David Roberts

Kuwait and Iran Playing the ‘Expel-A-Diplomat’ Tit-for-Tat Game

Kuwait and Iran Playing the ‘Expel-A-Diplomat’ Tit-for-Tat Game

DAVID ROBERTS: It’s not the best of times between Iran and several of its neighbours at the moment. The rhetoric is rising and several members of the Kuwaiti parliament are joining in with gusto.

 David Roberts

Iran: Problems on the Horizon for Gulf States

Iran: Problems on the Horizon for Gulf States

DAVID ROBERTS: These events take place in the context of growing Shia power, encapsulated by the notion of a Shia crescent ‘enveloping’ the region…

 David Roberts

Qatar 2022: Fake Clouds, Solar Powered Shades

Qatar 2022: Fake Clouds, Solar Powered Shades

DAVID ROBERTS: Summer in Qatar is, as all of us who’ve experienced it know, not pleasant and the ideas to make it more amenable are pure science fiction.

 David Roberts

‘Bethlehem is where?!’ Yet another Palin Whopper.

‘Bethlehem is where?!’ Yet another Palin Whopper.

DAVID ROBERTS: She’s never been strong on geography so it came as no surprise when the gun-totin’ soccer mom from Alaska made a boo-boo on her visit to the Middle East.

 David Roberts

Iran’s Next Move after Bahrain “Invasion”

Iran’s Next Move after Bahrain “Invasion”

DAVID ROBERTS: Without wishing to state the obvious, the longer Saudi troops are in Bahrain – the “Invaders” according to Press TV, the greater the risk of Iran’s meddling.

 David Roberts

A Symbol of Freedom – Libya’s New Flag?

A Symbol of Freedom – Libya’s New Flag?

DAVID ROBERTS: The red band on this flag, as ever, signals the blood of those who fought for freedom. The black band is thought to refer back to an older flag, the green band is for prosperity…

 David Roberts

Demands of Bahraini Protestors are ‘do-able’

Demands of Bahraini Protestors are ‘do-able’

DAVID ROBERTS: Meeting protestors demands for ‘equality’ and ‘respect’ will help the Bahraini authorities go a long way to solving the pressing issues they’ve faced over the last week.

 David Roberts

Asian Cup Woes A Gift for Qatar 2022 Critics

Asian Cup Woes A Gift for Qatar 2022 Critics

DAVID ROBERTS: Huge queues, chronic transportation, empty seats and a less than fulsome welcome for travelling fans – a very long ‘To Do’ list for Qatar 2022.

 David Roberts

Egypt: Where Were You on the Day When…

Egypt: Where Were You on the Day When…

DAVID ROBERTS: How exactly people think things will ipso facto get better I don’t understand. You can’t eat or pay rent with democracy.

 David Roberts

Tunisia & the C21st Gossip Super-highway, Twitter

Tunisia & the C21st Gossip Super-highway, Twitter

DAVID ROBERTS: The first thing that struck me was how often trending tweets were (completely) wrong. Twitter is great for disseminating information extraordinarily quickly.

 David Roberts

Qatari Civil Servants Salary Tied to Performance

Qatari Civil Servants Salary Tied to Performance

DAVID ROBERTS: The Qatari Government is to be applauded for linking civil servants’ bonuses to performance. Let the battle with ‘wasta’ begin.

 David Roberts

Qatar World Cup in Jan? No Surprise There…

Qatar World Cup in Jan?  No Surprise There…

DAVID ROBERTS: So Sepp Blatter has begun the softening up for the first ever Winter World Cup. It makes sense, you know….

 David Roberts

He Who Got Slapped: Ahmadinejad

He Who Got Slapped: Ahmadinejad

DAVID ROBERTS: Under a section titled ‘He who got slapped’ someone from the US Embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan reported the confrontation…

 David Roberts

Assange’s Personal Dating Profile ‘leaked’

Assange’s Personal Dating Profile ‘leaked’

DAVID ROBERTS: In a bitter if somewhat sweet bout of irony the online dating profile of Julian Assange, the man behind the explosion of Wikileaks, has been posted online.

 David Roberts

Arabian Gulf vs. Persian Gulf – Google’s Match Report

Arabian Gulf vs. Persian Gulf – Google’s Match Report

DAVID ROBERTS: I looked first, sorry my angry Iranian friends, for Persian Gulf and Arabian Gulf. Though you easily irascible fellows ought to be pleased…

 David Roberts

Al Jazeera Kuwait Closure – Stormy Times Ahead

Al Jazeera Kuwait Closure – Stormy Times Ahead

DAVID ROBERTS: Once again Kuwaiti authorities have responded to perceived bias in Al Jazeera’s coverage of its political upheaval by closing its office.

 David Roberts

Qatar Foundation to sponsor Barcelona

Qatar Foundation to sponsor Barcelona

DAVID ROBERTS: Footballing links between Spain and Qatar continue to build. Barcelona have announced that the Qatar Foundation will replace UNICEF as their primary sponsor. QF will pay around $225 million over a 5 year deal.

 David Roberts

Recruitment Changes on the Cards for Qatar; as is Inflation…

Recruitment Changes on the Cards for Qatar; as is Inflation…

DAVID ROBERTS: Clearly, to build the stadiums and the infrastructure for the competition, Qatar will need yet more workers from abroad.

 David Roberts

Qatar and Her Neighbours in the Cablegate Releases

Qatar and Her Neighbours in the Cablegate Releases

DAVID ROBERTS: Qatar maintains a close relationship with Iran to safeguard its “trillions of dollars of potential wealth”. Nevertheless, the Head of the Army noted that “we’re neighbours, we’re not friends…”