In theory, Americas two presidential candidates – the Democrat Barack Obama and the Republican John McCain – are poles apart on Middle East policy. Their rhetoric has been very different on Iraq, on Iran, on Palestine, on Islamic terrorism, on torture, and even, further afield, on Russian expansion in the Caucasus.

NEW YORK -- In an exclusive interview to the Middle East Times at the sidelines of the opening of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani was upbeat about Iraqs future. Though a bit tired by recent surgery, Talabani also took time out from his schedule to express his views on a controversial decision taken by parliament on minorities.

It is a mystery how the Iraq war was planned and supported for a long time without an effective opposition, despite being one of the worst foreign policy decisions in recent U.S. history. But it becomes less of a puzzle if one applies to the situation some principles of social psychology. In this light, a return to the classic literature is pertinent.

According to recent U.N. Arab Human Development reports, written by an independent group of leading Arab scholars and intellectuals, oil has become a curse rather than a blessing for the Arab world. Unlike Japan, Taiwan, Israel, Singapore and many other countries who recognized early on that their scarce resources required them to turn their lack of material resources into technological strengths in order to become competitive in the world economy, the Arabs relied exclusively on the great sea of oil beneath their deserts as a substitute for intellect, creativity and entrepreneurship.

AMMAN -- A leading Muslim Arab cleric has raised a political and religious storm across the region by speaking out audaciously on a subject that many Islamic scholars refuse to discuss because of political considerations - the "Shiite invasion" of Muslim societies.

It is seven years since that terrible day of Sept. 11, 2001 when terrorists killed 3,000 Americans, triggering a massive global response by the United States. As President George W. Bushs term comes to an end, it is time to assess the prudence of his policies.

In the words of Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari, we are all aware of the painful trajectory Iraq has gone through over the course of the last five years. Indeed, the people of Iraq had to go through a devastating war; a near civil war; daily terrorist attacks that have claimed thousands of lives; the second-largest refugee crisis in the Arab world, after the Palestinians; and the list goes on, and on.

Back home in the sub-continent, they say you should always stay away from the cops; their friendship as well as adversity is bad for ones health. I am reminded of the advice as the worlds chief cop, the United States, bombs its allies and friends in Pakistan. With friends like these, do you really need enemies?

GENEVA -- U.S. President George W. Bush has in the last week changed direction on his war policies placing more emphasis on Afghanistan than in the past, while at the same time reducing the troop numbers in Iraq. Troops intended to be deployed in Iraq have instead been ordered to Afghanistan where the Taliban are becoming a greater threat to U.S. and NATO forces.

American policy toward the Middle East has always been determined by the politics of oil and the politics of oil are determined by the oil companies.