The Middle East articles from January 2007

The Middle East archives from January 2007

Editorial comment.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)(christian muslim affairs in Lebanon)(Editorial)
January 1, 2007... Watch Lebanon closely over the next few weeks, because what results there, following the December days of anti-government demonstrations, will very likely have a profound effect on both that country and the Middle East region in the months and...

New year, old enmities.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)(Relation between United States and United Kingdom)
January 1, 2007... WITH THE DAWN of a new year the 'special' relationship between Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President George W Bush is looking decidedly shaky. The 'vision' once shared by the two political leaders has, over recent years, changed...

Stones at glass houses: the effect of the report of the Iraq Study Group, formed to find a way out of the quagmire of Iraq, was tantamount to throwing a bucket of cold water at President George W Bush.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
January 1, 2007... THE CONGRESS-MANDATED ISG unveiled 79 recommendations ranging from emphasis on training Iraqi security forces to launching a broader regional diplomatic effort. However, it pointedly avoided mentioning a possible 'victory' in Iraq. Headed...

Between a rock and a hard place: US Jews are beginning to speak out against their own and the Israeli government's hardline attitude towards Palestinians and to work for a solution to the conflict that will suit both communities.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
January 1, 2007... WHILE ISRAELIS THEMSELVES have been arguing fiercely about the way ahead in the aftermath of the war in Lebanon, there has apparently been nothing but firm, uncritical support for the Jewish state in the influential American media. At least...

Thinking the unthinkable: Lebanon steels itself for sectarian violence and a possible coup following the assassination of Pierre Gemayel, with Syria seen as the prime suspect. Ed Blanche reports from Beirut.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
January 1, 2007... IN ANY POLITICAL assassination in Lebanon, there is invariably an abundance of suspects. Sectarian hatreds, clan blood feuds, political power struggles, business rivalries and foreign conspiracies have all been to blame for the mosaic of murder...

The Shi'ite Zarqawi: notorious death squad leader Abu Deraa embodies Iraq's relentless slide into sectarian civil war as militias seize control of the streets.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
January 1, 2007... IN THE POWER struggle taking place between Shi'ite militias in Iraq as the country slides closer to all-out sectarian civil war, a new breed of brutal warlord has emerged among the death squads who prey on Baghdad's Sunnis. The most notorious...

The Top 100 Arab Companies.(Cover story)(Company rankings)
January 1, 2007... At first sight, the most obvious development in our survey of the Top 100 Arab Companies is the massive drop in the market capitalisation of the companies at the top end of the table. A large readjustment during the first quarter of 2006 saw...

New best friends: while the US continues to cold shoulder Syria, other countries are rushing in to make the most of its dwindling oil supplies.(BUSINESS & FINANCE)
January 1, 2007... SYRIA IS MAKING the most of the global competition for oil as well as political influence in the developing world in order to offset the effect of recently renewed US sanctions. The country has embarked on an aggressive policy of...

The money changers: international police are investigating a complex drug-money laundering operation based on the ancient hawala money transfer system, which has links in Dubai, Turkey, Afghanistan and Italy.(BUSINESS & FINANCE)
January 1, 2007... AS EUROPEAN AND US authorities continue their investigations into the apparent presence of an international money-laundering ring based in Dubai, the issue of cash laundering and its connections to the Gulf has once again reared its ugly head....

Unreal estate: prime parcels of Egyptian real estate are being sold to high-bidding Gulf investors for upscale development. While the government bills these projects as a job-creating exercise in town building, not everyone is convinced. Does Egypt need more five-star resorts? Maria Golia asks who benefits.(EGYPT)
January 1, 2007... IMAGINE YOU'RE WALKING along the Champs Elysees when a Venetian gondolier glides by on the canal beside you, smiles and tips his hat. Disoriented, you search for points of reference and notice a large body of water bearing a strong resemblance...

Billion dollar Palm Jumeirah deal.(Drake and Scull Engineering signed)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... A billion dollar resort has been announced on The Palm Jumeirah development. It will cover 141,500 sq m and consist of residences, a hotel, a private club, a vacation club and a retail plaza--all strongly influenced by classic Arab...

Jafza plans S Korean business park.(Jafza International, South Korea)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Jafza International is in talks with South Korea's Incheon city on developing and managing the business and logistics park within a $15bn free trade zone. The Dubai firm, which is the overseas arm of the Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority...

Cellphone with TV for Doha Games.(Samsung Electronics Company Ltd.)
January 1, 2007... Samsung Electronics has unveiled what is believed to be the first mobile phone with TV capabilities in the region. The SGH-P910 also offers a 1.3 mega pixel camera and an MP3 player. The phone has been released to coincide with the Doha Asian...

