An old Arab saying goes, “Cairo writes, Beirut publishes and Baghdad reads.” These three capitals, along with Damascus, were long the hubs of culture and education in the Arab world. However, over the past few years, as these traditional Arab capitals became more embroiled in civil strife, a new set of cities started to emerge in the Gulf, establishing themselves as the new centers of the Arab world. Abu Dhabi, its sister emirates of Dubai and Sharjah and the Qatari capital, Doha, have developed as the nerve center of the contemporary Arab world. Read more »
Arab World
Democracy Under Pressure
On September 16, 2013, the IHT Global Conversation travels to Athens to look at the state of democracy in the world and how the economic, social and religious crisis are putting “Democracy under pressure”. Read more »
The Future of News Reporting and Consumption
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 »
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 »