Blog archive all
5th October 2014
The tweet above, posted last week by Telegraph journalist Andrew Critchlow, points to an article on the Telegraph's website which begins:
"International investors will have an important role to play in nurturing economic growth in the Middle East and North Africa, while helping in the fight… Read more
4th October 2014
By Erin Kilbride, via muftah.org
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) could be heading for financial turmoil, potentially posting a deficit in 2015. For the Al Saud monarchy, which depends on its massive cash reserves to quell dissent against the regime, recent warnings from the International Monetary… Read more
4th October 2014
In a series of blog posts over the last few weeks I have been arguing that the international response to ISIS is hopelessly inadequate. Even if the military effort succeeds in rolling ISIS back, it can be nothing more than a temporary palliative. This is because it is failing to address the… Read more
3rd October 2014
By Ahmad Mohammed in Kirkuk, via niqash.org
In areas under the control of Sunni Muslim extremists, teachers have been issued a special set of instructions. Among other things they say that males and females are to be separated, all mentions of evolution are to be removed from… Read more
3rd October 2014
Yesterday, the European Council on Foreign Relations – a think tank with four former presidents and twelve former prime ministers among its members – published a collection of essays and articles exploring the conflict with ISIS from a regional perspective. One of them looks at Saudi Arabia and… Read more
2nd October 2014
There are growing calls from left and right for "clarity" in the international response to events in Iraq and Syria. One of the latest to join this chorus is Donald Rumsfeld, the former US Defense Secretary who made such a fool of himself over Iraq in 2003. Rumsfeld told the Washington Times the… Read more
30th September 2014
Yesterday, the UN General Assembly heard the voice of a man struggling to make himself sound relevant. Binyamin Netanyahu's speech, in the words of Haaretz writer Barak Ravid, was "a tour de force of déjà vu" or, as Chemi Shalev wrote:
"His delivery was impeccable, as usual, but the content… Read more
29th September 2014
Among people in Iraq and Syria who are threatened with the loss of their homes or their lives, and in the eyes of millions watching from afar, ISIS is evil. Members of ISIS view it differently, however. As far as they are concerned, ISIS is on a humanitarian mission to rid the world of sin and is… Read more
26th September 2014
LAST WEEKEND Houthi fighters took over key parts of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and celebrated with a massive fireworks display. Government security forces are now said to be cooperating with them in guarding the city.
This extraordinary turn of events has received scant attention from the media –… Read more
25th September 2014
By Anna Jacobs and George Bajalia
This article is re-posted from the Muftah website
The militarisation of border crossings throughout North Africa and the Sahel has intensified recently, as a result of security concerns over weapons smuggling, terrorist networks, and armed violence in Libya.… 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
