“Middle East” on The Daily Caller

While the world remains transfixed by the Arab Spring sweeping across the Middle East, the United States has the opportunity to substantively demonstrate its commitment to reform and reformers in the strategically important region. The road ahead is undoubtedly tumultuous; elections will be organized, new governments formed and stabilized; national laws and constitutions rewritten and social contracts between governments and their governed will be reassessed. (more)

President Barack Obama is set to announce a government-directed plan for economic development in the Middle East that emphasizes the role of Western multinational organizations, but that also sidelines the role of companies, ignores the new democracy in Iraq and downplays regional cultural, tribal and religious practices. (more)

Whether the “Arab Spring” will eventually bring the blessings of liberty and human rights to residents of the Middle East is still unclear. But we already know it has done wonders for Al Jazeera English (AJE), a “news” network owned by the ruling family of Qatar and funded by its government. (more)

A rift is emerging between Iran’s president and its supreme leader, prompting several members of the parliament to call for the impeachment of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has not been seen in public for days. (more)

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Arab leaders to move “faster and further” in reform in a speech Tuesday at the U.S.-Islam World Forum Tuesday, rousing audience members as she pushed leaders to give citizens a bigger role in regime change in the Middle East and North Africa. (more)

Somewhere in the Arabian Sea| In my last dispatch, I explained how my Southeast Asia/Middle East journey of four quickly became a journey of one – and how most of the adventure was to be spent on a cruise feared by me to be a geriatrics ward-at-sea. (more)

Michael Totten is the author of the recently released book, “The Road to Fatima Gate: The Beirut Spring, the Rise of Hezbollah, and the Iranian War Against Israel.” (more)

With a Congressional budget showdown all but inevitable, U.S. foreign assistance is once again on the chopping block. As two long-serving Republican former members of Congress, we believe the fiscal situation in this country demands bold action. However, we are deeply concerned about the House Committee on Foreign Affairs’ recent proposal to make sweeping cuts to the budgets of the State Department and at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). (more)

Despite clear evidence that his actions have led to multiple murders and widespread violence in the Middle East, controversial Florida pastor Terry Jones has vowed to step up his provocative campaign against Islam. (more)

My journey got off to an unpropitious start before it even began. (more)

The president believes in energy security. I believe in energy independence. In case you missed the president’s weekly radio address, here is what the White House released on energy security, so I will not be accused of not understanding what they meant. The title of the address was “Energy Security Can Only Come If We Invest in Cleaner Fuels and Greater Efficiency.” (more)

“It’s three A.M. and your children are safe and asleep. But a phone is ringing in the White House. Something’s happening in the world … Who do you want answering the phone?” Three years ago, when Hillary Clinton ran that ad in the Democratic primary, voters’ answer was Barack Obama. But according to a Rasmussen poll released Sunday, when it comes to issues of national security, Americans may be having buyer’s remorse. (more)

Obama has lost more ground than Gaddafi. A new Gallup poll shows faith in his leadership is crumbling among Democrats and Republicans alike. And given his penchant for getting involved in a crisis once it’s too late to make a difference, he might want to intervene in his own presidency now. (more)

It’s not an endorsement Barack Obama probably expected — or wanted — but Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol gave the president high marks for his recent foreign policy gestures. (more)

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria’s president dashed expectations that he would announce sweeping reforms Wednesday and instead took a tough line, blaming two weeks of popular fury on a foreign conspiracy. (more)

The US and Britain have raised the prospect of arming Libya’s rebels if air strikes fail to force Muammar Gaddafi from power. (more)

By the time coalition forces intervened in the Libyan war on March 19th, almost one month after the conflict started, Muammar Gaddafi had already killed 10,000 Libyans. (more)

(CNN) — The Syrian government resigned Tuesday amid an unusual wave of unrest that has roiled the nation, state TV reported. (more)

At least 30 people were feared dead and many more injured as Syria exploded in violence. (more)

If you’ve been spending much time at the gas pump lately, chances are you’ve been spending a lot less time everywhere else. With fuel costs soaring, everyday Americans are being forced to cut back on even routine car trips to avoid breaking the bank. In the last month alone, average gas prices have gone up nearly fifty cents per gallon. And because the cost of fuel is critical to supplying a wide array of goods and services, we’ll soon see prices skyrocketing everywhere. (more)