The post-Arab Spring political scene has exposed the frailty of the ‘marriage of convenience’ between free-thinkers and conservatives. Liberals, the pioneers of the revolutions, have seen their influence dwindle due to their lack of organisation, with parties like the Muslim Brotherhood filling the vacuum. But swayed by electoral success, Islamists are alienating the people by going after plum political posts and seeking to impose curbs on personal freedom. Read more »
Arab Spring
The rise of Arab republics?
The Arab world has lately been experiencing monumental changes including the realignment of political alliances, but one possible long-term outcome of the Arab uprisings may be a game of musical chairs involving the Arab monarchies, republics and Western powers. By the end of the next decade it is not unreasonable to predict a stronger relationship between certain Arab republics and the West than that which existed between Arab monarchies and the West over the past few decades. Read more »
Tweeting revolutions, 140 characters at a time
The Next Web speaks to this United Arab Emirates-based businessman and writer is best known for his role on Twitter, curating and sharing articles from all over the Arabic and English Web, live tweeting significant events in Egypt and beyond, sharing all the news he can find on the Arab uprisings and news emerging from the Middle East, 140 characters at a time. Read more »
The Social Media Spring?
Commentator Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi describes the ways in which the medium of social media has played an instrumental role in the ‘Arab Spring’, and whether history will over- or under-emphasise its political significance. Read more »
From the palace to the protest
A favorite topic of contemporary political punditry concerns the role of social media in facilitating the revolutions of the Arab Spring. At the front line of this pioneering activism is Sultan al-Qassemi, the Emirati columnist, blogger and royal family member whose Twitter feed —read by over 100,000 followers—was named by Time Magazine as one of last year’s top 140. Qassemi spoke to NOW Lebanon about his part in the historic upheavals in the region, and where he thinks we are heading. Read more »
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 »