Opinion: Democracy Draws its Final Breaths
Nearly a century ago, Woodrow Wilson, one of the most famous US presidents in American history, signed a historic declaration which saw the United States entering World War I. To mark the occasion, he...
View ArticleOpinion: Iran is striving to expand Middle East war zones
Is the Arab world going to witness new developments in the regional confrontation with Iran? I’m afraid so. The region is witnessing political and military escalations which have most recently included...
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Turkey sees movement on EU membership bid
Turkish soldiers hold up a Turkish, right, and an European Union flag as European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, both not pictured, inspect a...
View ArticleOpinion: The halal economy
The Islamic economy used to be thought of as exclusively associated with financial institutions implementing systems and laws that adhere to Islamic Shari’a law. The concept, however, gradually...
View ArticleOpinion: The Arabs, a people or geography?
Hezbollah’s government has invented the principle of “non-interference,” but it failed to apply this on the ground. Today, the party is involved in a “do or die” battle in Syria, a neighbor to its...
View ArticleOpinion: The era of Arab failed states
In the week of the 46th anniversary of the Six-Day War of 1967, it is clear now that said war was far worse than we had thought. The worst thing is that we failed to draw lessons from this, leading to...
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Orientalism Unveiled
Etienne DinetThe Procession (Al Masirra)Courtesy of Sotheby’s London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Another season of Orientalist auctions is upon us. A recent sale at Sotheby’s brought in GBP 6,339,500 (USD...
View ArticleOpinion: China’s Baby Steps in the Middle East
With the United States under President Barack Obama apparently determined to relinquish its global leadership, could China fill the gap that might emerge in the Middle East? Obama’s recent appeal to...
View ArticleOpinion: A Region without Logic
There is no doubt that the Middle East as a region has lost its sense of logic and become a theater of the absurd, full of irrational ideas and political stances. This is something that will have an...
View ArticleDebate: The Arab world is facing a publishing crisis
There can be no doubt that publishers in the Arab world are facing an acute crisis. The market has completely shut down, particularly in view of the consequences of the Arab Spring. This also includes...
View ArticleDebate: The Arab world is not facing a publishing crisis
With regards to the issue of publishing in the Arab world, I do not believe that we are facing a publishing crisis; rather, we are facing a reading crisis. We are simply a society that does not like...
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Final status talks on Israel-Palestine “within reach,” says Kerry
US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks to the press with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas following their meeting at the Palestinian presidential compound in the West Bank city of Ramallah on June...
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The Turkish Model
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters stand at formation in northern Iraq May 14, 2013. The first group of Kurdish militants to withdraw from Turkey under a peace process entered northern Iraq on...
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MBC: ‘Arab Idol’ finale watched by 100 million
Fans wait for the arrival of Palestinian “Arab Idol” Mohammed Assaf in front his home in Khan Yunis town in the southern Gaza Strip June 25, 2013. Source: AFP Photo/Mahmud Hams Beirut/London, Asharq...
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In conversation with Vali Nasr
File photo of Vali Nasr Washington DC, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iranian-born, MIT-trained academic Vali Nasr is one of the most high-profile American pundits on Middle East affairs. He also served on the front...
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The Changing Face of Ramadan TV
File photo of Egyptian actor Adel Imam. London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Over the past few years, Ramadan television series—a well-known phenomenon in the Arab and Islamic world—have begun to witness...
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Brent crude hits 3-month high above USD 108 on Egypt unrest, supply worries
Trader Peter Iocolano works in the oil options pit at the New York Mercantile Exchange Wednesday, July 3, 2013. Source: AP Photo/Richard Drew Singapore, Reuters—Brent crude futures rose above USD 108...
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Al Jazeera buys Premier League TV rights in Middle East
English Premier League, Manchester United manager David Moyles (L) and soccer player Ryan Giggs (R) at a news conference in Sydney, Australia, on July 14, 2013. (EPA/MICK TSIKAS AUSTRALIA AND NEW...
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A Washington insider grinds axes
The Dispensable Nation: American Foreign Policy in Retreat By Vali Nasr Doubleday, 2013The Dispensable Nation is a frustrating book. It offers some valuable insights into some of the recent history and...
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David Rhode: What I learned from being kidnapped
File photo of US journalist David Rhode. (Asharq Al-Awsat) Washington, D.C., Asharq Al-Awsat—US Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David S. Rhode was kidnapped by members of the Taliban in Afghanistan...
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