Dining in Dubai: What To Expect in 2014

SARAH WALTON: It’s going to be a very busy year indeed on the dining front in Dubai. Here are my predictions.
UAE: Expats and Citizenship, the Great Debate

“We must not rely on oil alone as the main source of our national income. We have to diversify the sources of our revenue and construct economic projects that will ensure a free, stable and dignified life for the people.” Sheikh Zayed
DAVID WESTLEY: Dubai and Abu Dhabi may become less Arab in the way London is less English than it once was, but both would be much more UAE.
The UAE and ‘Big Culture’: What Role For Expats?

M. LYNX-QUALEY: My visit to the Abu Dhabi Book Fair caused me to muse on the issues of ‘localisation’ and the role that expats play in such a heavily skewed population
Sleeping Rough in Dubai: Understanding & Kindness

One of my worst nightmares is not to have a roof over my head and not to have a home to return to every night. I was therefore in shock to find out a couple of weeks ago, purely by chance, that one of my friends had been sleeping rough on a beach in Jumeirah for the past four months.
MICH CAFE: I managed to miss all of the signs but now that I know what happened to ‘Eva’ they appear blindingly obvious
Syria US Foreign Policy: Assad Seizing Opportunity

FRANCIS MATTHEW: The problem with this approach is that by going gently, it allows Al Assad to think that he might still win by fighting. And it also places a huge strain on the opposition not ready to fight a long war of attrition.
Popular and Acclaimed: The Voice of Arab Women?

M. LYNX-QUALEY: Her latest novel has sold more than 100,000 copies within the first two months of release. She is, though, a sharply divisive figure
Dubai’s Stunning, Funky New Art Space: The Archive

ALEXANDER MCNABB: They’ve surpassed themselves this time. The Shahib Brothers know what it is to create brilliantly executed art/workspaces.
‘Speaker’s Corner in the Gulf?’: No Chance!

STEVE ROYSTON: The ‘Red Lines’ exist and any expatriate who’s spent more than a couple of years living in the Gulf knows what they are.
‘Forgotten Impact of Islam’ Highlighted in Exhibitions

LUCY CHUMBLEY, CGNEWS: Two exhibitions currently in Washington DC have had a transformative effect on millions of Muslims views of their heritage
Dubai: Boom Again But Have Lessons Been Learned?

ALEXANDER MCNABB: The signs of growth are clearly evident. Could we be returning to the heady days of 2006-7?
Service With A Grunt: Par for Course in UAE

SARAH WALTON: I’ve done the hard yards in the service industry so I feel entitled to comment on the appalling nature of service in restaurants here.
Clear Motive: What’s Qatar Really Up To In France?

DAVID ROBERTS: Qatar’s plan to invest a large sum of money into one of Paris’s poorest areas has led to attacks from left and right. So what’s happening?
The UAE’s ‘Blue Pencil’: A Much Lighter Touch

ALEXANDER MC NABB: My recent experience of being, ah, ‘moderated’ is a far cry from my experiences over the past 25 years
Education: The Battle Ground of and for The Future

FRANCIS MATTHEW: The Gulf states need a population which is educated to take its proper place in the global economy, and to take part in multinational endeavours to help run the world.
‘A Bit Dangerous?’: My Plan to Meet Drone Victims

PAM BAILEY, MONDOWEISS: When I inform my friends that I’m heading to Waziristan to find out about the reality of drone attacks they’re rather concerned
Time Running Out for Natalie Creane: Please Help

ALEXANDER MCNABB: She is lying in Rashid Hospital on a ventilator four years after she was injured in the Emirates Palace Hotel. Desperate times for Natalie and her family
U.S Power: The Ultimate Guarantor for Gulf States

DAVID ROBERTS: The Saudi authorities have been actively promoting a union of Gulf states but with little success. There’s a clear reason why.
China’s Influence Based on ‘Failure to Engage’

FRANCIS MATTHEW: Arab concerns are largely irrelevant to the Chinese as Beijing looks to reinforce its self-perception as the premier Asian power.
The Curious Case of the UAE and Balcony Deaths

A significant number of deaths have resulted from young children being left alone to play and crawling through, up or over the grilles.
Iran Threat Neutered as UAE Pipeline Starts Pumping

In the short term the new pipeline is likely to increase the already high levels of distrust between the UAE (and Gulf in general) and Iran.