Boston Cool: Measured Response Required
So Boston, it seems, has had its 9/11. Not on the scale of the New York attacks, of course. But the shock will be almost as deep.
STEVE ROYSTON: So Boston, it seems, has had its 9/11. Not on the scale of the New York attacks, of course. But the shock will be almost as deep.
‘Come and See A Skeleton’: Response to Issawi’s Invite
IRA GLUNTS, MONDOWEISS: The Palestinian hunger striker Samer Issawi sent a letter to prominent Israelis inviting them to see him in prison. There have been radically different responses.
Egypt Division = Ongoing Despair in Gaza
RAMZY BAROUD: It seemed unthinkable a Muslim Brotherhood government could impose worse conditions on Gaza than Mubarak.
From Arab Awakening to ‘Political Stupor’
The Arab world is suffering from a lack of secular inspiration. There are plenty of leaders who find their political language in religion, but no secular leader or thinker is inspiring the crowds all over the Middle East as happened a generation ago.
FRANCIS MATTHEW: The Arab world is suffering from a lack of secular inspiration: No secular leader or thinker is inspiring the crowds.
Reassessing Margaret Thatcher, 1925 – 2013
I breathed a sigh of relief when Margaret Thatcher resigned as Prime Minister in 1991. She was a divisive politician, and I found myself on the anti-Thatcher side of the divide.
STEVE ROYSTON: Margaret Thatcher was a divisive politician, and I found myself on the anti-Thatcher side of the divide.
Applying ‘The Rumsfeld Test’ on the Kingdom
DAVID ROBERTS: Reading the runes of Saudi Arabia’s possible succession is an art, a science and a mystery wrapped in one.
The Fine Art of Political Insult, Bahrain-Style
STEVE ROYSTON: Yet another lively debate in the Bahraini parliament this week and the insults were running thick and fast. They follow in a long line distinguished (or not!) company
Kafka Visits Cairo: Bassem Youssef’s Interrogation
JUAN COLE: ‘Explain what you meant by this punchline’. Yes, the surreal became real for Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef this week.
Tangled: The CIA’s Confused Middle East Web
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has got itself into the confused position of fighting Sunni fighters in Iraq, but supporting some of them in Syria.
FRANCIS MATTHEW: The CIA is in the position of fighting Sunni fighters in Iraq, but supporting them in Syria.
The King Speaks Frankly. Maybe a Little Too Frankly
NASEEM TARAWNAH: King Abdullah’s recent interview has unleashed a storm of comment. What exactly was he trying to say?
Conference: ‘A Golden Chance’ to Resolve Yemeni Differences
ABUBAKR AL SHAHAMI, CGNEWS: Grievances relating back to the civil war in the mid 90s need to be solved to avoid a split Yemen
Divide, Conquer: Attack on Egypt’s ‘Ultras’ Imminent
JAMES M DORSEY: There appears to be a concerted plan by the Egyptian judiciary and security forces to confront militant football fans. It may, though, backfire.
‘Roar Like A Mouse’: International Voices on Palestine
More bad news emerged from Israel in recent weeks. Indeed, good news is seldom associated with Israel and its military occupation and institutionalized discrimination and mistreatment of Palestinians.
RAMZY BAROUD: ‘The facts on the ground’ quicken day by day as the voices raised in opposition grow more feeble
Uncertainty Undermining Joy of New Freedom
The positive side of continual political change has got lost in the Arab world. Fear of uncertainty has killed the joy of new political life emerging in so many Arab states. The grim weekly numbers of people killed in political and sectarian violence dominate the new burgeoning of political life at national and local levels.
FRANCIS MATTHEW: The positive side of continual political change has got lost in the Arab world. Fear of uncertainty has killed the joy of new political life.
‘Democracy Is Doing’: Egyptians ‘Do It’
VANESSA BASSIL, CGNEWS: Young Egyptian aren’t waiting for ‘top down’ change. They’re taking matters to improve their lives into their own hands
‘Port Said Crisis’ Highlights Morsi’s Issues With Military
JAMES M. DORSEY: As we approach the date when the key findings regarding the Port Said soccer brawl are revealed tension is rising.
‘Talk or Shoot?’: Tunisian Society on a Knife-Edge
LAMIA HATIRA, NURA SULEIMAN, CGNEWS: We don’t have a culture of armed conflict but it’s possible that we’re moving in that direction.
A Lesson for Iraq: The Perseverance of Sinbad
RAMZY BAROUD: Ten years on from the onset of the Iraq invasion with all the horror and despair that has accumulated there is hope in the shape of a character from a children’s story
Winners, Losers in Israeli Election ‘Much Clearer’
JONATHAN COOK: The straightforward narrative adopted by the international media following the results in the Israeli election masks the complex reality
‘Renounce Violence’: The Way for Egypt’s Parties
MOHAMED EL SAYED, CGNEWS: The temptation to resort to violence to conduct political discourse needs to stop in Egypt
