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.
72 Hours With Obama: He’s Israel’s BFF
If you ever had a burning desire to see the American-Israeli alliance shine, there wasn't a better place to be than Jerusalem last week.
MONDOWEISS: If you had a desire to see the U.S.-Israeli alliance shine, there wasn’t a better place than Jerusalem last week.
Game On: Turkey Fights Gulf For Sports Hub Mantle
JAMES DORSEY: A battle between Turkey and the states of the Arabian Gulf to be the de-facto sports hub of the Middle East is underway
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?
‘Join Us, Israel’: A Radical Proposal for Arab League
JUAN COLE: Throwing money at Palestine is no substitute for diplomacy so here’s a radical idea to bring Israel to the negotiating table
Iran-US Relations Thaw, Politics Continues
Iran and the US have growing technical agreement over the nuclear dispute, which will only become useful if the political leaders on both sides want to make a deal.
FRANCIS MATTHEW: A technical agreement over the nuclear dispute will only be useful if leaders on both sides want to make a deal.
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
Obama The Tourist: Little Hope Among Palestinians
ALLISON DEGER, MONDOWEISS: You won’t find many people in Ramallah whose expectations of President Obama’s visit are higher than rock bottom
‘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
Iraq 10 Years On: The Benefit of Hindsight
The attempts by President George W. Bush to justify the American-led invasion of Iraq followed so many wildly different reasons with no coherent link that the liveliest of conspiracy theories have flourished. This has been fuelled by the obvious political failure that has caused no pain to Bush and his neo-conservative allies who launched the war, while the companies with links to those same neo-conservatives have taken a significant share in the billions spent in reconstructing Iraq.
In the aftermath of the terrible attack on the World Trade Centre on 9/11, the first reason given was that Saddam Hussain supported Al Qaida, although Saddam had been ruthless in suppressing Islamists. Then Bush and Blair used Saddam’s alleged plan to manufacture and prepare to use weapons of mass destruction. When eventually this reason […]
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.
Forget Netanyahu, Let’s Speak to Obama Instead
JEROME SLATER, MONDOWEISS: American Jews concerned about settlement expansion are wasting their breath on Netanyahu.
The Sequester: Israel Moves to Protect its ‘Aid’
JUAN COLE: Since Israel is a middle-income country with a nominal per capita income higher than Spain or South Korea, it is mysterious why the US taxpayer should outright give it so much money every year…
‘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.
Turkey and Israel: A Thaw’s In the Air
RAMZY BAROUD: There are unmistakeable signs that the atmosphere between Turkey and Israel is becoming distinctly warmer
‘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.
Death In an Israeli Prison: It’s All Too Routine
MAI ABDUL RAHMAN: The deaths of two individuals detained in Israeli prisons – one Palestinian, one Israeli – have made headlines. But it’s a very common occurrence
The Problem With ‘Argo’: An Orientalist Viewpoint
JUAN COLE: The Iranian ‘baddies’ come from a very old school of stock Middle Eastern characters. Wouldn’t it have been a good idea to show why they were angry?
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
