DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Thomas L. Friedman, the New York Times columnist and author, is one of those writers who inspire admiration and indignation in equal measure. You may not always agree with him but you cant put him down either.

The global oil price, which peaked at $147 per barrel, has now cascaded down to below $70 a barrel. On Thursday morning, it hit $68 a barrel, and there is no end in sight, but this may be a dark cloud with some silver linings.

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia stated in a recent speech that Muslims cannot keep on remaining silent while other Muslims continue to cause harm to Islam. Abu Dhabis Al-Ittihad newspaper followed up Monday with an opinion piece expanding on the kings speech in an article titled, "Who is Harming Islam?"

All the hard work and good will demonstrated by Saudi Arabias King Abdullah in his efforts to bridge the worrisome schism pitting radical Islam and other religions dissipates like a desert mirage when ridiculous religious edicts, or fatwas as they are called in Arabic, are issued by preposterous religious zealots in the kingdom.

As election time in the United States and Israel draws nearer, the public discourse regarding the "Iranian nuclear threat" is intensifying. Both candidates vying for the U.S. presidency, and a few who would like to win the Israeli prime ministership, have been portraying Iran as a live bomb and an immediate threat to world peace. Indeed, Iran is not a paragon of virtue. Its aspirations exceed by far those that were described in the December 2007 National Intelligence Estimate, which turned around a previous assessment from 2005.

The extraordinary European Union summit that French President Nicolas Sarkozy has called for Monday looks likely to decide not simply Europes policy toward a resurgent and aggressive Russia which is talking of a new Cold War, but also the degree to which the worlds richest economy will in future seek to play a diplomatic role to match its wealth.

JERUSALEM -- Last week, an amazingly colorful array of Arab princes and Muslim clerics came together with representatives of the worlds major faiths in the Spanish Royal El Prado Palace in Madrid. While the Western media generally failed to appreciate the magnitude of the event, the Arab media understood how important it really was. Not only was this the first international multi-faith conference ever initiated by an Arab Muslim leader, it was inaugurated by the king of the Muslim worlds heartland, Saudi Arabia, where the most conservative Muslim outlook prevails.

Once upon a time the Palestinian cause was considered sacred by most Arab countries. From Mauritania to Saudi Arabia and from Iraq to Somalia, governments and people offered their full support to the Palestinian resistance, who at the time were fighting from bases, first in Jordan, and subsequently in Lebanon.

MADRID -- One of the by-products of the three-day interfaith dialogue conference held in Madrid earlier this week at the initiative of Saudi Arabias King Abdullah is what some observers describe as four conflicting schools of thought: the optimists, who believe that eventually everything will fall in order; the pessimists, who like the cartoon character Chicken Little, believe that the sky is falling; and wishful thinkers – among this category one can include Saudi Arabia – who believe that if they wish for something strong enough to happen, it happens. At least in their mindset. And finally, there are the critics of the Saudi initiative, who regardless of what this conference may have achieved, or will achieve, will only look at the dark side of Arabia.

"I never expected anything like it" was the comment of one Pakistani Muslim attending the World Conference on Dialogue organized by the Muslim World League and hosted by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.