Lebanon’s Hottest New Act… Mashrou Leila
RACHEL MCARTHUR: Remember the name Mashrou Leila (Leila’s Project), because we guarantee this band will become a household name very soon.
Oh No… Doha enters Tallest Building Competition
DAVID ROBERTS: We’ve managed to avoid the worst of Dubai’s excesses – until now. Yes, Doha is set to enter the region’s competition to build the world’s tallest tower.
All the News That’s Fit to Print (Around the Ad)
ALEXANDER MCNABB: The message is so far at odds with the content, it’s almost ludicrous. How does Nestlé Middle East or Nestlé’s agency think it effectively positions the company’s brand?
GCC Thought Leaders: Step Up and Connect
MISHAAL AL GERGAWI: In the GCC what we need is an intellectual evolution of enlightenment not a political
revolution against government.
Surely Some Mistake? Dubai Runs Out Of Petrol
ALEXANDER MCNABB: You couldn’t make it up, could you? Dubai, part of major oil producing nation the United Arab Emirates, has run out of fuel. Seriously.
Gulf Government Silence Speaks Volumes
MISHAAL AL GERGAWI: Most government media arms have dug their boots in. That their positions may be correct is irrelevant. After all, how strong is a position that isn’t communicated?
Newspapers Inconsistent Over Blogger Arrests
MATT J. DUFFY: The question all UAE, and indeed regional, newsrooms ask is what is the responsible approach. A responsibility to reporting the facts, or to safeguard their future.
Iran: Problems on the Horizon for Gulf States
DAVID ROBERTS: These events take place in the context of growing Shia power, encapsulated by the notion of a Shia crescent ‘enveloping’ the region…
Paranoia and Control in the Gulf Economy
MISHAAL AL GERGAWI: Incubation is the most innovative role governments can play, sparking industries whose high start up costs are a barrier to entry.
A Call to the GCC: ‘Together You Can Save Yemen’
MISHAAL AL GERGAWI: Yemen’s problems could be solved, in part, by the GCC coming together with member countries taking what they are best at, and imparting know-how to the Gulf’s poorest country.
Syria’s Fork of a Future, Where it Could Take Us
MISHAAL AL GERGAWI: Should a new Syrian government have a more hedged policy towards Iran, Turkey, GCC, US and Europe, Iran would be dealt a blow.
Bahrain in the Balance: How Did it Come to This?
MISHAAL AL GERGAWI: Failure to engage in dialogue will prolong the political stalemate, lead to further radicalisation on both sides.
Saying No to An ‘Open Sesame’ Welfare Agenda
MISHAAL AL GERGAWI: That the GCC is able to cooperate and function so well is both comforting and alarming. Comforting because it confirms the council still functions, alarming because it only does so in self-preservation mode.
Omanis, Protests, and The Right to Pursue Success
MISHAAL AL GERGAWI: In stark — but unsurprising — contrast to the uprisings around the region, Oman’s protest did not call for the fall of its regime or even its ruler.
Peninsula Journalism Attack Resonates Regionally
MATT J. DUFFY: The ‘fourth-estate’ is crippled by lack of legal protection, and journalists unwilling to deal with the consequences of being critical argues the Peninsula – to almost universal agreement.
How Reform Fever is Revealing the Differences Between Gulf Nations
MISHAAL AL GERGAWI: The different characteristics of Gulf countries are being revealed in how demands for reform are being made, and in the reaction.
Wikileaks – Where is the UAE Media?
MATT J. DUFFY: I suggest that one—or preferably all—of the UAE’s press outlets compile a simple report analyzing the leaked cables. The report should be published without a byline so no single reporter can be sued.
Lebanon at Stake: Turkey Must Reveal Its Cards
RAMZY BAROUD: Promises Turkey will no longer stand idle as children and women are killed no longer suffice. Israel seems unmoved by words…
UAE Media Shame and ‘The Tent Next Door’
Gulf News deserves to be held to a higher standard than Gulf Today, though. And in this, it has failed. Its silence is nothing less than shameful – and its shame is clearly exposed by The National.
Why Tone Matters in Reporting
We have two ways to look at what was said from two different media reports about one event – and I am deeply concerned that papers can report one man’s words so differently. So which one is wrong?
