The Middle East articles from August 2007

The Middle East archives from August 2007

Editorial comment.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)(Editorial)
August 1, 2007... I didn't agree with Britain joining forces with President George Bush to launch a war in Iraq. And I marched, with over a million others, through the streets of London in February 2003 in the hope of urging the Prime Minister to change his...

The battle for Iraqi oil: oil is money, money is power and power is politics, and nowhere more than in beleaguered Iraq. Now, the US wants the Iraqi government to introduce new legislation--a hydrocarbons law--to restore stability. But such legislation is more likely to further fracture the country, rather than usher in peace, as Ed Blanche reports.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
August 1, 2007... The political battle over Iraq's landmark draft oil law is arguably the most important issue facing the violence-ravaged country today and one which will determine the shape and the future of the new, post-Saddam Hussein Iraq, for good or ill....

Expect the unexpected: Milan Vesely reports on the simmering pot that is Lebanon and widespread fears, fuelled by rumour and suspicion, that the political situation is coming to the boil.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
August 1, 2007... 'EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED', is an oft used description for Lebanese politics, this strategically important country of three million people once again thrust into the forefront of America's war on terror. But even the most sanguine of observers...

Egypt plays arbitrator: Egyptian diplomats are re-starting their efforts to bring Hamas and Fatah together again. But will they be seen by the Hamas powers-that-be as mediators or meddlers? In two special reports--from Cairo and Gaza--Jeff Black and Mel Frykberg analyse how these developments are likely to play out.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
August 1, 2007... ON 8 JULY, Egyptian diplomats told local media that the country's official security delegation would shortly be heading back to Hamas-controlled Gaza. The delegation, which has maintained a constant presence in the territory since the beginning...

Duplicitous double dealing.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)(EGYPT ending conflicts between Fatah and Hamas)
August 1, 2007... EGYPT HAS SUCCESSFULLY served as an arbitrator between the Palestinians and Israelis in the past, but reattempts to negotiate a peace between Fatah and Hamas, as the two sides repeatedly tried to settle their differences at gunpoint over the...

The enemy within: a series of terrorist attacks in Britain have put the UK security services on high alert and sparked intense emotional debate among Muslims and non-Muslims on how the threat posed by Islamic fanaticism can best be met.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
August 1, 2007... A WEEK BEFORE THE second anniversary of the 7/7 terror attacks, a combination of good luck, the courage of a policeman risking his life to defuse a car bomb, quick thinking by airport passengers at Glasgow, airport worker heroics and the...

In the name of the father: in the wake of recent elections, Egypt's upper house of parliament looks very familiar, with the ruling party firmly in control. With apathy now more prevalent than activism, the only political issue that seems to interest Egyptians is if and how the president's son will take over the mantle of power. Eamonn Gearon reports from Cairo.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)(Gamal Mubarak)
August 1, 2007... EGYPT'S LATE JUNE Shoura council elections left the composition of the country's upper house of parliament with, unsurprisingly, a very familiar look. Not even those "independent" Muslim Brotherhood candidates who would previously have...

Truth, or imagination in the shadowy world of Iraq: in the murky world of spy fiction, the antagonists and protagonists play out physical and mental chess games, their moves and countermoves enthralling the reader. But is truth stranger than fiction, reality more convoluted than make-believe? That could certainly apply to recent events between Britain and the United States on the one hand and Iran and the Iraqi government on the other.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
August 1, 2007... WORLD-RENOWNED AUTHORS SUCH as John le Carre exploit their war time experiences in novels that captivate millions. But even their fertile imaginations could not imagine a plot such as now appears to be playing out in the Gulf. The curtain...

A wonderful day?(CURRENT AFFAIRS)(execution of Saddam Hussein)(Personal account)
August 1, 2007... MICHELLE DE VRIES was just 21 years old when in 1989 she was contacted by the British Foreign Office and told her mother, Daphne Parish, a nurse working in Baghdad, was being held by the cruel and unpredictable regime of Saddam Hussein having...

Turkey's AKP record landslide victory.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)(Justice Party )
August 1, 2007... IT WAS QUITE a victory when, despite all the pre-general election scaremongering about the probability of Turkey becoming an Islamic state, a massive 80% of the electorate--turned out to record a landslide result for the country's...

Gulf investors focus on Arab & African neighbours: the Arab oil producing countries in the Gulf are continuing to use huge financial surpluses from oil to increase their international investment portfolios with Arab and African neighbours increasingly the lucky recipients.(BUSINESS & FINANCE)
August 1, 2007... A recent report by the respected Saudi-based Samba Financial Group suggests the Arab oil producing countries of the Gulf may earn a staggering $24 trillion from exports of crude oil and gas over the next 20 years, as energy hungry countries...

