Corruption ‘On the Increase’ Across Arab World
NADA AKL, CGNEWS: Corruption is so deeply ingrained in societies across the Arab world that promoting transparency seems an almost hopeless task
“We Pray That You Die”: Saudi Clerics On Attack
CROSSROADS ARABIA: Some clerics have taken it upon themselves to invoke the power of prayer to invite not just professional failure but for the demise of individuals
Offended Saudis: U.S Comedienne ‘Crosses the Line’
AHMED AL OMRAN: The American comedienne Chelsea Handler has stirred up a hornet’s nest of indignation in Saudi Arabia
2012: The Year of the Inane Political Fatwa
CROSSROADS ARABIA: They came thick and fast throughout the last year. Many of them, though, just serve to devalue the meaning of a religious edict
‘Critical Thinking’: The Missing Link in Saudi Education
ABU MOHAMMED: As one who has been closely involved in Saudi education for some time I’ve observed, at first hand, a recurring major flaw
2012: Top 10 Developments in the Middle East
JUAN COLE: It’s been another extraordinary year across the Middle East. Here is my take on the most significant changes this year
The People and Events That Mattered in 2012: My Choice
STEVE ROYSTON: It’s by no means scientific or representative but here are the people and special moments that resonated with me this year
2012: A Very Tough Year in the Middle East
STEVE ROYSTON: If you look around the Middle East today you’d have to say the region is at its most unstable in the last thirty years.
Syrian Football Victory ‘a Unifier’? Afraid Not
JAMES M. DORSEY: This weekend’s Syrian victory over Iraq in a soccer match is being seized by the regime as ‘a great national achievement’.
Climate Change: The Arab World Has ‘Finally Got It’
WAEL HMAIDAN, CGNEWS: The striking sight of people demonstrating in the street in Doha in favour of climate regulation is a sign of significant change
‘Conscription’: Is It Really the Answer to Saudi Job Woes?
CROSSROADS ARABIA: A novel approach to solving Saudi Arabia’s ‘national employment’ issue has been suggested by a writer on an Arabic daily
Women ‘Making Inroads’ Into Saudi Workforce. Slowly.
SUSIE OF ARABIA: The furore over the decision to employ women as waitresses in the fast food restaurant Hardees illustrates that progress comes slowly
‘Speaker’s Corner in the Gulf?’: No Chance!
STEVE ROYSTON: The ‘Red Lines’ exist and any expatriate who’s spent more than a couple of years living in the Gulf knows what they are.
Riyadh’s DQ: The Oasis that Became A Ghetto
AHMED AL OMRAN: It was supposed to be a model to inspire the development of modern Riyadh. So what’s gone wrong with Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter?
‘Waitresses Are Prostitutes’: Saudi Media Firestorm
CROSSROADS ARABIA: The obstacles facing women in the workplace in Saudi Arabia are exemplified by a row which has broken out via social media.
Your Prejudices About Saudi Arabia: Time for Overhaul
STEVE ROYSTON: Say the words ‘Saudi Arabia’ to someone who has never been there and the results are as predictable as could be.
Saudi Media’s ‘Lack of Enthusiasm’ on Egypt Reporting
CROSSROADS ARABIA: While they could hardly not report on it, I sense a lack of enthusiasm in Saudi media’s reporting on the clash between Egyptian President Morsi and the Egyptian judiciary.
‘Beep, Beep’: ‘Your Wife Has Just Left Saudi Arabia’
ROB L. WAGNER: There has been an outcry about the service the Saudi authorities provide to men to keep track of their wives. It doesn’t go far enough
Was ‘Girls of Riyadh’ Raja’s ‘Rooster’s Egg’?
AHMED AL OMRAN: Her book caused an inevitable furore when it first appeared. So why haven’t we heard more from Raja Al Sanea?
Saudi Conservatives ‘Froth’ At Female College Visit
AHMED AL OMRAN: It seems to have become a regular stop for foreign dignitaries visiting the Kingdom. But that hasn’t stopped conservatives offence-ometer going off the scale
