Steve Royston

Cool Thinking Not Grandstanding Needed in Bahrain Now

Cool Thinking Not Grandstanding Needed in Bahrain Now

STEVE ROYSTON: The problems facing Bahrain are formidable and the tension is increasing as Ashoura approaches. Some thoughts on how to deal with these issues.

 Steve Royston

Healthcare in Saudi, the US and UK: Who does it Right?

Healthcare in Saudi, the US and UK: Who does it Right?

STEVE ROYSTON: In one respect he is fortunate: Saudi has abundant resources to throw at these problems, unlike the US and the UK, where health services are competing for funds.

 Tabsir

The Shadid Legacies: Linked by a Common Humanity

The Shadid Legacies: Linked by a Common Humanity

ANOUAR MAJID, TABSIR: The sudden demise of Anthony Shadid calls to mind the work of one of his relations.

 Steve Royston

Saudi Arabia: A Glimpse Through the Myths

Saudi Arabia: A Glimpse Through the Myths

STEVE ROYSTON: Received wisdom portrays a backward, oppressive society, dominated by religious extremists and a monarchy whose main mission is self-preservation.

 Omar al-Issawi

Syria: Carrots on the End of a Very Long Stick

Syria: Carrots on the End of a Very Long Stick

OMAR AL-ISSAWI: It’s a ‘plot’, ‘foreign elements’ are at work, the word ‘conspiracy’ is never far from the lips of Syria’s official spokespeople. We’ve heard it all before – from Ben Ali, Mubarak, Gaddafi and Ali Abdullah Saleh.

 Shabina S. Khatri

What Troubles? It’s Hard to Get Too Angry in Qatar

What Troubles? It’s Hard to Get Too Angry in Qatar

SHABINA S. KHATRI: Qatar is a welfare state that financially-speaking takes care of its people. The 350,000 nationals enjoy an average per capita income of $75,000 annually.

 Joe P

Comment on Why What Worked in Egypt, Will Not Trip Up Iran by Joe P

It is a wonderful article but we have also to put in to context that US has been trying to overthrow Iranian government for the past 32 years. This and Iranians experience of operation Ajax means that any sympathy from nationalistic quarters in Iran must be with the government. Also I have to say that the most powerful force in a nation state is the power of nationalism and religion. Combine these two and you get a very powerful elixir which Iranians have unleashed. It is so powerful that it has stood up the history’s most super power for the past 32 years. Despite the large amount of propaganda going around against Iran in western media the truth is different. Almost all scientific polls conducted by western polling agencies and available on internet show that majority of Iranians support their current form of government and even favor being more powerful internationally to the point of even being ready to accept more international pressures in order to have nuclear bombs. That is the wishes of the people of Iran measured by independent western organizations. So Iranian state is very much comfortable with its position and just afew thousand opposition mostly propped up by 150 satellite channels bankrolled by US and beamed into Iran will not make Iranian state unstable. If anything it just makes their actions more justifiable for the majority of Iranians who support them.
One little fact which almost never gets mentioned is that the revolutionary government of Iran in the past decades had invested heavily in education and healthcare boosting its indicators tremendously. Today Iran has the world’s fastest growth rate in science and technology and according to some reports this progress in science and technology is due to Iran Iraq war which was itself due to the revolution. So out of true great revolutions come out also progress in science and technology, as was the case with French, Russian and Chinese revolutions. This does not happen in fake revolutions (read coups or color “revolutions”) like the one in Egypt.

 Common Ground News Service

Tawakkul Karman: The Woman Leading Yemen’s Protests

Tawakkul Karman: The Woman Leading Yemen’s Protests

ALICE HACKMAN: She has been profiled by leading international publications but long before the world discovered Tawakkul Karman she was battling fearlessly in support of human rights.

 Omar al-Issawi

The Arab World & the Abused Wife Syndrome

The Arab World & the Abused Wife Syndrome

OMAR AL ISSAWI: Where the regime has succeeded is in intimidating the people to the extent that they confuse patriotism with love of their leader.

 Eman-Al-Nafjan

Saudi Education – A Fight to Enter the 21st Century…

Saudi Education – A Fight to Enter the 21st Century…

The ministry has big plans for education but also mountainous challenges. The religious establishment, in control for so long, are in almost every office… This control goes way back to 1960 when girls were allowed to get an education.