Gas 'cartel' idea puts the cat amongst the pigeons: last month The Middle East discussed the early mixed messages emerging from the Gas Exporting Countries Forum in Doha, on the idea of a gas producers' cartel. In this issue Ed Blanche puts flesh on the bones of the idea that has led to considerable international anxiety and, in some cases, vehement opposition to the scheme that could reshape the global energy market.(BUSINESS & FINANCE)
August 1, 2007... ENERGY MINISTERS OF the member states of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), produce around 60% of the world's gas exports, decided when they met in Qatar in April to set up a high-level committee to study pricing policies and other...

The kingdom's challenges: preserving recent gains for future generations.(BUSINESS & FINANCE)(Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)
August 1, 2007... THE KINGDOM'S Long-term Objective is to Create an economy Dominated by a Saudi workforce, that would take the country into new realms of economic efficiency Saudi Arabia, the world's No.1 oil-exporter, remains in a healthy shape, with the...

People of "the book" just like us ...(MOSAIC)(scriptures)
August 1, 2007... Jews, like Muslims and Christians are regarded universally as "people of the book" (people of the Scriptures) and during a tour of some of the region's Jewish communities, Larry Luxner found that while much antipathy exists towards Israel and...

Persepolis: Marjane Satrapi's subversive masterpiece Persepolis seduces audiences in Cannes.(MOSAIC)
August 1, 2007... THIS YEAR'S CANNES International Film Festival mesmerised viewers with a simple black and white animated French produced film by Iranian born Marjane Satrapi entitled Persepolis. Amidst an international selection of heavyweight feature films by...

Egypt's "greenest of the green" at risk: the Zabaleen, Cairo's garbage recyclers are under threat. Mel Frykberg reports form Cairo.(MOSAIC)
August 1, 2007... ACROSS FROM THE Moqattam settlement, nestling under the Moqattam hills, lie the remains of the ancient city of Fustat, on the outskirts of modern-day Cairo. Encapsulated in the medieval walls is a city, steeped in history, culture and...

The Shahids: Islam and Suicide Attacks.(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2007... THE SHAHIDS ISLAM AND SUICIDE ATTACKS By Shaul Shay published by Transaction Publishers ISBN 0 7658 0250 price $39.95 hardback Since the early 1980s, the world has witnessed many instances of the grotesque instrument of suicide bombings,...

The Kurds In Iran: The Past, Present and Future.(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2007... THE KURDS IN IRAN THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE By Kerim Yildiz and Tanyel Taysi published by Pluto Press ISBN 0 7453 2669 2 price 25.00 [pounds sterling] hardback The Kurds, between 24m and 30m-strong, sharing a common culture and...

Guantanamo: What the World Should Know.(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2007... GUANTANAMO WHAT THE WORLD SHOULD KNOW By Michael Ratner and Ellen Ray; foreword by Terry Waite ISBN 184437 046 1 price 8.99 [pounds sterling] paperback Guantanamo: What the World Should Know teams human rights lawyer Michael Rather with...

Arabian Flavours: Recipes and Tales of Arab Life.(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2007... ARABIAN FLAVOURS RECIPES AND TALES OF ARAB LIFE By Salah Jamal published by Souvenir Press ISBN 0 28563718 5 price 14.99 [pounds sterling] hardback Salah Jamal gives a different flavour to what it means to be a Palestinian. His book takes...

The United States V.I. Lewis Libby.(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2007... THE UNITED STATES V. I. LEWIS LIBBY Edited and with reporting by Murray Waas Published by Union Square Press ISBN 1 4027 5259 8 price 7.99 [pounds sterling] paperback Washington scandals come and go, but the one surrounding the...

Inside Hamas: The Untold Story of Militants.(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2007... INSIDE HAMAS THE UNTOLD STORY OF MILITANTS, MARTYRS AND SPIES By Zaki Chehab published by IB TAURIS ISBN 9781845113896 price 16.99 [pounds sterling] hardback What is the real nature of Hamas? Since their astonishing victory in the 2006...

Adieu Lebanon.(THE LAST WORD)
August 1, 2007... Over recent weeks several dozen Lebanese politicians have slipped away from their homes in and around Beirut to fly off to Paris, Amman, London or some other foreign bolt-hole, anywhere to put some distance between themselves and the assassins...