"His priority was to counter the influence of rival, mainly Shiite Iran wherever it tried to make advances. He and fellow Sunni Arab monarchs also staunchly opposed the Middle East's wave of pro-democracy uprisings, seeing them as a threat to stability and their own rule" ...

• Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Was Incremental Reformer, US Ally (Christian Science Monitor)

... "While mourning will last for three days during which kingdom's flags will fly at half staff, businesses and shops will remain open"...

• Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Will Have Simple Muslim Burial (NBC News)

... "Our march is to undertake everything possible to keep the unity of our ranks and the unity of word and in defense of our nation's issues, guided by the teachings of our true Islamic religion which was favored by the Lord to us, the religion of peace, mercy and moderation," says his successor:

• Text of Saudi King Salman's Speech After Taking the Throne (AP / abc News)

President Abdu Mansour "Hadi’s capitulation was meant to lead to the Houthis withdrawing from all state institutions and checkpoints and releasing the presidential aide. But by nightfall on Thursday, that had not happened" ...

• Yemeni Government Quits in Protest at Houthi Rebellion: Move by President, Prime Minister and Cabinet Catches Houthi Supporters off Guard  (Guardian)

... instead "Houthi rebels called for the demonstrations to be held Friday, while still surrounding the homes of the president and government ministers in the capital":

• Yemen Rebels Call for Protests a Day After President Resigns (AP / abc News)

"[W]hile the jailhouse door has opened for the two brothers, pending a retrial, it remains shut for thousands of others who have been jailed under Egypt’s new regime, led by Abdel Fattah al Sisi":

• Mubarak Sons Walk Free in Egypt. Will the Former Dictator Be Next? (Christian Science Monitor)

When does Islamophobia pay off so well that even a Rhodes scholar is willing to make a fool of himself? Hussein Ibish offers his opinion as to why Bobby Jindal would double down on allegations so absurd that even Steven Emerson backs away from them and Fox News apologizes for airing:

• Thank You, Bobby Jindal (Now News)

"The really dangerous part of this film is that it turns into a referendum on the character of a single soldier ... and not about the Rumsfelds and Cheneys and other officials up the chain who put Kyle and his high-powered rifle on rooftops in Iraq and asked him to shoot women and children":

• 'American Sniper' Is Almost Too Dumb to Criticize' (Rolling Stone)

"Kazan said she asked to have a female officer take her photo, which he refused to do, said the lawsuit":

• Muslim Woman Says Police Made Her Remove Islamic Scarf (Detroit Free Press)

"Any new IS presence here is still mostly rumored; no accounting exists for its scale or projection. Yet scattered reports of the emergence of black-clad Afghans with IS ties have led to speculation that the ... international jihadist group may gain a foothold in Afghanistan, as Al Qaeda did" before:

• Is Islamic State Penetrating Afghanistan? Rumors Swirl (Christian Science Monitor)

"In the past, when members of Congress have gone freelance on foreign policy there’s been a tradition of waving around the Logan Act," but so far the White House has limited it's criticism of Boehner's politically motivated attempt to torpedo the Iran negotiation a breach of protocol" ...

•  Is Boehner’s Netanyahu Invite Unconstitutional? (Opinio Juris)

... "From Netanyahu's point of view, he achieves several goals, strutting his stuff in front of an applauding Republican-led Congress two weeks before Israelis vote on March 17", but will he accelerate the eroding American support for Israel, causing the Republican strategy to backfire?

• Netanyahu Basks in Congress Invitation, but May Shake U.S. Ties (Reuters)

---