Juan Cole

Libya: The CIA’s Waterboarding Hot-Spot

Libya: The CIA’s Waterboarding Hot-Spot

ALICE ROSS, INFORMED COMMENT: A new report from Human Rights Watch reveals the true extent of Libya’s involvement as a CIA facilitator

 Jonathan Cook

Nazareth Machinations: The Long Game to “Jews Only”

Nazareth Machinations: The Long Game to “Jews Only”

JONATHAN COOK: … Expropriations would become a staple of life over the next three decades as more than 70 per cent of the land belonging to Palestinians was nationalized

 Naseem Tarawnah

Jordan Law: ‘Carrot and Stick’ For Donkeys Not People

Jordan Law: ‘Carrot and Stick’ For Donkeys Not People

NASEEM TARAWNAH: It’s clear that the absence of proper rule of law in Jordan is having a de-stabilising effect as evidenced by recent troubles

 Richard Silverstein

Flame Virus a product of Israeli ‘Cyber Warfare’

Flame Virus a product of Israeli ‘Cyber Warfare’

RICHARD SILVERSTEIN: Zionism decrees Israel should be a “light unto nations.” Israel’s cyberwarriors are making the country a “flame” unto the nations.

 James M. Dorsey

Vodafone’s Egyptian Meltdown: Arab Spring Victim?

Vodafone’s Egyptian Meltdown: Arab Spring Victim?

JAMES M. DORSEY: It’s been a bad year for Vodafone in Egypt. Are the problems of their own making?

 The View From Fez

Abortion Reform Marks Major Change in Morocco

Abortion Reform Marks Major Change in Morocco

THE VIEW FROM FEZ: Concerns among liberals that Morocco would take a sharp turn in a socially conservative direction look unfounded.

 David Roberts

A Saudi Hand in Iran? Possible But Unlikely

A Saudi Hand in Iran? Possible But Unlikely

DAVID ROBERTS: The Saudi authorities clearly have a vested interest in the failure of the Iranian nuclear programme. So could they have been involved in the recent assassination?

 David Roberts

Lesbian Syrian Bloggers & (Incorrect) Assumptions of Truth

Lesbian Syrian Bloggers & (Incorrect) Assumptions of Truth

DAVID ROBERTS: While blogging is good and all, it doen’t come remotely close to the rigour of a good newspaper…

 Khaled Akbik

Syria: Fear Versus Hope on a Knife Edge

Syria: Fear Versus Hope on a Knife Edge

KHALED AKBIK: The notion that stability and security only comes if oppression is practiced is a notion I deeply disagree with.

 Michael J. Totten

Assad: Now We Know Exactly Who We’re Dealing With

Assad: Now We Know Exactly Who We’re Dealing With

MICHAEL TOTTEN: There have, according to Bashar Assad, been some ‘mistakes’. The only real mistake by Western powers however is to believe what the President tells them.

 Omar al-Issawi

The Day the Death Knell Rang for Syria’s Regime?

The Day the Death Knell Rang for Syria’s Regime?

OMAR AL-ISSAWI: The Syrian authorities have made their decision – it’s to be full-scale repression. The choice threatens to tear the country apart.

 Syria News Wire

Reaction to ‘The King’s Speech’: ‘Disappointment’

Reaction to ‘The King’s Speech’: ‘Disappointment’

NEWS FROM SYRIA: Expectation was high in advance of the speech delivered by President Assad yesterday. By the time he had finished speaking I was left with a sense of confusion, anger, depression but most of all disappointment.

 Omar al-Issawi

Syria: It’s Crunch Time for President Assad

Syria: It’s Crunch Time for President Assad

OMAR AL-ISSAWI: He has support among sections of society in Syria but Assad needs to show resolute leadership if he is to avoid his country spinning into turmoil.

 The Moor Next Door

Algerian Authorities Well Positioned to ‘Tough Out’ Protests

Algerian Authorities Well Positioned to ‘Tough Out’ Protests

TMND: With a divided leadership and worries among the populace regarding their motives the protest movement in Algeria faces considerable challenges.

 The Moor Next Door

Making Sense of Algeria’s Riots: Why, What Next?

Making Sense of Algeria’s Riots: Why, What Next?

TMND: Many Algerians today feel just as their parents and siblings did in 1988: there are two castes in the country, the official and the unofficial.

 David Roberts

Qatar and Her Neighbours in the Cablegate Releases

Qatar and Her Neighbours in the Cablegate Releases

DAVID ROBERTS: Qatar maintains a close relationship with Iran to safeguard its “trillions of dollars of potential wealth”. Nevertheless, the Head of the Army noted that “we’re neighbours, we’re not friends…”

 Crossroads Arabia

The ‘War of Ideas’ That’s Raging in Saudi Arabia

The ‘War of Ideas’ That’s Raging in Saudi Arabia

CROSSROADS ARABIA: Reports from within Saudi reveal the strength of the struggle to win the hearts of minds of its citizens; between modernists and those seeking a return to a great age in the past.