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A United Nations investigator provided a rare glimpse into the workings of the UAE’s justice system yesterday. At the end of a nine-day official visit to the Emirates, Gabriela Knaul, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, presented her initial findings in a news… Read more
Two years ago, in a letter to potential investors Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's chief executive, wrote:
"By giving people the power to share, we are starting to see people make their voices heard on a different scale from what has historically been possible. These voices will increase in… Read more
Filipinos inside the Shumaisi deportation centre in Makkah. (Photo sent to Arab News by an inmate.)
It’s now three months since Saudi Arabia launched its all-out crackdown on “illegal” foreign workers. I reported on the beginning of this ill-conceived campaign in a series of blog posts … Read more
Calling for a negotiated solution has long been a central plank of Russian policy on Syria. So long as peace talks were not in prospect this was an easy position to adopt. It sounded reasonable and portrayed Russia – despite being one of the Assad regime’s key international backers – as a potential… Read more
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Yesterday’s events in Egypt – on the third anniversary of the uprising against Mubarak – resulted in at least 49 deaths and more than 1,000 arrests… Read more
When uprisings toppled the leaders of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya in 2011, other Arab regimes trembled. But not Qatar. Brimming with self-confidence, Qatar – perhaps alone among the Arab states – viewed the upheaval as an opportunity rather than cause for alarm.
"Qatar's regional posture went into… Read more
In a column for the Independent last week, Robert Fisk wrote:
"Has ever the Arab awakening – the Arab 'Spring' if we were to believe the nonsense spouted at the time – looked more desperate, more bloody, more hopeless, more despairing than it does today?
"... the awful truth – and it has to be… Read more
It's the "Great British Week" in Bahrain – an event designed to celebrate Britain's "friendship" with the repressive Gulf kingdom and secure some lucrative business deals.
Staying well away from the protests and teargas, a red London bus is touring the streets and Prince Andrew (the Queen… Read more
"How should we judge a country's foreign policy?" Stephen Walt asked in an article earlier this week. "How do we decide whether it is smart, foolish, shrewd, lucky, successful, or disastrous?"
Answering these questions is less straightforward than it might seem. Walt, a professor of… Read more
The Sunni-Shia divide is almost as old as Islam itself but during the last few years this ancient schism has played an increasing role in Middle Eastern politics.
It is certainly a factor in the Syrian conflict (though how big a factor is still debated) and Sunni Arab monarchs in the Gulf have… 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
