The Middle East articles from July 2007

The Middle East archives from July 2007

Editorial comment: Gaza is in turmoil. Some would say that has ever been the way, but even seasoned observers regard the latest violence between supporters of Fatah and Hamas as exceptional in its intensity.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)(Editorial)
July 1, 2007... The idea of Palestinians killing Palestinians is abhorrent. Despite the brutality they have suffered at the hands of external forces over almost 60 years, as well as considerable domestic in-fighting, for the most part Palestinians have managed...

Gaza's war of the clans: The West's antipathy towards Hamas, after its election success of 2006, did nothing to help curb the lawlessness that spread through Gaza courtesy of the warring clans. In the vacuum created by the departure of Fatah, fears are growing that Al Qaeda is finding a foothold because of the anarchy.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
July 1, 2007... IN THE ENCLAVE of anarchy known as the Gaza Strip, powerful clans heavily involved in smuggling and other criminal activities have emerged as the dominant force as Hamas and Fatah battled each other for mastery of the coastal territory;...

Election shakeup but Olmert remains: the Israeli elections last month threw up some surprising and interesting results.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)(Ehud Olmert)
July 1, 2007... THE FAMOUS OLD railway conductor's cry of "all change" could well sum up politics in Israel in the week of 10 June 2007. Suddenly, old faces and former prime ministers reappeared at the top--Shimon Peres as president, and Ehud Barak, now leader...

Turkey goes to the polls: elections will be held in Turkey this month; the angry demonstrations that took place in late April may have abated but the differences between those who want a secular state and those who support a more Islamic-rooted establishment remain. Jon Gorvett reports from Istanbul.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
July 1, 2007... IN 2007, THE days when a military coup meant a party of Young Turks storming the sultan's palace are long gone. Gone too are the days when tanks clattered through the streets and jet aircraft roared overhead to announce the arrival of the new...

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood in crisis: Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood is at its lowest ebb for decades, with hundreds of members in jail and their latest attempt for political power ending in failure. Jeffrey Black reports from Cairo.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
July 1, 2007... IN THE 11 June elections to Egypt's Shura Council (the upper house of parliament), the Muslim Brotherhood, which is the country's largest opposition group by far, failed to win a single seat. The officially banned group had fielded 19...

Nuclear reactors invade the Middle East: a race for nuclear power in the countries of the Middle East region has been spurred by Iran, which has invited international offers for the construction of two more atomic power plants despite international controversy.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
July 1, 2007... IRAN'S FRENZIED ATOMIC energy construction programme backed by the development of a long-range, nuclear-capable delivery system has plunged the Arab Middle East and Turkey into a headlong race to match its capacity. The rulers of the region...

The Golan tinderbox: Conal Urquhart reports from the Golan Heights on widespread reports that the long history of sabre rattling between Israel and Syria could be about to erupt into something more serious.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)(Geographic overview)
July 1, 2007... COACHLOADS OF TOURISTS are making their way through the trenches and bunkers of Mount Beltan. They look down over Syria and see the destroyed town of Kuneitra and hear how 100 Israeli tanks stood against 1,000 Syrian tanks in 1973 in the valley...

New multi-$billion tourist scheme brings Ferrari to the UAE.(BUSINESS & FINANCE)(United Arab Emirates)
July 1, 2007... THE UNITED ARAB Emirates are increasingly the new frontier for energy, financial and tourism investments. As befits their rising status as a newly-discovered tourist destination, the emirates are now partnering with top brand names to introduce...

World economic forum Jordan: anticipating a brave new world Pat Lancaster reports from Jordan.(BUSINESS & FINANCE)
July 1, 2007... MORE THAN 1,200 participants from 56 countries, the majority of them from the international business community, gathered together in Jordan's Dead Sea resort in May to debate "putting diversity to work" at the fourth World Economic Forum (WEF)...

Caspian producers seek independence.(BUSINESS & FINANCE)
July 1, 2007... A series of giant hydrocarbon export projects has created an opportunity for two newly independent republics of former Soviet Central Asia to loosen the economic ties that still bind them to the Kremlin. These Middle East plans in the pipeline...

Fortune favours the bold.(BUSINESS & FINANCE)
July 1, 2007... THIS YEAR ARABCOM celebrated its 10th anniversary. The brainchild of Katya Tayar, it has risen to become one of the most important, if not the preeminent regional conference on ICT, bringing together key leaders from all sectors and geographic...

