sarah walton

Service With A Grunt: Par for Course in UAE

Service With A Grunt: Par for Course in UAE

SARAH WALTON: I’ve done the hard yards in the service industry so I feel entitled to comment on the appalling nature of service in restaurants here.

 Jonathan Cook

‘Destroy Your Government’: Advice to Palestinians

‘Destroy Your Government’: Advice to Palestinians

JONATHAN COOK: The more that Israel’s international reputation plummets the more generous are Western powers. What should Palestinians do?

 Francis Matthew

China’s Influence Based on ‘Failure to Engage’

China’s Influence Based on ‘Failure to Engage’

FRANCIS MATTHEW: Arab concerns are largely irrelevant to the Chinese as Beijing looks to reinforce its self-perception as the premier Asian power.

 Editor, MEP

Iran Threat Neutered as UAE Pipeline Starts Pumping

Iran Threat Neutered as UAE Pipeline Starts Pumping

In the short term the new pipeline is likely to increase the already high levels of distrust between the UAE (and Gulf in general) and Iran.

 Editor, MEP

Progress: The Demolition of a Dubai Landmark

The demolition of the Metropolitan Hotel Sheikh Zayed Road to make way for 3 hotels with over 1,600 rooms at a cost of AED 4.875 Billion.

 Shelina Zahra Janmohamed

Beware: The Power and Curse of Democracy

Beware: The Power and Curse of Democracy

SHELINA ZAHRA JANMOHAMED: Democratic leaders must constantly be sensitive to the weather vane of public opinion.

 Matt J. Duffy

No Oxymoron: Having Both Effective Defamation Laws and a Healthy Media

No Oxymoron: Having Both Effective Defamation Laws and a Healthy Media

MATT J. DUFFY: Private parties should be allowed to settle differences via civil courts and truth should be set as the ultimate defence against defamation.

 thehedonista

The Joys and Chores of Buying ‘Dubai Kitsch’

The Joys and Chores of Buying ‘Dubai Kitsch’

THE HEDONISTA: ‘No photos’, ‘No Fixed Price’, ‘Come back later?’ Ah yes, the recurrent phrases heard buying ‘Dubai Kitsch’. So what’s the best way to go about it?

 David Westley

Audio: UBS, Rogue Trading and the Vickers Report

Audio: UBS, Rogue Trading and the Vickers Report

DAVID WESTLEY, BUSINESS BREAKFAST: Thursday’s announcement of a ‘loss’ of $2 bn (Dh7.35 billion) in “unauthorised trading” at UBS’ Delta One desk was spectacularly timed…

 Mich Cafe

Dubai Gets its Blue Mosque

Dubai Gets its Blue Mosque

I heard ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan saying, when people argued too much about his intention to reconstruct the mosque of Allah’s Apostle, “You have talked too much. I heard the Prophet saying, ‘Whoever built a mosque, Allah would build for him a similar place in Paradise’.”

MICH CAFE: The closer you get, the more splendid the mosque looks. The size is breathtaking and I had difficulty getting the four 60-meter-high minarets in one frame.

 Paul Maloney

UK-UAE CEO Forum Should Focus on Vibrant SMEs As Much As Big Business

UK-UAE CEO Forum Should Focus on Vibrant SMEs As Much As Big Business

PAUL MALONEY: While both nations have trumpeted the importance of a vibrant SME sector, too often it is often the little guy who overlooked.

 Sultan Al Qassemi

A Compelling Case for a UAE State of the Union Address

A Compelling Case for a UAE State of the Union Address

SULTAN AL QASSEMI: This year is an ideal time for the UAE, the only successful union in the Arab world, to institutionalise a State of the Federation address.

 Sultan Al Qassemi

GCC: Muslim Brotherhood Fears Over Arab Spring

GCC: Muslim Brotherhood Fears Over Arab Spring

SULTAN AL QASSEMI: UAE national observers commented in private that many names on the UAE petition calling for an elected parliament were UAE members of the Muslim Brotherhood.

 Mich Cafe

Lebanese Entrepreneurial Spirit Strikes Again

Lebanese Entrepreneurial Spirit Strikes Again

MICH CAFE: It works for pizza, why not for shisha? An enterprising Beirut businessman spotted a gap in the market and has a Vespa equipped staff to fill it.

 Alexander McNabb

Surely Some Mistake? Dubai Runs Out Of Petrol

Surely Some Mistake? Dubai Runs Out Of Petrol

ALEXANDER MCNABB: You couldn’t make it up, could you? Dubai, part of major oil producing nation the United Arab Emirates, has run out of fuel. Seriously.

 Mishaal Al Gergawi

Opportunity Knocks in the Saudi Oil Conundrum

Opportunity Knocks in the Saudi Oil Conundrum

MISHAAL AL GERGAWI: Unlike an Emirati or Qatari, a Saudi doesn’t have delusional expectations of financial entitlement and pre-deserved stature at the marketplace. A Saudi is glad to find a job at all.

 Mishaal Al Gergawi

Dismal Education System Threatens GCC Future

Dismal Education System Threatens GCC Future

MISHAAL AL GERGAWI: We seem to be in a constant state of ‘re-assessment’ or ‘re-evaluation’ of education in the region. Bottom line: We’re still not delivering.

 Mishaal Al Gergawi

How the GCC Should Go About ‘Containing’ Iran

How the GCC Should Go About ‘Containing’ Iran

MISHAAL AL GERGAWI: Bahrain was clearly a red line for the GCC, but the challenges now facing the organisation require deft political skill.

 Mishaal Al Gergawi

Syria’s Fork of a Future, Where it Could Take Us

Syria’s Fork of a Future, Where it Could Take Us

MISHAAL AL GERGAWI: Should a new Syrian government have a more hedged policy towards Iran, Turkey, GCC, US and Europe, Iran would be dealt a blow.

 Mishaal Al Gergawi

Saying No to An ‘Open Sesame’ Welfare Agenda

Saying No to An ‘Open Sesame’ Welfare Agenda

MISHAAL AL GERGAWI: That the GCC is able to cooperate and function so well is both comforting and alarming. Comforting because it confirms the council still functions, alarming because it only does so in self-preservation mode.