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After a decade of seeking to expand the private sector, Arab Gulf monarchies have swung into reverse and are now promoting a culture of economic dependency on the state in the hope of buying off political opposition, Suliman al-Atiqi writes in an article for the Sada website.
This development has… Read more
There has been a flurry of articles over the last few days about new weaponry reaching anti-Assad fighters in Syria. This is a very significant development, for two reasons.
First, it reflects a shift in attitudes among some western and Arab governments as far as arming the rebels is concerned. It'… Read more
A tweet circulated today by numerous Twitter users casts a particularly nasty slur on Olivier Voisin, the French photographer who was fatally injured in Syria last week. It says:
"Dead French Photographer was State Department-Funded – Embedded in Syria With Al Qaeda"
There are… Read more
Rampant military splendour: the despotic Sultan Qaboos
With the killing of Colonel Gaddafi in 2011, Sultan Qaboos of Oman inherited the mantle of the Middle East's longest-surviving despot.
Qaboos – described by the US State Department as "a longtime friend of the United… Read more
President Morsi's announcement of the dates for parliamentary elections has angered Egyptian Christians.
Polling is to be phased over two months but the first stage – in Cairo and four other provinces – is scheduled for 27-28 April, overlapping with Palm Sunday in the Coptic calendar. The run-… Read more
The London School of Economics (LSE) has cancelled a conference which was due to be held in the United Arab Emirates tomorrow after one of the speakers was turned back at Dubai airport.
The conference, entitled "The New Middle East: Transition in the Arab World", listed several prominent Middle… Read more
When Moaz al-Khatib, leader of the Syrian National Coalition, offered talks with representatives of the Assad regime his move
infuriated many in the opposition. But it also put Assad on the spot and the Syrian president is now facing diplomatic pressure to respond.
"There has been a very… Read more
Sheikh Nasser, the controversial son of the king of Bahrain, is organising an equestrian event in Britain, to be held next May in the grounds of Windsor Castle, Bahrain's government news agency (BNA) reports.
BNA says the event – an "international endurance horse ride" – will take place "on… Read more
Only three of the 22 Arab League countries – Comoros, Mauritania and Kuwait – are ranked in the top half of this year's World Press Freedom Index issued by Reporters Without Borders. As a very broad-brush picture of where Arab media stand in comparison to other parts of the world, this is… Read more
A British Muslim MP is reported to have received threats after voting in favour of gay marriage in the recent parliamentary debate.
According to the Mail on Sunday, police say the threats against Sadiq Khan, Labour member for the Tooting district of London, are "credible enough that he should… 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
