Blog archive all
14th January 2012
Alarmed by negative media coverage of its bloody repression, the government of Bahrain embarked on an Israeli-style hasbaracampaign earlier this year, hiring – at great expense – an assortment of western public relations firms, "reputation management" consultants, etc, to whitewash its image.
I… Read more
8th January 2012
Denying the authenticity of the Syrian uprising is a central plank of the Assad regime's propaganda message – that the whole thing, as the official news agency put it recently, is a "Zio-American" plot.
To anyone who has been following events in Syria closely since last March, the regime's… Read more
5th January 2012
On Thursday Saudi Arabia began gradual implementation of a law that says shops selling women's underwear must be staffed by women. The move – widely portrayed as a reform – has divided feminists, with some supporting it and others opposing it.
Reem Asaad (interviewed here on NPR) campaigned for… Read more
2nd January 2012
Syria began 2011 with its economy in relatively good health. A year later, it looks very different: everything is getting worse and will continue to do so until the uprising ends. As I have said before, the state of the economy will be a major factor in determining how long the Assad regime… Read more
1st January 2012
With less than two months to go before President Saleh is due to formally leave office, other members of his family are seeking toconsolidate their influence in Yemen. Saleh's son, Ahmed, has been purging the Republican Guard of members suspected of having opposition sympathies, while his nephew,… Read more
27th December 2011
There were numerous reports in the US media on Monday about President Saleh's proposed trip to the United States. This has put the Obama administration on the spot, since it risks being accused of condoning Saleh's crimes by allowing him in.
The official White House line at the moment is that if… Read more
26th December 2011
After an interlude caused by months on political turmoil, Yemen's illegitimate parliament resumed business on Saturday when the new power-sharing government presented its programme. Judging by the account in the Yemen Times, its re-opening session was a shambolic affair, interrupted by power cuts… Read more
22nd December 2011
I have written before about Matt Lauer of Qorvis, the American PR firm with a $40,000-a-month contract to spruce up the Bahraini government's tarnished image.
Mr Lauer was on Twitter yesterday, complaining about excessive use of exclamation marks by bloggers. What a pity he doesn't feel the same… Read more
22nd December 2011
Six girls-only high schools in Jeddah are being investigated by the Saudi education ministry for holding a sports competition without the ministry's permission.
Two hundred girls took part in the event on December 8, which included basketball, badminton, athletics and swimming. But when pictures… Read more
22nd December 2011
It is possible but – on the basis of what is known so far – not particularly probable that the explosions in Damascus on Friday were the work of al-Qaeda or elements of the Syrian opposition. What cannot be disputed, though, is that the "attacks" provide support for the regime's official line about… 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
