Erdogan to Gaza: The Siege Begins to Lift, Slowly
RICHARD SILVERSTEIN: Hard on the heels of Qatar’s high profile visit and investment in Gaza comes news that regional super-power Turkey plans a visit.
Tribal Clashes in Salalah: ‘All So Medieval’
DHOFARI GUCCI: There’s no point covering our eyes, ears and mouths and pretend it doesn’t exist. A recent clash shows the strength of Oman’s tribalism
Moroccan Tourism: Set for Up-Market Boom?
THE VIEW FROM FEZ: Are we on the cusp on the major boom for the Moroccan property market driven by cash-rich tourists? Views are mixed.
Restoring the Glory of Fez: A ‘Capital Idea?’
THE VIEW FROM FEZ: It has enjoyed a glorious past but faces a very uncertain future. There’s a case to be made for restoring Fez as Morocco’s capital city.
‘Mischief Afoot’: Regulation of Saudi Journalists Is ‘Wrong’
CROSSROADS ARABIA: How can civil servants judge whether a journalists is being ‘professional’? The simple answer is they can’t
U.S. Billionaires, Israel Media: Please, No More…
RICHARD SILVERSTEIN: Adelson, Klarman… Israel needs these far-right pro-Israel billionaires in its media like it needs a hole in the head.
U.S., Israel Iranian Delusions Continue
RICHARD SILVERSTEIN: What if we can’t find alternates? What if Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Libya can’t fill the gap? What if the oil price goes through the roof?
Controlling Syria’s Future: In Whose Hands?
RAMZY BAROUD: The lines are thus drawn, between US-led Western camp and Russia and its own camp, which vehemently rejects a repeat of a Libyan scenario.
UN Report on Gaza Flotilla is ‘…a shocker’
PHILIP WEISS, MONDOWEISS: You can almost hear the whoops of delight in Tel Aviv as the UN Report into last year’s Gaza flotilla puts most of the blame for the bloodshed on the protestors.
Riots in the UK – “It was the best day of my life”
STEVE ROYSTON: There will be riots again. If we live in a society prizing individual liberty and “order”, the balance will go out of kilter from time to time.
Should There Be A ‘Standard Ramadan Time’?
IBN WARRAQ, THE VIEW FROM FEZ: With Ramadan times varying hugely around the world is it time, for the sake of individuals’ health, to adopt a standard time?
Assad Woes: ‘The Times, They Are a Changin’
MICHAEL TOTTEN: Walid Jumblatt, Lebanon’s so-called political weathervane, is on the move again. Bad weather on the horizon for Bashar al-Assad, then?
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.
Nigella Lawson: Being Brave to Wear a Burqini
SHELINA ZAHRA JANMOHAMED: Lawson’s fear of sunburn may have inadvertently prompted the realisation that there is liberation in covering.
Internships, Influence, And What Matters
STEVE ROYSTON: It’s fine to enjoy the discomfiture of a prominent politician. But let’s not get into a froth about issues well down the strategic scale, and concentrate on what matters: education.
Bahrain Sportspeople Arrested, Sacked for Protests
JAMES M. DORSEY: Bahraini sports clubs have dismissed at least 12 sports people and executives because they participated in anti-government demonstrations.
Listen to Egypt Roar! Rediscovering Courage
RAMZY BAROUD: The word ‘revolution’ is overused in the Arab world. What’s happening today in Egypt is rather more deserving.
Assange’s Personal Dating Profile ‘leaked’
DAVID ROBERTS: In a bitter if somewhat sweet bout of irony the online dating profile of Julian Assange, the man behind the explosion of Wikileaks, has been posted online.
World Cup Wailing: Thoughts on the World Cup decision
STEVE ROYSTON: However FIFA arrived at its decisions, if the motive is to put the tournament where there’s real passion for football, then both Russia and Qatar are good choices.
Strange Searches leading to Plastic Destination
ALEXANDER MCNABB: Fake Plastic Whore Face, Tantalise your tastebuds, mish mushkila ya habibi meaning, what is mineralised water and the Nipple souk… Fake Plastic Souks is the expert on them all…
