Rob L. Wagner

After the Flood: Rising Saudi Anger Getting Response

After the Flood: Rising Saudi Anger Getting Response

ROB L. WAGNER: The Facebook images, twitter messages and online videos fuel Saudi anger and repeatedly raise the question why authorities learned nothing from 2009.

 James M. Dorsey

European Clubs See Opportunity in Middle East’s Failure in Asia Cup

European Clubs See Opportunity in Middle East’s Failure in Asia Cup

JAMES M. DORSEY: Mounting criticism of Middle Eastern nations’ failure to nurture soccer talent has created a business opportunity for European clubs.

 Steve Royston

Saudi Arabia – Why Western Consultants Fail

Saudi Arabia – Why Western Consultants Fail

STEVE ROYSTON: If they are to be lasting, appropriate and sustainable, the solutions themselves must come from within, not from the West.

 Steve Royston

Arabic: Why it’s Failing, What Can be Done

Arabic: Why it’s Failing, What Can be Done

STEVE ROYSTON: What troubles Arab intellectuals is that the use of the Arabic language is declining. There’s an Arabic interface for Facebook, yet 75% of Arab users prefer the English.

 Hisham Wyne

The Hard Truths and Betrayals Revealed by The Palestine Papers

The Hard Truths and Betrayals Revealed by The Palestine Papers

HISHAM WYNE: The release of the Palestine Papers will be seen as pivotal. Fundamental truths have been revealed.

 American Bedu

Can a non-Muslim visit a Mosque in Saudi Arabia?

Can a non-Muslim visit a Mosque in Saudi Arabia?

AMERICAN BEDU: Are mosques open for non-Muslims? The answer is ‘yes’ but respect for certain protocols must be shown.

 Alexander McNabb

Torches: Understanding Mohammed Bouazizi

Torches: Understanding Mohammed Bouazizi

ALEXANDER MCNABB: I find it hard to even think about what would drive a man to contemplate the act – the acrid stink of petrol, vapour shimmering, a scratch and whiff of phosphorous.

 James M. Dorsey

Governments Undermining MidEast Soccer

Governments Undermining MidEast Soccer

JAMES M. DORSEY: In a soccer-crazy world of authoritarian regimes, football offers one of society’s few release valves.

 Crossroads Arabia

Life’s Complicated: Women and the Saudi Undergarment

Life’s Complicated: Women and the Saudi Undergarment

CROSSROADS ARABIA: Salesmen feel ‘awkward’ to be selling intimate apparel to women; women don’t want to discuss their bodies in front of strange men.

 American Bedu

Saudis Will Resist Women Drivers, Legal or Not

Saudis Will Resist Women Drivers, Legal or Not

CAROL FLEMING: The movement to allow women to drive in Saudi appears irresistible. There’s lots to be done, however, to improve male attitudes.

 James M. Dorsey

Dismal Saudi Play in Asian Cup Sparks Debate

Dismal Saudi Play in Asian Cup Sparks Debate

JAMES M. DORSEY: A three-time Asian champion and finalist in six of the last seven Asian Cup tournaments, Saudi Arabia failed to advance in Qatar, losing all three matches it played.

 Crossroads Arabia

Saudi Marriages: No Complication is too Bizarre…

Saudi Marriages: No Complication is too Bizarre…

CROSSROADS ARABIA: When it comes to marriages in the KSA, no complication is too bizarre. Now a cousin is able to nullify marriage on the basis of family origin.

 James M. Dorsey

Soccer: A Potential Flashpoint for Jordanian Society

Soccer: A Potential Flashpoint for Jordanian Society

JAMES M. DORSEY: Mounting tension in Jordan is unlikely to produce the same result as protests in Tunisia, but promises to make soccer an increasing flashpoint…

 Zeinobia

Tunis: Going, Going Gone, All the President’s Men

Tunis: Going, Going Gone, All the President’s Men

ZEINOBIA: Egyptian Chronicles reports on the fate of the “regime men”, Ben Ali’s right arms in the former Tunisian government.

 Hisham Wyne

Tunisia is a Wake Up Call, but for the Pundits

Tunisia is a Wake Up Call, but for the Pundits

HISHAM WYNE: Tunisa’s revolution has little to do with the ideals of democracy. It’s a simple cry for better quality of life.

 Steve Royston

After Tunisia: Choosing the Society We Want

After Tunisia: Choosing the Society We Want

STEVE ROYSTON: It’s about building societies in which people are not afraid to think for themselves, and are free to express themselves without fear of censorship or persecution…

 James M. Dorsey

Protests & Cessation Threats Set Stage for Change

Protests & Cessation Threats Set Stage for Change

JAMES M. DORSEY: A wave of protests across the Arab world sets the stage for the redrawing of the political map of the Mideast and North Africa.

 Steve Royston

A New Saudi Arabia: Thoughts For a Better Future

A New Saudi Arabia: Thoughts For a Better Future

STEVE ROYSTON: King Abdullah, upon his return to Saudi Arabia after successful surgery in the United States, broadcasts to the nation. This is what he could say…

 Steve Royston

Building Entrepreneurship in the Middle East

Building Entrepreneurship in the Middle East

STEVE ROYSTON: Creating an entrepreneurial culture in a country, as Professor Daniel Isenberg pointed out, requires determination, and a lot of money

 American Bedu

Saudi Arabia: Aids, and the Opening Up of the Kingdom

Saudi Arabia: Aids, and the Opening Up of the Kingdom

AMERICAN BEDU: Things are changing and opening up in the Kingdom: Aids, for example, had been one of the subjects that was not discussed…