2022 World Cup Driving Qatari Labour Clean Up
JAMES DORSEY: The workers are a necessarily evil, but over time they are almost certain to change the nature of society – a notion that sends chills down Qatari spines.
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.
Governments Undermining MidEast Soccer
JAMES M. DORSEY: In a soccer-crazy world of authoritarian regimes, football offers one of society’s few release valves.
Qatar 2022 World Cup A PR Boon, But Little Else
JAMES M. DORSEY: Qatar will become the face of an Arab world that projects itself as rich, bold and futuristic – a dramatic contrast with current perceptions of conflict and conservatism.
Could the Middle East Revitalise the Fading Charm of British Airways?
STEVE ROYSTON: At what stage does the market value of British Airways become so depressed that it becomes an attractive takeover target for the likes of Qatar, Emirates or Etihad?
Al Jazeera Kuwait Closure – Stormy Times Ahead
DAVID ROBERTS: Once again Kuwaiti authorities have responded to perceived bias in Al Jazeera’s coverage of its political upheaval by closing its office.
Qatar and Her Neighbours in the Cablegate Releases
DAVID ROBERTS: Qatar maintains a close relationship with Iran to safeguard its “trillions of dollars of potential wealth”. Nevertheless, the Head of the Army noted that “we’re neighbours, we’re not friends…”
Doha Debate: Any Burqa Ban Common Ground?
NABILA RAMDANI: Though we might not have had an impact on policy, the debate demonstrated people do not need to agree with each other to appreciate that there is another side to every argument.
A Monument of Tolerance in the Heart of Dubai
SULTAN AL QASSEMI: Nestled in one of Bur Dubai’s older districts is one of the emirate’s best kept architectural secrets: the Ismaili Centre of Dubai.
