The Middle East articles from April 2009

The Middle East archives from April 2009

Comment.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)(International Women's Day)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THIS YEAR THE Middle East magazine features a selection of photographs of women from around the region celebrating International Women's Day 2009 (see page 66). In a region where some countries are systematically...

In Cairo cafes: smoke, mirrors and rumour: Stephen Butchart reports from Egypt.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] LESS THAN 24 hours after the attack in Cairo's Hussein Square that left one French tourist dead and dozens of other foreigners injured in February, the Egyptian government had replaced the blasted marble pavement,...

Join in the chorus: Adel Darwish reports from Sharm El Sheikh.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
April 1, 2009... AS ARAB LEADERS gathered in Qatar for their annual congregation at the end of March, much conversation focused on two other recent significant meetings that aimed, more or less, for the same goals. An earlier summit in Riyadh saw the...

All eyes on Aden: Milan Vesely reports from the United States on concerns in Washington over events in one of the world's busiest international waterways.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
April 1, 2009... THE GULF OF Aden narrows to an 18-mile-wide choke point at its eastern end. As one of the world's busiest waterways, some 3.3m gallons of crude--4% of daily global demand--pass through this narrow strait daily, a tempting target for an Al Qaeda...

Iran's great leap: the February launch of an experimental satellite moves the Islamic Republic closer to developing intercontinental ballistic missiles.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
April 1, 2009... IRAN'S SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF a small domestically built scientific research satellite, Omid-1 (Farsi for Hope), on 2 February atop a Safir-2 (Envoy) rocket, marked a major technological breakthrough in Tehran's drive to develop intercontinental...

Sarkozy's Middle East stratagem: with Gallic flourish and a soupcon of intrigue, President Nicolas Sarkozy is going all out to rebuild France's influence in the Middle East and win big military and nuclear contracts.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AS US INFLUENCE in the Middle East erodes, France is making a determined effort to restore its fortunes in a region where a century ago it was the dominant power with Britain. From Morocco to Oman, the French, under...

The absent arsenal: Milan Vesely writes from the United States on a disturbing lack of information on the whereabouts of American weaponry intended for deployment against the Taliban.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A NEW US GOVERNMENT Acountability Office (GAO) audit raised fears that many of the arms supplied to the Afghan and Iraqi armies may have fallen into enemy hands. In a lengthy review, the GAO claims that more than a...

The Middle East interview: Dr Mohamed El-Erian is one of the world's foremost risk advisors and international economists, and the author of a best-seller on investing in a time of global economic change. Educated in Britain and currently CEO and co-CIO of US-based Pimco, he is an expert on emerging markets and on the Arab world in particular.(Q&A)(Interview)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In this exclusive interview for The Middle East with economic analyst and writer Pamela Ann Smith, Dr El-Erian discusses the momentous financial and economic events of the past months and calls for "meaningful and...

Gulf Super Rich seek secure home for trillion-dollar assets: international asset managers are only too keen to capitalise on proximity to some of the world's wealthiest investors or ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs) in the Arabian Gulf. Researched and written by international economic analyst Moin Siddiqi.(BUSINESS AND FINANCE)
April 1, 2009... IN TODAY'S EVER-GLOOMY market conditions amid the ongoing fallout from the credit crunch and dwindling private wealth caused by heavy equities sell-offs in major western markets led by Wall Street, the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)...

Riding out the storm: do not be too alarmed by the shifting patterns in the global economy, writes Rohit Chawdhry, Head of Equities at Bahrain Islamic Bank (BIsB), the situation we are currently witnessing is not entirely bad news for the countries of the region.(BUSINESS AND FINANCE)
April 1, 2009... BOB DYLAN'S COMPOSITION--The Times They Are A-changin'--seems more relevant now than in the 1960s, when it was released. Current global economic conditions remain stressful. Old regimes are paving the way for new ones. Currencies are getting...

Saudi Arabia aims high: in the light of the global credit crunch, Jon Gorvett reports from Riyadh on the kingdom's ambitious aim to construct four new multi-billion-dollar cities.(BUSINESS AND FINANCE)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WHILE THE NEWS from the real estate and construction sectors around the Gulf these days is often far from good, one place where there is still a considerable amount of confidence is Saudi Arabia. If plans...

Is Qatar's economy recession-proof? Ahmed Gad reports from Doha.(BUSINESS AND FINANCE)
April 1, 2009... IN THE WAKE of global financial storms that have threatened the Gulf, Qatar has been lucky for more reasons than just its windfall riches. Over the past few years, Qatar transferred its rising petrodollar gains into tangible and intangible...

Money makes the world go around: Mel Frykberg reports from the Occupied Territories on how a microfinance system has improved and empowered the lives of Palestinian women.(MOSAIC)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "DEMOCRACY AND GENDER equality will be brought to Palestine and Palestinian women through employment opportunities and the chance for economic self-development. We don't need international donors spending millions on...

Bahrain, a cultural hub in the Middle East.(MOSAIC)
April 1, 2009... BAHRAIN IS AN Arabic word meaning 'two seas', referring to the island's two sources of water--sweet springs and salty sea water. The island was initially famous for its ancient pearl industry: the first record of pearl diving in history was of...

Is exercise worth the effort? Good health & good living.(MOSAIC)
April 1, 2009... EACH WEEK SEEMS to bring with it a new health concern. Obesity, possibly leading to diabetes, heart disease and cancer have occupied the international media of late, accompanied by warnings of the perils of a lifestyle which pays scant...

The Middle East and North Africa 2009, 55th Edition.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2009... THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA 2009, 55TH EDITION published by Routledge ISBN 9781857434729 price $760.00 hardback [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Middle East and North Africa 2009 is internationally regarded as the most...

Farewell, Babylon.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2009... FAREWELL, BABYLON by Naim Kattan translated by Sheila Fischman published by Souvenir Press ISBN 978285638426 price 10.00 [pounds sterling] paperback [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Recent events in Gaza suggest Jews and...

Islam and Dissent.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2009... ISLAM AND DISSENT Abdolkarim Soroush, Religious Politics and Democratic Reform by Behrooz Gharnari-Tabrizi published by IB Tauris ISBN 9781845118808 price 17.99 [pounds sterling] hardback [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Arab Women Writers.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2009... ARAB WOMEN WRITERS A Critical Reference Guide 1873-1999 edited by Radwa Ashour, Ferial J. Ghazoul and Hasna Reda-Mekdashi published by the American University in Cairo Press ISBN 9789774161469 Price 56.95 [pounds sterling]...

Al Qaeda.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2009... AL QAEDA The True Story of Radical Islam by Jason Burke published by Penguin Books ISBN 9780141019123 price 7.99 [pounds sterling] paperback [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] To most in the West, Al Qaeda is seen as a...

The Emergence of Libya.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2009... THE EMERGENCE OF LIBYA by John Wright published by Silphium Press ISBN 97819000971065 price 14.99 [pounds sterling] paperback [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Almost 40 years ago, in September 1969, Muammar Gaddafi seized...

International Women's Day.(THE LAST WORD)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Women from around the region marked International Women's Day and a year of progress and achievement. ...