James M. Dorsey

Arab Leaders Losing Battle to Control the News

Arab Leaders Losing Battle to Control the News

JAMES M. DORSEY: Embattled regimes have failed in their effort to choke off independent reporting to ensure that their version of events dominates the news.

 Jonathan Cook

Egypt’s Direction Unnerves Israel and the U.S.

Egypt’s Direction Unnerves Israel and the U.S.

JONATHAN COOK: The political sands are shifting a little too quickly in the Middle East for Israel and the United States. Will they be able to keep up?

 Steve Royston

Middle East Blogs – Ten Sites CNN Missed

Middle East Blogs – Ten Sites CNN Missed

STEVE ROYSTON: My only quibble about CNN’s list is that it picks up exclusively on Arab writers and – with the honourable exception of Mahmood the Bahraini Blogfather – most of the writers seem relatively young.

 American Bedu

How do you Accurately Define a Muslim?

How do you Accurately Define a Muslim?

AMERICAN BEDU: It’s a topic that seems, more often than not, to generate more heat than light but here’s my attempt to define a Muslim.

 Common Ground News Service

Of the People, By The People, For the People

Of the People, By The People, For the People

MAHMOUD AMIN HISHMEH, CGNEWS: For too long Arabs have listened to the views of outsiders on what a ‘new Middle East’ should look like. Now they’re creating it for themselves.

 Juan Cole

Goodbye Bin Laden. Now It’s Time to Exit Iraq

Goodbye Bin Laden. Now It’s Time to Exit Iraq

JUAN COLE: Post Osama, President Obama should do us all a favour and now remove U.S. troops from Iraq.

 Omar al-Issawi

Israel Irked as Palestinians Move to Reconcile

Israel Irked as Palestinians Move to Reconcile

OMAR AL ISSAWI: That the PA recognizes Israel will not have escaped the attention of either Netanyahu, or for that matter Hamas.

 Khaled Akbik

Personal View: Anger Mounts as Syria Death Toll Mounts

Personal View: Anger Mounts as Syria Death Toll Mounts

KHALEDTRON: The regime tells us these are Salafists, terrorists, infiltrators, agents of the West who wish our country harm, who wish to compromise Syria by destabilizing it from within.

 Ramzy Baroud

Libya Woes An Opportunity to Extend U.S Influence?

Libya Woes An Opportunity to Extend U.S Influence?

RAMZY BAROUD: There is a lot of discussion and political calculation bouncing around the corridors of power in Washington about Libya.

 James M. Dorsey

U.S. bets on EU, Turkey to Add Sting to Syria Sanctions

U.S. bets on EU, Turkey to Add Sting to Syria Sanctions

JAMES M. DORSEY: The Obama administration has been working hard behind the scenes to enlist the EU and Turkey in efforts to isolate Syria.

 Juan Cole

Top Ten Arab Spring Advances this Week

Top Ten Arab Spring Advances this Week

JUAN COLE: The Arab Spring is still producing some positive reforms and questioning of past corrupt practices, and even major governmental change.

 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.

 Alexander McNabb

All the News That’s Fit to Print (Around the Ad)

All the News That’s Fit to Print (Around the Ad)

ALEXANDER MCNABB: The message is so far at odds with the content, it’s almost ludicrous. How does Nestlé Middle East or Nestlé’s agency think it effectively positions the company’s brand?

 Common Ground News Service

The #1 Victim of Al Qaeda Attacks? Muslims

The #1 Victim of Al Qaeda Attacks? Muslims

HUSSEIN ABDALLAH, GGNEWS: Al Qaeda’s strategy of violence has made them less and less relevant to the people effecting change throughout the Arab world.

 M.-Lynx-Qualey

The Top 100 – and Five – Arabic Novels

The Top 100 – and Five – Arabic Novels

M. LYNX-QUALEY: The Arab Writers Union has listed the Top 100 Arabic novels. Puzzling, annoying, lists such as this are nevertheless fun.

 Steve Royston

Reasons For, and Against, Working in the MidEast

Reasons For, and Against, Working in the MidEast

STEVE ROYSTON: One year ago I wrote the 10 good reasons to work in the Middle East. I would not change one of them. I have, however, added 10 reasons you may not want to.

 Steve Royston

KSA, UK Immigration: Different Directions

KSA, UK Immigration: Different Directions

STEVE ROYSTON: Add to the mix pressure on borders from poorer neighbouring countries, and you can predict immigration will be on the agenda for years.

 Michael J. Totten

No Big Sleep for the MidEast’s Remaining Thugs

No Big Sleep for the MidEast’s Remaining Thugs

MICHAEL J. TOTTEN: Now that the Arab revolt is slamming hard into Bashar al-Assad’s Baath Party in Syria, no dictator will be able to sleep without consuming copious amounts of pills.

 Mishaal Al Gergawi

How the GCC Should Go About ‘Containing’ Iran

How the GCC Should Go About ‘Containing’ Iran

MISHAAL AL GERGAWI: Bahrain was clearly a red line for the GCC, but the challenges now facing the organisation require deft political skill.

 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.