Making my way down the corridor of the magnificent Stadhuis, Rotterdam’s City Hall, a pre-First World War architectural landmark, towards the office of the mayor, I was greeted with the familiar words “As Salam Alaikum”. The Stadhuis, office of the mayor of Rotterdam is, sadly, one of a very few buildings that survived the relentless bombardment by the German Luftwaffe in May 1940 and today stands as a symbol of regeneration and hope in this city of 600,000. During my recent sojourn in the Netherlands, I had the opportunity to meet with Ahmed Aboutaleb, Rotterdam’s mayor and perhaps one of the most accomplished emigrants in Europe. Read more »
Gulf News
Gulf students in the US show the way forward
Something special is happening in Boston, a good omen for things to come. Young men and women from across the Arab Gulf states started holding regular meetings over a year ago. Every fortnight like clockwork they gather with a set agenda and discuss pressing topics affecting their region. Read more »
A window on FNC political scenarios
I will attempt to shed some light on this emerging political scene by highlighting a number of “champions” who have both expressed their willingness to run as candidates for the upcoming Federal National Council elections and have a record of association with a specific cause that may be translated into active support for them in the parliament. I have identified four possible blocs: religionist, ultra-nationalist, business and liberal. Read more »
UAE stands out for its civil liberties
A trend towards conservatism naturally translated into results at the ballot boxes in various Arab states, not only in Egypt and Jordan, but also in Kuwait and Bahrain, traditionally the most liberal of Gulf societies. Citizens, particularly the business community, must be assured that conservative lawmakers will not exploit religious beliefs to further personal agendas. Read more »
Gulf governments take to social media
In the past few months, the potential of social media outreach in the Gulf hasn’t only been noticed and exploited by marketing firms but also by regional governments and officials. After all, there are a staggering 7.4 million Facebook users in the Gulf according to Inside Facebook as of May this year and 5.5 million Twitter users in the Middle East according to ArabCrunch as of March this year. Read more »
An expanded GCC: Challenges and Opportunities
The news of the Kingdoms of Jordan and Morocco possibly joining the Gulf Cooperation Council states was met with shock and awe amongst users of social media networks within minutes of its announcement. The new Secretary General of the GCC Abdul Latif Al Zayani, barely a few weeks into his job broke the news to reporters in Riyadh on Tuesday evening. But what will this expanded entity look like and what are the initial challenges and opportunities? Read more »