The groundbreaking 2001 exhibition The Short Century: Independence and Liberation Movements in Africa, 1945-1994 finally introduced non-Western modernities on a larger scale into leading Western museums. The exhibition included works by 50 or so artists, including El Salahi, a native of Sudan who was born in 1930 during the Anglo-Egyptian colonial era. Read more »
Middle East Institute
Remembering the Father of Democracy in the Gulf—Sheikh Abdullah al-Salem
Kuwait’s Sheikh Abdullah exhibited the two traits of a great leader; enlightened and effective. More than half a century after his passing, Sheikh Abdullah’s political foresight is still impacting the Gulf. His bold leadership is an example for the new generation in the Gulf, where there is no lack of ambition. Read more »
The Rise of Gulf Arab Cities
The Middle East Institute (MEI) hosts Emirati commentator and MEI non-resident scholar Sultan Sooud al Qassemi for a discussion about the growing role of Gulf Arab cities. Read more »
The Arab World’s Other Migration Problem
Much of the world has been horrified by recent scenes of mostly Arab migrants drowning in the Mediterranean. However, migration has long been a trademark of the Middle East, and today it threatens to clear the region of its rich diversity. The lack of tolerance of minorities—both ancient, as in the Christians and Jews, as well as recent, as in the large minorities from the subcontinent in the Gulf—runs contrary to the Middle East’s long history as a cultural, ethnic, and religious mosaic. Read more »
What a Trump Presidency Means for the Gulf
As objectionable as it may seem to many, it’s becoming increasingly likely that Donald Trump will be the Republican Party’s presidential nominee. It is also no longer a remote possibility for Trump to become the 45th president of the United States come next January. What would a Trump presidency mean for the oil-rich Gulf Arab states? Read more »
The Gulf’s New Social Contract
To cope with the loss in oil revenue, most GCC states have introduced indirect taxation, including municipal and road taxes, and have openly discussed the introduction of Value Added Tax in the near future. The traditional Gulf social contract has never been more fragile, and attempts to drastically rewrite it by GCC governments no doubt comes with its risks. Taxation in exchange for ensuring the security of citizens in an increasingly dangerous neighborhood might be the new accepted social contract, but Gulf states should tread carefully nonetheless. Read more »