Should the Gulf countries maintain contacts with Israel if this would make life easier for Palestinians? Could having such ties propel the Middle East peace process forward? Read more »
Archives for July 2010
A Bad Omen: The Iraqi Elections Impasse
The Arab Gulf states have mostly sat on the sidelines since the 2003 war. Even Qatar, diplomatically the most active state in the Gulf, has been conspicuous by its absence from the Iraqi arena. Indeed, the peninsular emirate has recently successfully mediated similar situations in Sudan, Yemen and Lebanon — the latter crisis ending with the formation of a Lebanese government last November after five months of heavy-handed negotiations. Read more »
Moderate Saudi Voices Have Found a Home in the UAE
Over the last few years, an array of prominent Saudi intellectuals have come to call the UAE their home. As the midway point between the West and the East, the magnetic draw of the Emirates is understandable; it has become a cultural oasis for those who are intellectually hungry. Read more »
How Do You Hold a Majlis in 140 Letters or Less?
What was once a platform to broadcast trivialities has, in the last year or so, matured into a powerful global phenomenon. Read more »
The lobbyists are here and it’s time we knew why
The act of lobbying, either officially or behind the scenes, is prevalent across the world. It is most often associated with politics in the United States and negatively so. In fact, lobbying dates back to just after the American War of Independence when William Hull, a war veteran, was hired by those who fought alongside him to lobby those in Philadelphia, then the US capital, to compensate them for their service. The rest, of course, is history. Read more »