via LobeLog
by Emile Nakhleh
The Bahraini Arabic language newspaper al-Wasat reported on April 9 that a Cairo court began to consider a case brought by an Egyptian lawyer against Qatar accusing it of being soft on terrorism. The “terrorism” charge is of course a euphemism for supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, which Egypt, Saudi [...]
by Derek Davison
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain all recalled their ambassadors from Qatar last Wednesday, citing Qatar’s support for organizations and individuals that threaten “the security and stability of the Gulf states”:
The statement said they had withdrawn their envoys “to protect their security” because Qatar failed to fulfill vows [...]
via LobeLog
by Thomas W. Lippman
The rulers of Saudi Arabia are becoming masters of a diplomatic style best described as sulking in the tent. If a country or organization is not performing in a way that suits them, they issue a petulant statement and walk away. It’s easier than constructive engagement, but far [...]
This week Al Jazeera English (AJE) aired a program that speaks to an article we published on Monday by Dr. Emile Nakhleh, a former top Central Intelligence Agency officer and Mideast expert. Nakhleh argues that by continuously repressing reform movements within their country, the autocratic rulers of Bahrain, Syria and [...]
Mitchell A. Belfer, an academic based in Prague, certainly wants you to think so. While he is not the first person who has attempted to discredit Bahrain’s protest movement by accusing Iran of instigating it, few have managed to go as far as he has with unsubstantiated claims in a well-known platform like [...]
Jim asks a good question: Who was more instrumental in the Arab uprisings, George W. Bush or his nemesis Al Jazeera? Andrew Sullivan had a funny take on “Bush’s vindication”: 80% right, 100% wrong.
But I want to look at Lee Smith, just because he gave me a good laugh yesterday.
For years, the Weekly Standard correspondent [...]
I’m going abroad for a long overdue vacation soon, and my blogging might slow down for at least the next week, so I wanted to deposit some thoughts on the stories dominating the headlines right now, and some others that are not.
Right now, of course, it is Egypt’s moment. Many people’s elation over the [...]
Egypt — the world, it seems — is moving so fast, it’s difficult to follow. I’ve been watching on Al Jazzera English, which has been the best news channel not on TV in the U.S. for quite some time now (especially when things get hot. Georgia/Russia, anyone? Gaza War?).
There’s constant action at [...]
The following is a set of edited notes from a conversation between myself and IPS’s correspondent in Egypt, Emad Mekay, who was filing dispatches for LobeLog until the Internet went down. He was on the streets of downtown Cairo today until just after the curfew, when he returned home and we chatted by phone.
Slow-building [...]
Al Jazeera is getting amazing footage from Cairo, where they are continuing to report live, and running recently recorded reports from elsewhere in Egypt. The network’s internet stream is sometimes overloaded but it’s well worth watching if you can get the webpage to load. This is by far the best coverage of the rapidly evolving [...]
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