I recently figured that if British journalists such as Johann Hari (Tuesday, 7 April) who come to Dubai don’t send back something sensationalist it won’t get printed and they won’t get paid. After all, sleaze sells. I called a British journalist friend of mine and said: “I’m going to write an article about London, the same way your compatriots write about Dubai.” Read more »
Archives for 2009
Even in this tragic story one can find solace
If you have read this paper’s front-page story of horrific child abuse, you will know that an innocent nine-year-old girl carries scars beyond her single digit age. This case serves to remind any abusers who believe that they can get away with torturing others that the UAE will look after its people. Read more »
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
Sultan on why the younger generations of family businesses should stick to the tried and tested strategies of their elders. Read more »
Mandatory military service for our defence and future
A rigorous, secular and egalitarian military service can secure the Gulf’s future like it secured Switzerland’s past. Read more »
Dear Iran: Our Islands for a Gulf that carries your name
As tensions continue to rise in the Gulf because of religious, foreign and nationalistic forces, a breakthrough in the north-south divide would be a giant step forward. So I propose a solution: the Arab Gulf States recognise once and for all the name “Persian Gulf” for the 7,000-year-old, 600-mile body of water that separates us from our Iranian neighbour; and in return, Iran ends its occupation of the Arab islands and returns their sovereignty to the United Arab Emirates. Read more »
A Waltz with President al Bashir of Sudan
It was a cold October night last year when I entered the Curzon Soho cinema on Shaftesbury Avenue in London to watch Ari Folman’s Waltz With Bashir, the Israeli movie that retells in animation the story of a group of Israeli soldiers who stood idle as the Lebanese Forces Christian militia group massacred the Palestinian refugees of Sabra and Chatila. Read more »