Michael J. Totten

Ex Brotherhood Members Speak Out

Ex Brotherhood Members Speak Out

MICHAEL J. TOTTEN: What exactly is the Muslim Brotherhood’s ‘game-plan’ for Egypt? One way of finding out is to talk to former loyalists…

 James M. Dorsey

Bahrain: A Headache For Obama and Blatter

Bahrain: A Headache For Obama and Blatter

JAMES M. DORSEY: Mr. Obama does not want to put at risk the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet; nor does he want to cross what is a red line for Saudi.

 The Moor Next Door

Reasons to be Cheerful: A Poem entitled ‘Smile’

Reasons to be Cheerful: A Poem entitled ‘Smile’

THE MOOR NEXT DOOR: Elia Abu Madi was a very well-respected Syro-Lebanese poet in the early twentieth century.

 James M. Dorsey

Assad Criticism Isolates Iran, Fails to Tackle Key Issues

Assad Criticism Isolates Iran, Fails to Tackle Key Issues

JAMES M. DORSEY: Irrespective of his motives, King Abdullah has made a major contribution to the ending of the bloodletting in Syria.

 Michael J. Totten

The Struggle for Egypt’s Soul Has Only Begun

The Struggle for Egypt’s Soul Has Only Begun

MICHAEL J. TOTTEN: I’ve spent a lot of time with the key players in Egypt’s developing democracy. It’s very clear that the real battle for the country’s – and the region’s – future has just begun.

 The Ajnabi

The Chants for Change Reach Loyalist Damascus

The Chants for Change Reach Loyalist Damascus

THE AJNABI: It’s a cry that’s familiar from viewing images of Tahrir Square, Yemen and Hama but it’s the first time I’ve heard it in a wealthy, Damascus suburb.

 Ramzy Baroud

The Shifting, Complex Narratives that are Syria

The Shifting, Complex Narratives that are Syria

RAMZY BAROUD: There is no simple linear reading of the events that have overwhelmed Syria in recent months. The country is deeply embroiled in so many vital, strategic regional issues.

 Common Ground News Service

The Ongoing Battle Against ‘Honour Killings’

The Ongoing Battle Against ‘Honour Killings’

RASHA DEWEDAR, CGNEWS: It’s an issue that faces women throughout the Arab world but progress, it appears, is being made in some countries to protect women.

 The Ajnabi

The Slightly Creepy Pro-Government Damascus Carnival – Colourful, And Forced

The Slightly Creepy Pro-Government Damascus Carnival – Colourful, And Forced

THE AJNABI: When I say encouraged, I mean it in the mukhabarat’s sense of the word. School children and government employees were bussed in…

 The Ajnabi

The First Harley of Summer? Expats Back in Damascus

The First Harley of Summer? Expats Back in Damascus

THE AJNABI: Dress codes are relaxed, rents are up and ‘the livin’ is easy’. It’s Summer-time in Damascus and despite the ongoing unrest expats are back.

 Naseem Tarawnah

Jordan: Where Wounds Get Deeper and Deeper

Jordan: Where Wounds Get Deeper and Deeper

NASEEM TARAWNAH: The recent protests in Jordan appear to have attracted attention only because of the number of journalists who were attacked. It offers, however, more evidence of a deeply divided nation.

 James M. Dorsey

Arab League Exhibits Its Impotence (Again)

Arab League Exhibits Its Impotence (Again)

JAMES M. DORSEY: The AL’s newly appointed secretary general, denounced the Obama administration for declaring the Syrian leader had lost legitimacy.

 Naseem Tarawnah

‘At least we’re not…’ Jordanians Compare Poorly

‘At least we’re not…’ Jordanians Compare Poorly

NASEEM TARAWNAH: We Jordanians have a problem. We’re always comparing ourselves to others but using the worst of the region as our benchmark.

 Crossroads Arabia

Soap Operas: The New Front on the ‘War on Syria’

Soap Operas: The New Front on the ‘War on Syria’

CROSSROADS ARABIA: Syrian soap operas have eclipsed Egyptian productions in popularity across the Arab world.

 Juan Cole

‘All Very Messy’. The Top Five Crises in the Arab Spring

‘All Very Messy’. The Top Five Crises in the Arab Spring

JUAN COLE: Protestors are out on Tahrir Square again, there is a television ‘debate’ in Syria about democracy, the Americans are working on Saleh while vacillating on Libya and protestors are out on the street in Morocco. A busy week in the region then.

 James M. Dorsey

Arab Silence, West’s Symbolism, to Backfire in Syria

Arab Silence, West’s Symbolism, to Backfire in Syria

JAMES M. DORSEY: Western and Arab nations have more to gain from real engagement with Mr. Assad’s opponents than from symbolic gestures and silence.

 Syria News Wire

Whisper it – things might be changing in Syria. A bit.

Whisper it – things might be changing in Syria. A bit.

NEWS FROM SYRIA: Foreign journalists allowed in? Recognition that there is, actually, an opposition? Great, but old habits die hard in Damascus.

 Juan Cole

Assad Plays the ‘Palestinian Card’ – Again

Assad Plays the ‘Palestinian Card’ – Again

PAUL NOTAR, INFORMED COMMENT: He’s always been a skilful player of ‘the Palestinian Card’ but as the region changes his hold on that particular narrative is no longer exclusive.

 Syria News Wire

Two Months of Silence and Now This?

Two Months of Silence and Now This?

NEWS FROM SYRIA: Out with the jokes, out with the arrogant posture. In with nervousness, in with technical detail. It’s the ‘same old, same old’ – in a word ‘denial’.

 Juan Cole

Top Ten Mistakes of the Libyan ‘Intervention’

Top Ten Mistakes of the Libyan ‘Intervention’

JUAN COLE: I believe it’s legal but that doesn’t mean that the West’s military intervention in Libya has been wisely handled.

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