Many Emiratis viewed the operation against the Houthis through the prism of a government decision. Now, Emiratis view the war as a life-changing experience fraught with difficulties and danger in order to avert an even a greater danger in the future: the control of an Arabian Peninsula state by Iran. Emiratis want to see this war brought to an end as soon as possible with as little civilian casualties and damage as possible. Read more »
For Arab Artists With Something To Say, This Sheikh Is A Loudspeaker
Read a summary of a radio interview conducted by America’s public broadcaster with Sultan about his role in supporting Arab artists show their work to audiences around the world. Read more »
Sharing Arab Art with the world
A new exhibition series at the Whitechapel Gallery, London, tells the story of Arabic art for the modern world. In this video, Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi introduces works from the Barjeel Collection. Read more »
Syria crisis: Gulf States should open their doors to Syrian refugees
As the situation in Syria deteriorated, tens of thousands of desperate Syrians began to embark on the dangerous journey to Europe by boat. Criticism grew of the Gulf States – the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman – who until recently were the ‘elephants in the room’ when it came to their lack of support and resettlement for fleeing Syrian refugees. Read more »
Youth and Digital Media
Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi’s illustrated talk looks at ways in which Arab youth — and specifically young artists from North Africa and West Asia — engage with diverse types of media to comment on and interact with current social and political events. He explores how new digital tools and platforms are instrumental in creating a network that connects artists to one another and to their community. Read more »
We Cannot Defeat ISIS Until We Stop Iran and Saudi From Pouring Fuel on the Sectarian Fire
Sunni vs. Shia sectarian tension and violence is raging, and ISIS — a Sunni terrorist group — is taking advantage of it. We cannot defeat ISIS unless parties on both sides — particularly Iran and Saudi Arabia — stop fueling sectarianism. A security-only minded strategy in tackling ISIS will likely fail. We need a more comprehensive solution that tackles incitement on television and social media as well as in educational curriculums. It is difficult to see how a solution to many of the region’s problems will be achieved as long as Iran and Saudi Arabia maintain a zero-sum game approach with each other.
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