Steve Royston

Biometrics No Magic Wand’ For Saudi Employment

Biometrics No Magic Wand’ For Saudi Employment

STEVE ROYSTON: Underemployment, the use of ‘wasta’ and an autocratic management style are some of the endemic problems not solved by fingers on electronic readers.

 Steve Royston

Bin Laden: “He Must Have Longed for Death…”

Bin Laden: “He Must Have Longed for Death…”

STEVE ROYSTON: For a man who so craved attention to spend his final years locked up in that villa must have felt like a living death.

 Steve Royston

Is it the Right Time For a New Bahraini Flag?

Is it the Right Time For a New Bahraini Flag?

STEVE ROYSTON: It may not seem a high priority item at this particularly sensitive point in Bahrain’s history but flags play a pivotal role in defining a nation’s sense of identity.

 Steve Royston

Reasons For, and Against, Working in the MidEast

Reasons For, and Against, Working in the MidEast

STEVE ROYSTON: One year ago I wrote the 10 good reasons to work in the Middle East. I would not change one of them. I have, however, added 10 reasons you may not want to.

 Steve Royston

KSA, UK Immigration: Different Directions

KSA, UK Immigration: Different Directions

STEVE ROYSTON: Add to the mix pressure on borders from poorer neighbouring countries, and you can predict immigration will be on the agenda for years.

 Steve Royston

Internships, Influence, And What Matters

Internships, Influence, And What Matters

STEVE ROYSTON: It’s fine to enjoy the discomfiture of a prominent politician. But let’s not get into a froth about issues well down the strategic scale, and concentrate on what matters: education.

 Steve Royston

Should the British Be Sorry For Past Mistakes?

Should the British Be Sorry For Past Mistakes?

STEVE ROYSTON: If by expressing disapproval of past wrong-doings we are saying we will not condone such acts now, is that apology not worth making?

 Steve Royston

‘So What’s Your Agenda?’: How the Media Works

‘So What’s Your Agenda?’: How the Media Works

STEVE ROYSTON: Impartial, objective seekers of truth? It’s a tough job reporting on events in the Middle East, particularly when the region is seething.

 Steve Royston

Thoughts On Blogging – How to Start, And Why?

Thoughts On Blogging – How to Start, And Why?

STEVE ROYSTON: You could say that I’ve now entered my next career. Not a hobby – because I do earn money – but an activity entirely under my control, and in which money is not the prime motivation.

 Steve Royston

Returning to ‘the New Bahrain’: It’s a Sadder Place

Returning to ‘the New Bahrain’: It’s a Sadder Place

STEVE ROYSTON: The past two weeks have witnessed enormous upheaval in the tiny island of Bahrain. On my return from holiday the changes are immediately evident.

 Steve Royston

Saudi: Shock the Monkey, Question Convention

Saudi: Shock the Monkey, Question Convention

STEVE ROYSTON: To what extent should the state and its institutions act as an intermediary between an individual and his or her conscience – and ultimately his or her Maker?

 Steve Royston

Libya’s Rebels – “Who Are These People..?”

Libya’s Rebels – “Who Are These People..?”

STEVE ROYSTON: Yesterday I had a conversation with a Libyan friend. As an opponent of Gaddafi, I expected him to be cheering on the rebels. Not so.

 Steve Royston

Saudi Arabian’s Captain Hits Media Turbulence

Saudi Arabian’s Captain Hits Media Turbulence

STEVE ROYSTON: Arab media seldom uses unflattering images, especially on dignitaries who are part of the establishment, as Mr Al Molhem is…

 Steve Royston

Saudi: Too Much Privilege, Too Little Responsibility

Saudi: Too Much Privilege, Too Little Responsibility

STEVE ROYSTON: Here are two examples of people not really grasping that with privilege should come a modicum of responsibility.

 Steve Royston

A Billion Images is Worth a Trillion Words

A Billion Images is Worth a Trillion Words

STEVE ROYSTON: If it is possible to build a Wikipedia in ten years, is it not also possible to build a disciplined, structured resource that delivers images – both moving and static – in a similar manner?

 Steve Royston

Comment on Two Words Every Inspirational Teacher Deserves by Steve Royston

Great post James.
And in no region should people be celebrating good teaching more than in the Middle East. Trouble is, you will find much divergence of opinion as to what good teaching is! So celebrate outcomes as well as excellence!
All of my teacher…

 Steve Royston

Situation Critical for Increasingly Divided Bahrain

Situation Critical for Increasingly Divided Bahrain

STEVE ROYSTON: Since the GCC forces arrived in Bahrain, the Iranian bogeyman has also surfaced with renewed vigour. The Iranians have described the CGG intervention as “interference”.

 Steve Royston

Realpolitik: Leaders Fiddle While Libyans Burn

Realpolitik: Leaders Fiddle While Libyans Burn

Like millions of others, I’ve been watching, transfixed, as the drama in Libya plays out. I’ve also been listening to pundits and politicians on various channels as they debate and comment on the current situation. There appears to be a wide consensus – Venezuela and Zimbabwe excepted – that Colonel Gaddafi and his regime have […]

 Steve Royston

Comment on Riyadh Book Fair Debacle is Nothing More Than Theater by Steve Royston

Good analysis Rob. When I visited the fair last week, I was quite surprised to find books on Hinduism and Judaism. The Haia had an official presence at the Fair throughout. The fact that those books were still on display three days before the Fair closed indicates that whatever objections the disrupting group had, they were clearly not sustained.

Khoja’s sanguine attitude might have changed, however, after he received that nast text message from the sheikh who told him that he was bound for hell….

 Steve Royston

Pearl Roundabout: Explosions of Creativity

Pearl Roundabout: Explosions of Creativity

STEVE ROYSTON: Wherever we walked, we would come across evidence of an explosion of creativity that the protests seems to have sparked. Paintings, exhibitions…