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About Khaled Hroub

Khaled Hroub is professor of middle eastern studies at Northwestern University in Qatar. He is also a senior research fellow at the Centre of Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge, where he directed the Cambridge Arab Media Project (CAMP). He is the author of Hamas: Political Thought and Practice (Institute for Palestine Studies, 2000), and Hamas: a Beginner's Guide (Pluto Press, 2006), and editor of Political Islam: Context versus Ideology (Saqi Books, 2010) and Religious Broadcasting in the Middle East (2012). His publications in Arabic include Fragility of Ideology and Might of Politics (2010); In Praise of Revolution (2012); the literary collection Tattoo of Cities (2008); and the poetry collection Enchantress of Poetry (2008)

Articles by Khaled Hroub

This week’s front page editor

Francesc Badia i Dalmases is Editor and Director of democraciaAbierta.

European integration

Six countries. Six different paths to EU integration.

No to TTIP

The secretive EU-US trade deal explained

Middle East nightmare, made in Washington

Khaled Hroub 20 April 2018

The United States talks to North Korea but seeks Saudi war on Iran.

Gulf states and Iran: don't moan, act

Khaled Hroub 29 November 2013

The international deal over Iran reveals the weakness of Arab Gulf diplomacy. It's time for a new approach, says Khaled Hroub.

Egypt’s coup, liberals' dark chapter

Khaled Hroub 2 August 2013

The military's deposition of Egypt's elected president has been welcomed by the Muslim Brotherhood's liberal opponents. This is a historic error that carries big costs and risks, says Khaled Hroub.

France and the Arab world: a Gaullist moment

Khaled Hroub 10 July 2012

There is a unique opportunity for France to recast its policy towards a changing Arab world by focusing on the region's people and Palestinian rights. This would make Paris a global leader and benefit everyone, says Khaled Hroub.

Israel: the cost of arrogance

Khaled Hroub 21 September 2011

A triple diplomatic challenge to Israel from Turkey, Palestine and Egypt both reflects the region's political transformation and reveals the key flaw in Israel's attitude to its neighbours, says Khaled Hroub.

The Arab revolutions and al-Qaida

Khaled Hroub 23 May 2011

The democratic wave in the Arab world confirms the emptiness of al-Qaida’s ideology, strategy and rhetoric. The death of Osama bin Laden can be seen as part of this wider process, says Khaled Hroub.

Arab third way: beyond dictators and Islamists

Khaled Hroub 9 February 2011

The popular uprising across the Arab world is shaking not just the region's authoritarian regimes but fallacies about the Arabs themselves. The consequences will be momentous, says Khaled Hroub.

Qatar: prestige and gamble

Khaled Hroub 27 January 2011

The small Gulf state of Qatar has translated economic assets and creative diplomacy into extraordinary global influence. But the eclipse of regional giants such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia is also a high-risk strategy, says Khaled Hroub.

The Palestinian vuvuzela

Khaled Hroub 25 June 2010

Palestinians’ vicarious yet passionate identification with the national teams in South Africa’s football world cup reflects both local concerns and global longings, finds Khaled Hroub in Ramallah.

Barack Obama, Muslims and Islamism

Khaled Hroub 15 February 2010

The United States president has put better relations with the Muslim world at the heart of his foreign policy. The discourses of political Islamists reveal the scale of his task after a year in office, says Khaled Hroub.

The “Arab system” after Gaza

Khaled Hroub 27 January 2009

A combination of political failures, new players and shifting geopolitics in the middle east is creating a more radicalised environment - and a desperate last hope for peaceful progress, says Khaled Hroub.

Hamas after the Gaza war

Khaled Hroub 16 January 2009

The Hamas movement will emerge both stronger and unavoidable from Israel's assault on its Gaza heartland, says Khaled Hroub.

(This article was first published on 15 January 2009)

Annapolis, or the absurdity of postmodern politics

Khaled Hroub 22 November 2007

The middle-east conference in the United States is a charade without political substance which Palestinians can and should expose, says Khaled Hroub.

Palestine's argument: Mecca and beyond

Khaled Hroub 6 March 2007

The Saudi-mediated pact between Fatah and Hamas marks the return of Palestine as an arena for regional rivalry, says Khaled Hroub.

In the month since the agreement in Mecca, after the summit of 6-8 February 2007 which broke the bloody deadlock between Fatah and Hamas, the implications for Palestine and the region have become increasingly apparent.

Hamas's path to reinvention

Khaled Hroub 9 October 2006

An internal shift from religion-based to politics-defined struggle is reshaping Hamas's identity. Khaled Hroub, author of "Hamas: A Beginner's Guide", explains how it has happened and criticises the west's failure to understand this key Palestinian trend.A remarkable yet mostly overlooked transformation has been taking place within the thinking and political practice of Hamas over the past few years.