ArabNet speaks to Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, prominent commentator on Arab affairs, about the future of news reporting and consumption in the region. Read more »
Arab World
MENA: Middle East Nervous Anxiety
Where are we right now? Is it Near, Middle or Far? Why does it unnerve the West? Why is it sometimes referred to as “the region” (for lack of a better name)? What are its borders and coordinates exactly? Does it have a centre? Centres? Has fuzziness about its borders brought on confusion about what it actually is? Are we still so dis-orient-ed? Read more »
The new generation and the future of the broader Middle East
In the wake of the Arab uprisings some governments may have changed but the challenges remain the same. The recent rise to power of untested Islamist political parties means that they will have to tackle issues for which previous governments have failed to find solutions. Read more »
The new generation and the future of the broader Middle East
In the wake of the Arab uprisings some governments may have changed but the challenges remain the same. The recent rise to power of untested Islamist political parties means that they will have to tackle issues for which previous governments have failed to find solutions. Read more »
Drawing Nationalism: Where do artists belong?
In this panel discussion, we explore the relationship between art and national identity, as well as the role of contemporary artists in both perpetuating and destabilizing ideas of nationalism in our globalized world. Read more »
Ahmed Aboutaleb: On a mission to regenerate
Making my way down the corridor of the magnificent Stadhuis, Rotterdam’s City Hall, a pre-First World War architectural landmark, towards the office of the mayor, I was greeted with the familiar words “As Salam Alaikum”. The Stadhuis, office of the mayor of Rotterdam is, sadly, one of a very few buildings that survived the relentless bombardment by the German Luftwaffe in May 1940 and today stands as a symbol of regeneration and hope in this city of 600,000. During my recent sojourn in the Netherlands, I had the opportunity to meet with Ahmed Aboutaleb, Rotterdam’s mayor and perhaps one of the most accomplished emigrants in Europe. Read more »