James M. Dorsey

Algeria: Football Ban to Lead to Street Protest?

Algeria: Football Ban to Lead to Street Protest?

JAMES M. DORSEY: The ban on football matches taking place during election week deprives Algerians of a useful pressure valve

 Michael J. Totten

To Tunisia: The Arab Spring’s ‘Bellwether’

To Tunisia: The Arab Spring’s ‘Bellwether’

MICHAEL J. TOTTEN: Largely forgotten in the West, Tunisia is where the great movements and ideas of the Arab Spring are fighting a huge battle.

 Susan Al Shahri

Oman: We’re No Longer ‘the Sleepy Nation’

Oman: We’re No Longer ‘the Sleepy Nation’

SUSAN AL SHAHRI: It’s a year since protests erupted in Salalah. We’ve been through a lot and learned a lot since then.

 Richard Silverstein

U.S., Israel Iranian Delusions Continue

U.S., Israel Iranian Delusions Continue

RICHARD SILVERSTEIN: What if we can’t find alternates? What if Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Libya can’t fill the gap? What if the oil price goes through the roof?

 David Roberts

Syria: The Argument Against intervention

Syria: The Argument Against intervention

DAVID ROBERTS: Working out exactly what must be done is fiendishly difficult; anyone who says they have a solution is grossly underestimating the complexities.

 Tabsir

The Image That ‘Speaks For’ The Arab Spring?

The Image That ‘Speaks For’ The Arab Spring?

DANIEL M. VARISCO: The World Press Photo of the Year has been revealed. Is it the defining image of the ‘Arab Spring’?

 James M. Dorsey

China Gets It Wrong in MidEast. Again.

China Gets It Wrong in MidEast. Again.

JAMES M. DORSEY: China’s veto of the U.N’s resolution condemning Syria is a watershed moment for its involvement in the Middle East.

 Michael J. Totten

Arab Spring One Year On: Where are We Now?

Arab Spring One Year On: Where are We Now?

MICHAEL J. TOTTEN: Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Syria have undergone enormous turmoil in the past year. But can we see a path for each country’s immediate future?

 Rania Al Malky

Egypt’s “Revolution”: With Mubarak Legally Still President, Has It Even Started Yet?

Egypt’s “Revolution”: With Mubarak Legally Still President, Has It Even Started Yet?

RANIA AL MALKY: Guess what you fools, Farid El-Deeb told the court and Egyptians, Mubarak is still the president. This court can’t even try him.

 James M. Dorsey

Qatar Alcohol Ban Underlines Internal Tensions

Qatar Alcohol Ban Underlines Internal Tensions

JAMES M. DORSEY: Alcohol has been banned on the Pearl Qatar, dubbed the ‘Arab Riviera’. It’s the latest manifestation of internal discord.

 David Roberts

Stuff Happens: The Dangers of Predicting ‘Arab Spring’

Stuff Happens: The Dangers of Predicting ‘Arab Spring’

DAVID ROBERTS: Events have a way of making an idiot of anyone predicting how the Arab world will play out. Here’s a perfect example.

 Juan Cole

‘All Praise to George W. Bush’: The Top Ten Myths of the Arab Spring

‘All Praise to George W. Bush’: The Top Ten Myths of the Arab Spring

JUAN COLE: So much that is misinformed, over-hyped and simply plain wrong has been written about the Arab Spring. So let’s sort the wheat from the chaff.

 James M. Dorsey

It’s Official: A Revolution Improves A Country’s Football Performance

It’s Official: A Revolution Improves A Country’s Football Performance

JAMES M. DORSEY: A study has revealed that 5 North African nations experiencing upheaval in 2011 have seen football teams improve markedly.

 James M. Dorsey

Egypt and Yemen: Protestors Being ‘Marginalised’

Egypt and Yemen: Protestors Being ‘Marginalised’

JAMES M. DORSEY: Powerful forces are at work in both Egypt and Yemen to mould the emerging political landscape to benefit these particular players.

 Common Ground News Service

Urgency for the Rule of Law Rises for Fledgling Post-Arab Spring Governments

Urgency for the Rule of Law Rises for Fledgling Post-Arab Spring Governments

NASSER AL SARAMI, CG NEWS: There is a relationship between the region’s new electoral experiments and the need to establish the rule of law.

 James M. Dorsey

Own Goal: Bahrain National Goalkeeper Imprisoned over Role in Protests

Own Goal: Bahrain National Goalkeeper Imprisoned over Role in Protests

JAMES M. DORSEY: Military court sentences goalkeeper, plus two other sportsmen, despite pledge by the King to move trials to civilian courts.

 James Mullan

News Analysis: Gaddafi’s Daughter in ‘Call to Arms’

News Analysis: Gaddafi’s Daughter in ‘Call to Arms’

Aisha Gaddafi has issued a rallying cry to supporters of the former regime in an audio broadcast that has been played on Syrian television.

 Ismail Salami

A View From Iran: Syria and the Arab League

A View From Iran: Syria and the Arab League

ISMSAIL SALAMI: It’s time we made a choice. Either remain ignorant, or we need to open our eyes to the reality of things as they actually are.

 Ramzy Baroud

Turkey Foreign Policy Falls Over Syrian ‘Abyss’

Turkey Foreign Policy Falls Over Syrian ‘Abyss’

RAMZY AL BAROUD: However, the Syrian uprising in March leading the country down the road to civil war – has forced Turkey to abandon its ‘zero-problems’ foreign policy.

 M.-Lynx-Qualey

Art’s Struggle to Define Who & What is ‘Tahrir’

Art’s Struggle to Define Who & What is ‘Tahrir’

M.LYNX-QUALEY: Dina Adel asserts that all this means art in Egypt (and perhaps beyond) is undergoing a renaissance, another Nahda…