James M. Dorsey

Top International Footballers Call for Action Against Israel

Top International Footballers Call for Action Against Israel

JAMES M. DORSEY: Four young Palestinian footballers were killed in a bombing during Israel’s assault on Gaza. Enough is enough, say some top footballers.

 Juan Cole

Malala: A Heroine Who Represents the Majority

Malala: A Heroine Who Represents the Majority

JUAN COLE: The Taliban are widely despised among the population of rural Pakistan. The biggest threat facing girls in this environment is a government that doesn’t care

 Common Ground News Service

The Muted Voice: Where Are Tunisia’s Young People?

The Muted Voice: Where Are Tunisia’s Young People?

NOUR AWAISS, CGNEWS: So prominent in the protests that swept over the country last year Tunisia’s young people seem to be absent from public discourse now

 Juan Cole

Israel Apartheid, Avalon and the Smell of Fear

Israel Apartheid, Avalon and the Smell of Fear

JUAN COLE: Ayalon’s despererate and over-the-top rhetoric smells of fear, fear that when South Africa calls you on Apartheid policies, it legitimizes that critique of the Greater Israel project…

 James M. Dorsey

Arab Springs Eternal: Evolution of a Revolution

Arab Springs Eternal: Evolution of a Revolution

JAMES M. DORSEY: The civil war in Syria dominates the news the wave of protests in the smaller cities of Arab states foretells a groundswell of mass demonstration.

 David Roberts

Syria in Balance: Broken Borders, Unbroken Alliances

Syria in Balance: Broken Borders, Unbroken Alliances

DAVID ROBERTS: Russia is unfazed about alienating swathes of the Middle East not to mention the majority of Syrians, believing in time their position can be reasserted

 Common Ground News Service

One Day On the Beach: Is It Good Enough?

One Day On the Beach: Is It Good Enough?

FRANZISKA KABELITZ, CGNEWS: In a controversial programme young Palestinian children are invited to spend one day on Israeli beaches.

 Juan Cole

Morsi Wins: Is Now The Rise of a Pluralist Egypt?

Morsi Wins: Is Now The Rise of a Pluralist Egypt?

JUAN COLE: One problem for Mursi is mollifying the Egyptians who are terrified of him, fearing he wants to turn their fun-loving country into a grim Saudi Arabia.

 Juan Cole

Ten Good Reasons NOT To Arm Syrian Rebels

Ten Good Reasons NOT To Arm Syrian Rebels

JUAN COLE: Mitt Romney is flip-flopping on whether ‘Muslims Are Bad’ or that the U.S should supply them with sophisticated weapons.

 Common Ground News Service

Three Steps to a ‘New Israel’: It Can Be Done

Three Steps to a ‘New Israel’: It Can Be Done

BEN LYNFIELD, CGNEWS: Gershom Gorenberg, an Israeli historian, spells out how Israel can re-invent itself as a liberal democracy

 Michael J. Totten

To Tunisia: The Arab Spring’s ‘Bellwether’

To Tunisia: The Arab Spring’s ‘Bellwether’

MICHAEL J. TOTTEN: Largely forgotten in the West, Tunisia is where the great movements and ideas of the Arab Spring are fighting a huge battle.

 Mich Cafe

Edgy Damascus: Jesuit Priest Asked to Leave Syria

Edgy Damascus: Jesuit Priest Asked to Leave Syria

MICH CAFE: A fortnight ago, Fr. Paolo posted a Christmas message on the monastery’s web site. The message did not go down well in Damascus.

 Ramzy Baroud

Turkey Foreign Policy Falls Over Syrian ‘Abyss’

Turkey Foreign Policy Falls Over Syrian ‘Abyss’

RAMZY AL BAROUD: However, the Syrian uprising in March leading the country down the road to civil war – has forced Turkey to abandon its ‘zero-problems’ foreign policy.

 James M. Dorsey

Soccer Fans to Fore Again in Egyptian Protests

Soccer Fans to Fore Again in Egyptian Protests

JAMES M. DORSEY: It’s looking likely that the authorities will, for the second time this year, postpone or suspend professional soccer leagues.

 Juan Cole

The Inevitably Brutal End of Qaddafi’s ‘Cult’

The Inevitably Brutal End of Qaddafi’s ‘Cult’

JUAN COLE: The demise of Qaddafi means there’s a contiguous bloc of 100 million Arabs who’ve thrown off dictatorship. The violent end was inevitable.

 M.-Lynx-Qualey

‘No Government Support’ for Arabic Literature

‘No Government Support’ for Arabic Literature

M. LYNX-QUALEY: Unlike most Western governments there is little appetite among any Arab government for the translation and promotion of literature. It’s a great shame.

 Mich Cafe

Pigeon Rocks: Re-Discovering the Beauty of Beirut

Pigeon Rocks: Re-Discovering the Beauty of Beirut

MICH CAFE: Many places were out of bounds during the Civil War so it came as an enormous pleasure to wander freely during my recent trip.

 Common Ground News Service

Clash of Civilisations? Two Men Who Lived the Alternative

Clash of Civilisations? Two Men Who Lived the Alternative

LEWIS GROPP, CGNEWS: A recently released documentary highlights much that was little known about Muslim Spain. Its two ‘stars’ are a couple of Islamic and Jewish philosophers.

 Alexander McNabb

Beautiful Shemlan and the ‘British Spy School’

Beautiful Shemlan and the ‘British Spy School’

ALEXANDER MCNABB: Looking out over Beirut from Shemlan never fails to take my breath away.

 James M. Dorsey

Arab Leaders Losing Battle to Control the News

Arab Leaders Losing Battle to Control the News

JAMES M. DORSEY: Embattled regimes have failed in their effort to choke off independent reporting to ensure that their version of events dominates the news.