Qatar plays a key role in the Middle East, mostly because of its successful foreign policy, which has the characteristics of a balancing act. With so many different allies with contradictory interests, how has Qatar managed to obtain this central position and how long can they hold on to it
People shouldn't divide Arabic rappers into pro- and anti-revolution camps and castigate one side - the Arabic hip-hip scene is too nuanced and complex for that. But if unity only comes at the expense of social justice, the Arab world will be even worse off than before.
Israel will seek United States endorsement for any decision to confront Iran - but its allies there will more likely to be found in the heartland than in the White House.
Interestingly, the American Congress has repeatedly demanded the cessation of military funds to Egypt, especially after the Egyptian authorities raided and shut down their offices housing American civil society organisations.
The double-veto by Russia and China has emboldened the Assad regime, which continues its campaign of wanton massacre against the besieged people of Homs. The immediate priority must be to end the bloodshed and hold Assad and his government accountable, but reform is needed for a paralyzed internat
The AKP has gained the support of 50 percent of the Kurdish population via cooption rather than coercion. That means that its recent crackdown on Kurdish civil society in general - and the PKK in particular - risks making the latter more popular than it actually is in the eyes of the Kurdish gener
After decades of frosty relations between Egypt and Iran, the end of the Mubarak regime seems to open new opportunities for a rapprochement. Islamic political actors in both countries are at a forefront of such evolution, yet they can do little against enduring competition between both Middle-East
A military build-up, harsh rhetoric, third-country attacks - and the political calendar - make war against Iran a real possibility. It is all the more vital that those attempting to avert it should succeed.
The coup d’état in the Maldives doesn’t augur well for democracy in the Middle East and North Africa. Andrew Wigley argues that the process of detoxifying a nation after dictatorship may take decades