Gulf renewables: like chalk and cheese: the Gulf has no incentive to develop alternative energy sources to oil and gas. Or has it? What is the motivation for the Abu Dhabi government's establishment of a renewable energies project?(BUSINESS & FINANCE)
January 1, 2007... MENTION THE GULF states and renewable energy in the same breath and most people would be cynical. The two simply don't go together. Producing a large proportion of the world's oil and gas reserves, the Gulf has a vested interest in ensuring...

Down but not out: does the drop in crude prices from nearly $80 per barrel at the height of the Israeli onslaught on Lebanon during August to around $60--the steepest decline in over 15 years--represent a long-term 'tipping point' or merely a short-term 'blip' that will soon reverse again during the winter period in the Northern Hemisphere, when global oil demand surges by 2m barrels a day?(SPECIAL REPORT: WORLD OIL PRICES)
January 1, 2007... THE ARAB-DOMINATED ORGANISATION OF Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) cartel, controlling three quarters and two fifths respectively of the world's proven oil reserves and total output, reckons the market is entering a 'transitional phase'...

Reclaiming the sea: Joseph Mayton reports on some of the environmental consequences of this summer's Israeli attack on Lebanon and the delays that have compounded the problem.(MOSAIC)
January 1, 2007... DAWN ON THE coastline of Lebanon has never been more beautiful. It sparkles with a glossy tint as the sun's rays begin to hit the water. But the vista is no naturalist's paradise: in fact, the shiny hue on the water is caused by a massive oil...

An American dream: an Arab taxi driver overcomes massive hurdles to realise his dream of converting a church into a mosque. And US playwright Mark Sickman faced huge barriers to stage his comedy on the subject, as Pat McDonnell Twair reports from the United States.(MOSAIC)(Taxi to Al Jannah)(Theater review)
January 1, 2007... NASRUDEEN IS A Muslim cab driver in a large American city who dreams of converting an abandoned storefront Baptist church into a small mosque. On his way to creating his beautiful masjid, he faces a myriad of obstacles as his wife, son and the...

A sanctuary in Kurdistan.(MOSAIC)(christians go to Kurdistan after Saddam Hussein's death)
January 1, 2007... SINCE THE FALL of Saddam Hussein, in April 2003, more than 5,000 Christian families living in the big Iraqi Arab cities--Bagdad, Basra, Mosul--have taken refuge in Kurdistan. Paradoxically they have returned to the cities and villages they...

Iraq Confidential: The Untold Story of America's Intelligence Conspiracy.(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... IRAQ CONFIDENTIAL THE UNTOLD STORY OF AMERICA'S INTELLIGENCE CONSPIRACY By Scott Ritter published by IB TAURIS ISBN 1 84511 088 9 price 17.99 [pounds sterling] hardback Scott Ritter is the straight-talking former marine officer whom the...

US-Kuwaiti Relations, 1961-1992: An Uneasy Relationship.(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... US-KUWAITI RELATIONS, 1961-1992 AN UNEASY RELATIONSHIP By Chookiat Panaspornprasit published by Routledge ISBN 0 714 656283 price 65.00 [pounds sterling] hardback Throughout its three-decade-old history as an independent city-state after...

Turkey, Islamists and Democracy: Transition and Globalization in a Muslim State.(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... TURKEY, ISLAMISTS AND DEMOCRACY TRANSITION AND GLOBALIZATION IN A MUSLIM STATE By Yildiz Atasoy published IB TAURIS ISBN 1 85043 7580 price 45.00 [pounds sterling] hardback Turkey, Islamists and Democracy is the story of Islam's engagement...

Marrakesh: Through Writers' Eyes.(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... MARRAKESH THROUGH WRITERS' EYES Edited by Barnaby Rogerson and Stephen Lavington Published by Eland ISBN 0 9078 7199 2 price 12.99 [pounds sterling] paperback There has never been a more instantly exotic destination than Marrakesh. It is a...

Power, Politics and the Hidden History of Arabian Oil.(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... POWER, POLITICS AND THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF ARABIAN OIL By Aileen Keating published by Saqi ISBN 0 86356 525 5 price 35.00 [pounds sterling] hardback At the end of World War I, where this book begins, it was generally accepted by the experts...

Anti-Arab Racism in the USA: Where It Comes From and What It Means for Politics Today.(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... ANTI-ARAB RACISM IN THE USA WHERE IT COMES FROM AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR POLITICS TODAY By Steven Salaita published by Pluto Press ISBN 0745325165 price 13.99 [pounds sterling] paperback Today is a difficult time to be both Arab and American....

The last word.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)('dense inert metal explosive being developed in United States)
January 1, 2007... A nasty new weapon is under development in the United States. Dime is the acronym for 'dense inert metal explosive', which causes a powerful blast and is confined to a small area. It inflicts horrendous injuries on its victims but so-called...