It is accepted that today al Qa’eda is weaker, though not defeated; more cowardly than ever and possibly – even in smaller numbers – more dangerous, just like a wounded and cornered animal. Yet, al Qa’eda’s weakness has less to do with America’s constant military assaults upon it, no matter what the Pentagon likes to have us believe. Read more »
The National
A rich man learns Dubai is not the place to commit a crime
The arrest of billionaire businessman Hisham Talaat Moustafa on charges of ordering the murder of the Lebanese singer Suzan Tamim in Dubai was an unprecedented step forward in the history of the country. Read more »
The one good thing Saakashvili could do now is resign
It was simply a matter of time before the tensions between Georgia and Russia escalated into a full-scale war. The Russians will obviously not be intimidated nor will they back off, not after Kosovo and Iraq. The best chance Georgia has of keeping South Ossetia and Abkhazia (as well as sparing us all the possibility of igniting a Third World War) would be by Mr. Saakashvili resigning. Read more »
Africa’s ‘moral compass’ has lost its bearings
South Africa in the 1990s restored the faith of all Africans in their continent and put to shame the racist system that had plagued the nation for many decades. In the last major elections however, its citizens had to settle for a choice in leadership, not in the best person to lead, but between the lesser of two evils. Read more »
Al Jazeera and the released terrorist’s birthday party
The problem with watching Al-Jazeera in Arabic isn’t just that the channel gives ample airtime to militants and terrorists to share their “perspective”, but because its conspiracy theories and controversies give the station so much influence on the easily-swayed Arab mindset. Read more »
Sudan, the ICC indictment and the house that China built
It is imperative the ICC does not waver in its resolve to bring Bashir to justice, as this is a test case being monitored by other sitting heads of state in the Arab world, Africa and beyond. The international community must not be intimidated as it has been in the case of Zimbabwe by countries such as China and South Africa. Read more »