Blog archive all
15th December 2012
The Dubai conference of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has ended in disarray – much to the relief of those who support internet freedom.
The purpose of the conference was to draft a new international treaty on cross-border communications. As I reported last week, Russia and others… Read more
15th December 2012
Some new additions to al-bab website:
There are now dozens of books about the Arab uprisings that began at the end of 2010. I have compiled a fairly comprehensive list of those that are readily available in English. Readers and publishers are invited to send details of any omissions or new titles… Read more
12th December 2012
Yesterday I wrote about moves to fend off complaints about human rights abuses in the UAE with "rapid rebuttal" of critics. I suggested it's only a matter of time before the Emirates go down Bahrain's route, hiring a plethora of western PR firms and "reputation management" consultants.
Well, it's… Read more
12th December 2012
Ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh continues to haunt the political scene in Yemen, more than nine months after being ousted from office. In the latest confrontation, Saleh's eldest son, Ahmed, is refusing to hand over long-range Scud missiles to the defence ministry, Reuters reports.
Ahmed, a… Read more
11th December 2012
There are calls in the United Arab Emirates for action to "provide rapid rebuttal" when the UAE is "a victim of unjust and inaccurate criticism from abroad", according to a report in The National today.
The UAE authorities are fuming over complaints about their human rights performance, and in… Read more
9th December 2012
Away from the continuing drama in Egypt, Tunisia's Islamist-led government is also in trouble. In many ways the developing conflict in Tunisia is similar to that of Egypt: protests have broken out against a government which seems more interested in pursuing its religious agenda than solving the… Read more
8th December 2012
A group of Arab governments have joined forces with Russia in a move to gain more control over the internet.
The group, led by the United Arab Emirates, are expected to present their proposals next week to the world conference of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) which is meeting in… Read more
7th December 2012
The last few days have brought a sudden revival of diplomatic activity over Syria.
On Monday, Russian president Vladimir Putin met the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Istanbul. Yesterday, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and Lakhdar… Read more
6th December 2012
Fears about Syria's chemical weapons continue to grow – at least in some sections of the media and on Twitter.
"Syrian forces have mixed chemical weapons and loaded them into bombs in preparation for possible use on President Bashar Assad's own people," Fox News reports:
"A senior [unidentified] US… Read more
5th December 2012
The Syrian deputy foreign minister, Faisal al-Miqdad, has visited Cuba, Venezuela and Ecuador during the past week, delivering "classified personal letters" from President Assad to local leaders, Haaretz reports.
The Israeli newspaper says Assad is exploring the possibility of asylum in Latin… 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
