This exclusionary cultural gentrification of Muharraq, while holding promising social and identity prospects for a handful, may risk alienating many locals.
Away from the glare of the Paralympics spotlight, the everyday reality of people with disabilities in Egypt is not that rosy.
In Tunisia, the violent protest that took place after the Friday prayer near the US embassy resulted in four deaths with several seriously injured.
Could Obama quell the outrage over the anti-Islamic film with an elegant and decisive speech, as he did with the reverend Wright controversy four years ago?
People took to the streets of Tripoli and Benghazi on Wednesday night holding banners with messages such as ‘Chris Stevens was a friend to all Libyans’ and ‘Sorry people of America. This is not the behaviour of Islam or our prophet’.
The Syrian people have found themselves saturated to the point of despair with international pronouncements and strategic stances that descend upon them from every corner. The United States warns, Turkey threatens, France alerts, China invites, and Russia hints.
It has increasingly become a question of when - not if - the violence in Syria will lead to sectarian fighting in Lebanon. This reflects a commonly held belief that conflict in Lebanon is shaped from outside its borders; a belief that risks ignoring the ways in which Lebanon can be responsible for
India, China, Russia and Iran have a surprising confluence of interests in a stable and prosperous Afghanistan, but so far the regional powers have been cautious not to give away too much. Their role may be path-setting as foreign forces leave.
The Palestinian Islamist movement is uncertain about its strategy in the wake of the Arab spring. This creates an opportunity for much-needed progress in the region, says Nathan Thrall.
This year, the winds have also brought with them into Jordan an influx of refugees from Syria.
The political system is closed to Algeria’s citizens, who cannot choose their leadership. Plummeting government revenues and soaring food prices could prompt wide-scale unrest.
