Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

Writer & Founder of Barjeel Art Foundation

Articles /

Tribalism in the Arabian Peninsula: It Is a Family Affair

Tribal connections in the region once formed a powerful force of resistance to colonial powers and contributed to a collective Arab peninsular identity. Historically, this network formed through tribal affiliations assured a layer of trust among its members that was vital for survival. Today, however, tribalism is perhaps second only to religion as the greatest obstacle standing in the way of a civil and democratic state in the Arabian Peninsula. Lately, tribalism has been a component of the so-called exceptionalism theory of the Gulf States monarchies that have weathered the Arab uprisings through a variety of means.
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Videos /

Tweeting Revolutions

If you follow Middle Eastern politics on Twitter, everyone knows the go-to guy is Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi. Named one of Time Magazine’s 140 best twitter-feed’s to follow, Sultan tweeted the Egyptian revolution second by second. Elan speaks to the man behind the tweet. Read more »

Articles /

Reform in Arab Gulf regimes is unattainable – for now

Much has been said over the past 12 months about the need for reform and democratisation by Arab Gulf governments. While it is evident that Gulf governments have an aversion to genuine democratic reform, it is far too simplistic to put the blame for political stagnation squarely on them. For behind these governments is a network of interests so powerful and intricately woven that it acts as a resistance lever even in the rare instances where serious political reform is suggested. Read more »

Press /

The Egyptophile!

In an interview with Campus Magazine, Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi discusses his love and optimism for Egypt, and why he’s always been “on the right side of history, even if it looked for a few days that I wasn’t.” Read more »