abdullah Saleh is finished as Yemen’s president, abandoned by his closest allies in the face of massive popular pressure to step down. But Saleh will not shuffle off the historical stage until the… read more
