Blog archive all
9th February 2015
Last November various Yemeni political figures were flown to Brussels for a conference which had been hailed by its organisers as "a real opportunity to achieve an all-inclusive national reconciliation".
Since then, of course, the situation in Yemen has gone from bad to worse and it's difficult… Read more
5th February 2015
Yemen may be facing a "nearly catastrophic" scenario "to the point where it resembles the worst characteristics of Somalia and Afghanistan", Sir Alan Duncan, the British government's special envoy to Yemen, warned yesterday:
"If things get markedly worse we could see a dysfunctional government in… Read more
2nd February 2015
Former minister Alistair Burt
In line with the British government's sympathetic approach to "friendly" dictators, former Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt yesterday came close to excusing Egypt's imprisonment of three al-Jazeera journalists.
Appearing on the BBC's Westminster Hour, Burt was… Read more
30th January 2015
This is a shortened version of a talk given to the Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies Society at Exeter University on 26 January 2015.
I’ve called this talk “What’s really wrong with the Middle East”, which is also the title of a book I wrote shortly before the uprisings started… Read more
29th January 2015
Earlier this week the Sisi regime announced that it had approved five international NGOs to monitor Egypt's parliamentary elections in March.
It has now emerged that this is not strictly true, because two of the five NGOs are appear to be the same organisation operating under different names.
In a… Read more
28th January 2015
Loai Deeb, president of GNRD
A controversial NGO headed by a man who once ran a fake university from his home has been appointed to monitor Egypt's forthcoming parliamentary elections.
The Global Network for Rights and Development (GNRD), which has strong links with the UAE, is one of only five… Read more
24th January 2015
British prime minister David Cameron receiving his decoration from King Abdullah in 2012. The award, The Order of King Abdul Aziz, is given to foreigners for "meritorious service" to the kingdom.
The death of King Abdullah prompted an outburst of anger yesterday over Britain's sycophantic… Read more
20th January 2015
Former British ambassador Sir Alan Munro: decorated by King Fahd for "meritorious service" to Saudi Arabia
The price of snuggling up to Saudi Arabia
Following his meeting with President Obama last week, British prime minister David Cameron announced:
"We face a poisonous and fanatical ideology… Read more
15th January 2015
In Britain last Tuesday, the House of Lords spent almost eight hours debating the Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill. Opening the debate on behalf of the government, Lord Bates said the bill "will enhance our ability to monitor and control the actions of those in the UK who pose a threat, and it… Read more
13th January 2015
In what appears to be yet another blow against religious tolerance, an Iranian member of the Bah'ai faith is to go on trial in Yemen – charged with spying for Israel.
The Yemeni government news agency, Saba, reports that 51-year-old Hamid Mirza Kamali Srostani, was arrested last year in the… 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
