M.-Lynx-Qualey

Three Books That WON’T Help You Understand Iraq

Three Books That WON’T Help You Understand Iraq

M. LYNX-QUALEY: It’s one of those lists again. You know it’s designed to gain a reaction and you can’t help yourself so here I go with my reaction to books on Iraq.

 Steve Royston

Where is the ‘Arab Lobby’ in the United States?

Where is the ‘Arab Lobby’ in the United States?

STEVE ROYSTON: There are many reasons why the ‘Arab Voice’ is so weak in the United States. But that doesn’t give leaders and opinion formers an excuse.

 Susie of Arabia

Saudi: Momentum Grows in Support of Women Drivers

Saudi: Momentum Grows in Support of Women Drivers

SUSIE OF ARABIA: Driving is just a starting point. There are many other women’s issues that need to be addressed but as Manal says: “The rain starts with a single drop.”

 Andrew Mackay

Bin Laden: A Study in News Management

Bin Laden: A Study in News Management

ANDREW MACKAY: Even the BBC’s Washington correspondent noted how adroitly the US administration had trod the line between triumphalism and glee at bin Laden’s death.

 Steve Royston

Middle East Blogs – Ten Sites CNN Missed

Middle East Blogs – Ten Sites CNN Missed

STEVE ROYSTON: My only quibble about CNN’s list is that it picks up exclusively on Arab writers and – with the honourable exception of Mahmood the Bahraini Blogfather – most of the writers seem relatively young.

 Juan Cole

Goodbye Bin Laden. Now It’s Time to Exit Iraq

Goodbye Bin Laden. Now It’s Time to Exit Iraq

JUAN COLE: Post Osama, President Obama should do us all a favour and now remove U.S. troops from Iraq.

 Ramzy Baroud

Libya Woes An Opportunity to Extend U.S Influence?

Libya Woes An Opportunity to Extend U.S Influence?

RAMZY BAROUD: There is a lot of discussion and political calculation bouncing around the corridors of power in Washington about Libya.

 Matt J. Duffy

Newspapers Inconsistent Over Blogger Arrests

Newspapers Inconsistent Over Blogger Arrests

MATT J. DUFFY: The question all UAE, and indeed regional, newsrooms ask is what is the responsible approach. A responsibility to reporting the facts, or to safeguard their future.

 Michael J. Totten

Among the People of Benghazi: A Westerner’s View

Among the People of Benghazi: A Westerner’s View

MICHAEL J. TOTTEN: Very little seems to be known about the rebels who are fighting Qaddafi. When I found out that a trusted source was effectively ’embedded’ with them I had a few questions to put to her.

 Juan Cole

‘Our Luck’, A President That Gets Complexity

‘Our Luck’, A President That Gets Complexity

JUAN COLE: President Obama’s speech last night demonstrated clearly the qualities of leadership that those who seek to challenge him simply do not possess.

 Steve Royston

Politics, Meddling and Al Jazeera’s Independence

Politics, Meddling and Al Jazeera’s Independence

STEVE ROYSTON: At one time or another, Al Jazeera has made enemies of Bahrain, Kuwait, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain and Iraq, but is that just the price of reporting ‘the truth’?

 Parastou Hassouri

Logan Assault a Symptom of Mubarak’s Egypt

Logan Assault a Symptom of Mubarak’s Egypt

PARASTOU HASSOURI: Sexual Harassment, including the assault on Lara Logan, is a result of patriarchal attitudes coupled with stifled dialogue…

 Steve Royston

Bahrain Bulletin: How to Get out of the Stalemate

Bahrain Bulletin: How to Get out of the Stalemate

STEVE ROYSTON: I can’t believe that anybody in Bahrain, except possibly those who would like to see the country purged by fire, wants the economy to suffer.

 Ramzy Baroud

Listen to Egypt Roar! Rediscovering Courage

Listen to Egypt Roar! Rediscovering Courage

RAMZY BAROUD: The word ‘revolution’ is overused in the Arab world. What’s happening today in Egypt is rather more deserving.

 Zeinobia

#Feb 3 : Al Tahrir Battle 2, Death Toll Reaches 4

#Feb 3 : Al Tahrir Battle 2, Death Toll Reaches 4

ZEINOBIA: Here are the latest updates in Al Tahrir Battle 2. It is the second battle our protesters have faced against the regime after Tuesday January 25.

 Steve Royston

419 Manipulation: Detecting the Agenda

419 Manipulation: Detecting the Agenda

STEVE ROYSTON: The aspect I latched on to was cybercrime, on the 419 scam. The talk was delivered by a former member of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service.

 Bassam Sebti

Al Jazeera Delivers Lesson in Journalism to U.S.

Al Jazeera Delivers Lesson in Journalism to U.S.

BASSAM SEBTI: Shame on CNN, MSNBC and Fox News for intentionally ignoring a gripping event that could directly affect U.S. foreign policy.

 James M. Dorsey

Qatar Gains Upper Hand in Battle for FIFA

Qatar Gains Upper Hand in Battle for FIFA

JAMES M. DORSEY: Qatar is flexing its muscle, rejecting calls by Sepp Blatter to move the tournament to winter or co-host it with other Gulf states.

 Zeinobia

Breaking News: Explosions in Egypt – Updated

Breaking News: Explosions in Egypt – Updated

ZEINOBIA, BREAKING: Huge explosion heard, according to early media reports it took place in front of the All saints church at the Khalil Hamda street. Many dead – media reports.

 Jonathan Cook

Publish it Not – Israel and the Sultans of Spin

Publish it Not – Israel and the Sultans of Spin

JONATHAN COOK: Most freelancers forced into this position would either have learned to tailor their reporting to what was expected by the news desks or have headed off to another conflict zone. I stayed…