China’s Influence Based on ‘Failure to Engage’
FRANCIS MATTHEW: Arab concerns are largely irrelevant to the Chinese as Beijing looks to reinforce its self-perception as the premier Asian power.
Family Destroyed In Muttawa Car Chase: Action Required
EMAN AL NAFJAN: It’s not the first time that people have ended up dead or seriously injured following a car chase but this incident has caused great outrage.
Jordan: A Model For Sports Governance in Region
JAMES M. DORSEY: The success of the Jordanian Football Association is causing other sporting bodies to sit up and take notice.
The ‘A’ Word: A Big Problem for Cola Makers
THE VIEW FROM FEZ: In spite of the cool words issued by cola manufacturers there is still great concern across the Muslim world regarding ingredients.
Death Sentences for ‘Stunt Driving’: Saudis Get Tough
CROSSROADS ARABIA: The phenomenon of ‘stunt driving’ is rapidly getting out of control in the Kingdom. The authorities have responded.
The Joys and Challenges of Raising Expat Kids
ABU MOHAMMED: Raising children in the United States provides challenges that are all too familiar. Raising them in Saudi Arabia brings different issues, however.
Morsi’s To Do List: Egypt’s ‘Top Five’ Priorities
JUAN COLE: The economic and social challenges facing Egypt today are immense. With the right approach, however, Muhammad Mursi can make real change happen
A Portrait of the Minister As A Young Man
AHMED AL OMRAN: The recently appointed Saudi Interior Minister, Prince Ahmed, published a letter many years ago which is still instructive
Norah Al-Faiz: A Living Anomaly in the Kingdom
AHMED AL OMRAN: The controversy surrounding Norah Al Faiz’s wearing of the niqab seems endless. What’s the significance?
Female Olympians? OK. Female Drivers? No.
JAMES DORSEY: It’s likely excellent news for Dalma Malhas but it’s unlikely she’ll be driving to show jumping events in the Kingdom anytime soon.
U-Turn: KSA to Support Women Olympiads
CROSSROADS ARABIA: In March Saudi announced it would support women athletes. In April it reversed its position. Now June, and it appears female athletes will receive support.
Give Iran the Bomb to Give the Region Stability
RICHARD SILVERSTEIN: “By reducing imbalances in military power, new nuclear states generally produce more regional and international stability, not less…”
Morsi Wins: Is Now The Rise of a Pluralist Egypt?
JUAN COLE: One problem for Mursi is mollifying the Egyptians who are terrified of him, fearing he wants to turn their fun-loving country into a grim Saudi Arabia.
Saudi’s Agnatic Affliction: If it Sounds Painful, It’s Because it is
Baing ‘agnatic’ means you’re limited to a pool of successors with a built in short time span – that’s forever getting shorter. The time to change is now…
Success & Legitimacy: Saudi and Syria’s Contrasting Fortunes
FRANCIS MATTHEW: Demand for reform in Saudi does not focus on the current leadership, but instead seeks more open social practices, more inclusion and less corruption.
Women Only ‘Industrial Cities’ For Saudi Arabia
CROSSROADS ARABIA: The announcement of four industrial cities to be staffed entirely by women marks a further step in the ‘separate but equal’ doctrine
Disaster: ‘Wasta’ Undermines Saudi Education System
ABU MOHAMMED: I couldn’t help myself. The culture of cheating induced a rant at my students. They didn’t understand. ‘This is life’, one of them replied
Virtue in the Kingdom: Profile of New President
AHMED AL OMRAN: The new President of the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has his work cut out.
The Death of Crown Prince Nayef, What Next?
DAVID ROBERTS: That the Saudi Royal family has suffered another key death within a year is concerning but can come as no surprise.
