By Steve Clemons

Here is a challenge to those of you who want to give me some counsel on an essay I am doing on Obama’s team of rivals.

Now, this has to be one of the strangest round-ups of organizations I have seen in a long time — organizations considered by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence to be trouble-makers inside Iran and thus “blacklisted.” Here is the Iranian source — as well as a comprised list of translated organizations from Laura Rozen and Neo-Resistance….

(A giant tree at Musgrove, the family estate of Smith Bagley and the Arca Foundation — photo credit: Steve Clemons) In Dubai a day and a half ago, I was sitting on a bus next to well known Clinton family friend and adviser Lanny Davis who was chatting with me about the widest possible array…

(The Burj Khalifa — previously the Burj Dubai — on opening night, 4 January 2010; photo credit: Steve Clemons) Here is a farewell pic from Dubai — a picture of the new tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa (which until a few hours ago was known as the Burj Dubai).

(photo credit: Steve Clemons) A stunning fireworks show and water dance ensemble opened the latest claimant to tallest building in the world in Dubai tonight.

(Hendrik Hertzberg, Steve Clemons and Charles Kaiser in Dubai) This morning I am out to see more of Dubai — along with two terrific social and political commentators, the New Yorker‘s Hendrick Hertzberg, who has his own blog at the magazine and Charles Kaiser, publisher of Full Court Press and author of the The Gay…

Just arrived in Dubai today and have given a couple of talks here about President Obama’s foreign policy efforts and team on what is almost the one year anniversary since he moved into the White House.

First of all, many thanks to Rachel Maddow for the shout out above. She’s the great one. Keith too. The link that she is referring to of mine is the one I recently posted on the US broadening its Middle East gambit into Yemen.

(photo credit: Kori Schake) I have had a pretty busy couple of days reading a dozen or so books competing in the Los Angeles Times History Book Prize for which I was drawn in to be a judge by Ron Brownstein. This is one of the best things I have ever done.

The Center for American Progress’ Matt Duss has a sharp, detail-rich mind when it comes to discussing beneath the surface Middle East issues.