Hussain Abdul-Hussain, at The Blogs

Hussain Abdul-Hussain

May 12, 2026, 3:12 PM

Saudi Arabia’s strange war: Appease Iran, rebuff Israel

This handout photo made available by the Iranian Army Office on April 17, 2025 shows Iran's Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major-General Mohammed Bagheri (R) receiving Saudi Arabia's Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman in Tehran on April 17, 2025. (Photo by Iranian Army Office / AFP)

Riyadh’s muted response to Iranian aggression reveals a leadership driven more by fear and domestic troubles than coherent regional strategy

Oct 16, 2025, 3:44 PM

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Trump says ‘disarm’ Hezbollah – Beirut says ‘contain’ Hezbollah

Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reviews the honor guard upon his arrival at the Lebanese Parliament to be sworn in as a new president, in Beirut, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Lebanon must choose: They either force the pro-Iran militia to surrender their weapons or accept that Israel will handle it for them

Aug 3, 2025, 4:42 PM

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Born dead: The New York Declaration for two states

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, foreground, arrives to address the United Nations General Assembly, Monday, July 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

The text includes a single clause that – given birthrates and demographics – kills chances for a workable solution

Jul 13, 2025, 1:52 PM

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US envoy Barrack should stick to the script

US negotiator Thomas Barrack speaks to reporters after his meeting with Lebanon's parliament speaker in Beirut on June 19, 2025 (AFP)

The ambassador's missteps reflect a poor grasp of the region’s complex dynamics and jeopardize opportunities for peace

Jan 10, 2025, 5:00 PM

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Lebanon’s Aoun could move toward peace – if Hezbollah lets him

The Iran-backed militia is bowed but not broken – and it could still find a way to hijack Saudi funds for its own rehabilitation

Dec 3, 2024, 12:59 PM

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Gulf countries talk like Iran, act like Israel

A handout photo released by the press office of the Emir of Kuwait Diwan shows Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud attending the 45th Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Kuwait City of December 1, 2024. (Emir of Kuwait Diwan / AFP)

The GCC rhetoric on Israel masks its true aims to decouple Syria's Assad and the Islamic Republic and declaw Hezbollah in Lebanon

Jun 28, 2024, 2:00 PM

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Should Biden let Hezbollah and the Houthis get a say in Gaza?

US President Joe Biden speaks as he participates in the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections with former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at CNN's studios in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 27, 2024. (Photo by CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA / AFP)

The US administration's 'no war whatsoever' policy signals to Iran that America is toothless and that the Islamic Republic can act with impunity

Aug 4, 2023, 5:47 AM

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Can Saudi normalization with Israel hurt Palestinians?

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman chairs the Arab summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, May 19, 2023. (Saudi Press Agency via AP)

Riyadh has rightly stopped handing out free money to Palestinians unwilling to help themselves

Jun 18, 2023, 4:11 PM

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The one place in the Middle East where minorities are thriving

Orthodox Christians gather with wooden Crosses in front of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as they celebrate the Good Friday in a procession on Via Dolorosa in the Old City of Jerusalem, on April 26, 2019. (Thomas Coex/AFP)

Those who accuse Israel of 'ethnic cleansing' should look elsewhere in the region – especially Lebanon

About Me

Hussain Abdul-Hussain is a research fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), a non-partisan organization focused on national security and foreign policy.