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.
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…
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.
‘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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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….
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…
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.
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…
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.
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.
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…”