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.
Egypt’s Uncontrolled and Uncontainable Tweets of Rage
ALEXANDER MCNABB: Blocking Twitter won’t stop word getting out. You’re as well to try and stop grains of sand falling through marbles.
The Palestine Papers and the Dilemma of Peace Talks
OSAMA AL SHARIF: The documents underline an important fact; the Palestinian leadership today has one goal in mind – to reach a deal with Israel at any price.
Pakistan Media ‘Mainstreaming’ Extremism
MATT J. DUFFY: Cultivation theory holds that exposure to television messages can cultivate homogeneous views, an outcome called “mainstreaming.”
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.
Social Media: The Glue That Binds Us
HANI NAIM: The conclusion is no one is immune to social media. Activists, Governments, journalists are all now trying to harness its power in the Arab world.
Demographics, Expats, Rights – & Hope in Football
JAMES M. DORSEY: Just 13% of the UAE’s population has citizenship. In Qatar it’s 26% and Kuwait 34%. And those percentages are dropping.
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.
Gloves Off: Blatter “Served Too Long”, Hammam
JAMES M. DORSEY: Mohamed bin Hammam lashed out on Monday, charging that Blatter had served too long as head of soccer’s world governing body.
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.
Ambassadors not a ‘reward’ for good deeds done
SYRIA NEWS WIRE: Richard Grenell has attacked President Obama for appointing an ambassador to Syria. The attack though is littered with factual inaccuracies.
Palestine Papers: ‘Peace process? What Peace Process’
JUAN COLE: The 1600 documents leaked to Al Jazeerah could spell the end of the PLO and drive the nail in the coffin of the so-called ‘peace process’.
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.
Governments Undermining MidEast Soccer
JAMES M. DORSEY: In a soccer-crazy world of authoritarian regimes, football offers one of society’s few release valves.
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.
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.
Evolution not Revolution To Spark Jordan Reform
NASEEM TARAWNAH: The issues bringing Jordanians onto the streets are of Jordanian origin and will be solved by Jordanians. Fundamental change is not on the agenda.
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.
Iran Bans Women from Cinemas Showing Cup
JAMES M. DORSEY: Khamenei and other hard-line government officials and clerics argue that the presence of women at men’s sporting events violates Islamic law.
Pilgrims to Jesus’ Baptism Site Welcomed by Land Mines
JONATHAN COOK: Visitors to Qasr al Yahud, in the Jordan Valley, received an unusual welcome: They had to pass through a fenced-off corridor warning of landmines.
