A conversation with Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi at the Elliot School of International Affairs at George Washington University. Read more »
Arab Spring
Viewpoint with James Zogby
Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, Columnist and Social Media Commentator, discusses the effect social media is having on societies in the Middle East and throughout the world. Read more »
After 9/11: a painful lesson
Osama bin Laden himself died at the hands of an elite US force in May 2011. But in a deeper way, the blow had already been inflicted by the inspiring protesters of Avenue Bourguiba in Tunis, Tahrir Square in Cairo, Taghyeer Square in Sana’a, and elsewhere in the Arab world in 2010-11. Not one of the brave Arabs who rallied against the status quo in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Syria, Libya and elsewhere sought a replacement inspired by the likes of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri. Their dignified and almost wholly non-violent struggle has at last brought hope of ending that self-sustaining cycle. Read more »
Turkey and Saudi Arabia: The Buildup to Syria
Despite the warm relations Turkey and Saudi Arabia did not always see eye to eye during the Arab Spring. While Saudi voiced support for former Egyptian President Husni Mubarak until his last day in office, Turkey was amongst the first countries to ask Mubarak to “listen to the will of the shouting people” in Tahrir Square. The differences between both states were put aside as another regional power, Syria, started to unravel. The brutal response by Bashar al-Assad’s regime to largely peaceful protests demanding democratic change in Syria was a rallying point for many people across the Middle East. Read more »
Gulf Arab States: Hunker Down or Seize the Opportunity?
The relative quiet we are witnessing in the Arab Gulf streets today can be attributed to both natural and governmental causes. After all, the soaring summer heat makes it impractical for large groups of people to protest for long hours. A severe government crackdown may have caused others to reconsider. Read more »
Muslim Brotherhood in the Gulf: An attempt to steal the show
The governments of the Arab Gulf states have been sceptical of the Arab Spring. For many political observers this scepticism stemmed from the fact that most of these states enjoyed strong personal and political relations with the presidents of Egypt, Yemen and Syria. Read more »