The appointment of UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Dr Sultan Al Jaber as President-designate of Cop28 has generated worldwide headlines and not necessarily all of them are of the kind one would hope for. What Dr Al Jaber presents, as head of an oil company, is the opportunity to confront the serious matter of energy transition and climate head-on. Read more »
Articles
How Emirati ‘nabati’ poetry has kept pace with the changing times
Emirati “nabati” (vernacular) poetry was for many years initially spoken among a close-knit group and disseminated widely by word of mouth across the Arabian Peninsula by scholars and poets alike. However, with the arrival of newspapers in the early 20th century and advent of technology such as the radio and television in the mid-20th century, a wider audience gained access to this ancient art form that relies on a strong command of the Arabic language as well as quick-witted creativity and passion. Read more »
Sheikh Mohamed’s Qatar visit shows the potential for regional convergence and integration
Stronger ties between the two nations will help the Gulf withstand growing pressures in an uncertain world. Read more »
English is gaining ground in the Arab world – at Arabic’s expense
With each passing year, the decline of spoken Arabic is only growing. Steps are being taken to preserve it, but this continues to be an uphill battle. In this article, Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi argues for the importance of globalising and modernising without losing our language. Read more »
A pilgrimage to remember Iraqi artist Jewad Selim
In this article Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi profiles Jewad Selim, who was a central figure in Iraq’s 20th century cultural scene, responsible for some of the country’s most important post-revolution art. Read more »
The UAE’s J Curve
Successful nations are born of hard sacrifices made to attain giant leaps. In the world of finance, a J Curve is a trendline in which an initial loss is immediately followed by a dramatic gain. In this article, Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi discusses this phenomenon as it relates to the formation of the UAE. Read more »