Mishaal Al Gergawi

Paranoia and Control in the Gulf Economy

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.

 Mondoweiss

The Price of Intervention: Can the U.S. Afford It?

The Price of Intervention: Can the U.S. Afford It?

ISSA KHALAF, MONDOWEISS: The price of military intervention always comes at a higher price than initially anticipated. Can the United States afford to intervene in Libya?

 Mishaal Al Gergawi

Saying No to An ‘Open Sesame’ Welfare Agenda

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.

 James M. Dorsey

Is Turkey the Role Model for the Arab World?

Is Turkey the Role Model for the Arab World?

JAMES M. DORSEY: For the first time in its history, Turkey is emerging as a true bridge between East and West. Unrest elsewhere however puts Turkish aspirations to the test.

 Omar al-Issawi

Gadaffi Goes for Oil, Opposition Naivety Revealed

Gadaffi Goes for Oil, Opposition Naivety Revealed

OMAR AL-ISSAWI: We’ve got used to outrageous claims of ‘victory’ from Arab leaders, but the rebels have a little learning to do about counter-intelligence.

 American Bedu

Now More Than Ever, It’s Time to ‘Reach Out’

Now More Than Ever, It’s Time to ‘Reach Out’

AMERICAN BEDU: With regimes falling, and a new order being created out of disorder, there has never been a better time to promote better understanding across faiths.

 Steve Royston

Why Bahrain Trumps Dubai – Demographics

Why Bahrain Trumps Dubai – Demographics

STEVE ROYSTON: This is not intended as a fluffy message of support. Bahrain has simply travelled further than any of its neighbours down the path of open-mindedness. And it’s a ‘real’ country.

 Rob L. Wagner

The Reasons Why Saudi Arabia Will Not Fall

The Reasons Why Saudi Arabia Will Not Fall

ROB L. WAGNER: Western analysts are engaging in wishful thinking that Saudi Arabia is ripe for a revolution. The Kingdom is no Egypt or Tunisia.

 Steve Royston

What’s Needed for Democracy in the GCC

What’s Needed for Democracy in the GCC

STEVE ROYSTON: This post is more than a five-minute read. I apologise, but I don’t apologise: Sometimes you need more than a few hundred words.

 Michael J. Totten

Libya: People are People, Even When World’s Apart

Libya: People are People, Even When World’s Apart

MICHAEL J. TOTTEN: Two years ago I spent time in Libya. It seems like a good time to revisit my experience of a kind people but an overarching, clamping presence.

 Steve Royston

Bahrain Bulletin: How to Get out of the Stalemate

Bahrain Bulletin: How to Get out of the Stalemate

STEVE ROYSTON: I can’t believe that anybody in Bahrain, except possibly those who would like to see the country purged by fire, wants the economy to suffer.

 Juan Cole

The Top Five Effects of Egypt’s Revolution

The Top Five Effects of Egypt’s Revolution

JUAN COLE – Events are moving quickly around the Arab World following the departure of Hosni Mubarak. I highlight, what I believe, are the most significant developments.

 Crossroads Arabia

Something Amiss About Saudi Oil Reserve Story

Something Amiss About Saudi Oil Reserve Story

CROSSROADS ARABIA: ‘Saudi overstates oil reserves by 40%’ blasted the headlines. Cue global panic. But the story deserves a little more investigation…

 Steve Royston

Middle East Turmoil – Questioning Assumptions

Middle East Turmoil – Questioning Assumptions

STEVE ROYSTON: Amid the frenzy in the Middle East and beyond about the future of Egypt, many people seem to be working on a set of assumptions that are worth questioning.

 Mondoweiss

Egypt to Usher in Brave New World the U.S. will find harder to Control

Egypt to Usher in Brave New World the U.S. will find harder to Control

PHYLLIS BENNIS, MONDOWEISS: Do the principles on which the U.S. was founded apply to more than 300 million Arabs?

 The Moor Next Door

Why the West Supports Autocracy & Democracy

Why the West Supports Autocracy & Democracy

TMND: The dominant official American attitude toward democratic reform in Egypt is concerned with the possibility that the Muslim Brothers might sweep the polls.

 James M. Dorsey

2022 World Cup Driving Qatari Labour Clean Up

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.

 Omar al-Issawi

The End of the Age of Mediocrity, the Rise of the Age of the People

The End of the Age of Mediocrity, the Rise of the Age of the People

OMAR AL-ISSAWI: For years I’ve observed with great sadness Arabs who glorified the achievements of a distant past while offering nothing for the future.

 The Moor Next Door

Bouazizi’s Self-Immolation Spreads to Mauritania

Bouazizi’s Self-Immolation Spreads to Mauritania

TMND: Thus far, four Algerians and an Egyptian and a Mauritanian each have lit them selves on fire in protests meant to recall Bouazizi…

 James M. Dorsey

Protests & Cessation Threats Set Stage for Change

Protests & Cessation Threats Set Stage for Change

JAMES M. DORSEY: A wave of protests across the Arab world sets the stage for the redrawing of the political map of the Mideast and North Africa.