The relative quiet we are witnessing in the Arab Gulf streets today can be attributed to both natural and governmental causes. After all, the soaring summer heat makes it impractical for large groups of people to protest for long hours. A severe government crackdown may have caused others to reconsider. Read more »
Archives for 2011
How Saudi Arabia and Qatar Became Friends Again
The gas-supply project is emblematic of the hot-cold relationship between Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The deal was initially proposed by the Qataris in 2001, denied permission by the Saudis, then approved in 2003, and then denied once again in 2006. The roller-coaster-like diplomatic relations between the two energy-rich neighbors dates back to 1992, when a border clash caused the death of two guards. Relations went downhill from there. Read more »
Forbes 100 Most Prominent Arabic Personalities on Twitter
Sultan Al Qassemi counted among the top 100 Arabic voices on Twitter in 2011, according to Forbes Magazine. 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 »
خطاب حال الاتحاد للإمارات
في مختلف أنحاء العالم، ينتظر مواطنون خطاباً سنوياً للرئيس الاميركي يُدعى خطاب حال الاتحاد. تستعرض فيه إنجازات الدولة في العام الفائت، وأهدافها للسنة المقبلة.
A State of the Union Address for the UAE
In countries the world over, from the US to Russia, and from the Philippines to South Africa, citizens look forward to an annual statement that outlines the state of the nation in the past year and highlights plans for the coming 12 months. Read more »