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Robert Fisk, the veteran Middle East correspondent, once offered this advice to would-be journalists:
"If you want to be a reporter you must establish a relationship with an editor in which he will let you write – he must trust you and you must make sure you make no mistakes."
It was good advice,… Read more
Jordan is facing scrutiny at the UN Human Rights Council this morning under the periodic review system. Today's review is more important than usual because Jordan (like Saudi Arabia) is also seeking election next month as a member of the council.
Ahead of the review session, Jordan has submitted a… Read more
Although the Arab uprisings have not yet brought down a monarchy, Gulf rulers have been severely shaken by events elsewhere as well as by unprecedented street protests in some of their own countries.
They responded to this in customary fashion, mainly through repression and splashing money around… Read more
Earlier this month several gay websites reported a rather puzzling story from Egypt. According to Gay Star News and Pink News, 14 men had been arrested for "homosexual acts" at a "medical centre" in El-Marg district of Cairo.
Neither story gave any details about the "medical centre"… Read more
Saudi Arabia, which spent more than a year campaigning for a seat on the UN Security Council only to turn it down when elected last week, is seeking election to yet another UN body – the Human Rights Council. The kingdom is one of several notorious rights abusers hoping to win a place in next… Read more
Saudi Arabia was one of the founding members of the United Nations and yet, throughout the organisation's 68-year history, it has never held a seat on the Security Council. Until recently it had also shown no desire to do so.
That changed just over a year ago when the kingdom began lobbying for… Read more
Seven public relations firms – mostly British or American – are vying to win a contract from Bahrain's repressive government.
Western PR companies have often been criticised in the past for taking up lucrative assignments aimed at polishing the kingdom's tarnished image. In Bahrain itself,… Read more
The destruction of Syria's chemical weapons got under way this week. In a letter to the Security Council, UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon reported:
"Under the supervision of OPCW experts, supported by the United Nations, the Syrian Arab Republic began to destroy its chemical… Read more
Tunisian leaders yesterday agreed on a road map aimed at resolving the country's political crisis. The plan, which requires the Islamist-led government to hand over power to a technocratic caretaker administration, has been widely hailed as a preferable alternative to the military… Read more
On August 14, hundreds of Egyptians died when security forces
violently dispersed sit-in protests against the military takeover that ousted President Morsi. One week later, hundreds of Syrians died in the chemical attacks near Damascus. Both these massacres were on a similar scale, and… Read more
ARAB ART ONLINE: Susan Hefuna: Al Sabr Gamil (Patience is Beautiful) 2007. Ink stained on wood 140 x 170 cm. More information | Click to enlarge
