Articles
Holidays abroad shouldn’t mean breaking the law
Though the vast majority of Emirati and Gulf tourists to the UK and elsewhere are law-abiding visitors, a small number of delinquents have sadly found themselves on the wrong side of the law. Perhaps it should be made clear to the minority of Emirati and Gulf citizens who misbehave while traveling that acting inappropriately can cause them to lose their travel privileges. Read more »
إماراتيون خارج الدولة
BlackBerry Messenger: the UAE’s Fifth Estate
“This BlackBerry Messenger rumor mill in the UAE is getting out of hand.” I had posted this tweet several days before the UAE announced a ban last week on BlackBerry services by next October if Research In Motion (RIM), the smart phone’s manufacturer, didn’t meet the country’s regulatory conditions. Read more »
The Gulf States Already Have Links with Israel
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 »
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 »