Opec Mark II? Gas is quickly catching up oil in importance in the global economy and now accounts for 20% of total commercial energy use. Now, three Middle Eastern states are joining forces with Russia and Kazakhstan prompting accusations that a gas cartel is in the offing.
July 1, 2007... THE MEETING OF the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Doha in April gave out mixed messages to those who fear the creation of a gas producers' cartel. Although the member states announced they had no plans to jointly set international gas...

Egypt and the new digital age: Egypt has entered the hi-tech age with enthusiasm and its influence in this global phenomenon is poised to increase. Maria Golia reports from Cairo.(BUSINESS & FINANCE)
July 1, 2007... WHEN EGYPT'S FIRST subway was under construction in the mid-1980s, the capital was torn to shreds. Between mountains of sand, muddy pits and widespread electricity, water and phone cuts and shortages, life in Cairo required superior patience...

The Maghreb looks to renewables.(BUSINESS & FINANCE)
July 1, 2007... THE ENERGY POLICIES of Morocco and Algeria might be expected to be different. The latter is a major oil and gas exporter with plenty of energy resources for domestic use, while the former must import almost all its energy requirements. Yet the...

Searching for gold beneath Eastern desert: Joseph Mayton reports from Cairo on ambitious plans to revive Egypt's long-forgotten mining industry.(BUSINESS & FINANCE)
July 1, 2007... GYPT'S ANCIENT PHARAOHS dug deep into the Earth's surface in search of minerals and gems that could buttress their massive economic prowess at the time. Since the end of the Ptolemaic rule in Egypt 2,000 years ago, mining had been nothing but...

Asian Cup 2007: Middle East teams make strong representation.(MOSAIC)
July 1, 2007... CONVENTIONAL FOOTBALLING wisdom usually casts tournament hosts amongst the serious contenders for the title, but at this year's Asian Cup you can probably count that one out. Indonesia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam all co-host the 12...

Marking a hollow victory.(MOSAIC)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... IN JERUSALEM THERE were parties to celebrate: since then many hundreds of column inches have analysed the 'victory' or otherwise of Israel's annexation of Palestinian East Jerusalem. But in a quiet street of Tel Aviv last week, a photographic...

The wonder of Petra.(MOSAIC)(Jordan's archaeological site)
July 1, 2007... THESE DAYS, NO visitor to Petra can escape it. Jordan's all-out campaign urging tourists to "vote for Petra" is as relentless as the scorching summer heat and the local T-shirt vendors camped out permanently at the entrance to this ancient,...

$10 billion award for region's future scholars & scientists: an altruistic award by Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum of Dubai will benefit the Arab world's thinkers and doers for generations to come.(MOSAIC)
July 1, 2007... THE ROOM BURST into spontaneous applause but only the faintest flicker of a smile crossed the face of the great man himself. Yet his philanthropic gesture, of donating $10bn to launch an organisation to promote human development in the Arab...

Anti-Americanism in the Islamic World.(BOOKS IN BRIEF)(Brief article)(Book review)
July 1, 2007... ANTI-AMERICANISM IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD. By Sigrid Faath published by Hurst & Co ISBN 185065 789 0 price 25.00 [pounds sterling] paperback In 1988 Richard B. Parker, a former American ambassador to Algeria, Morocco, and Lebanon said it was "a...

Turkey: From Empire to Revolutionary Republic.(BOOKS IN BRIEF)(Brief article)(Book review)
July 1, 2007... TURKEY FROM EMPIRE TO REVOLUTIONARY REPUBLIC The Emergence of the Turkish Nation from 1789 to the Present By SINA AKSIN published by Hurst &Co ISBN 1 85065 832 3 price 16.50 [pounds sterling] paperback The histories of modern Turkey...

Terrorism and Global Disorder.(BOOKS IN BRIEF)(Brief article)(Book review)
July 1, 2007... TERRORISM AND GLOBAL DISORDER By Adrian Guelke published by IB TAURIS ISBN 1 85043 804 8 price 12.99 [pounds sterling] paperback This book offers a valuable study of the nature and development of terrorism in all its forms in the late 20th...

Syria: Through Writers' Eyes.(BOOKS IN BRIEF)(Brief article)(Book review)
July 1, 2007... SYRIA THROUGH WRITERS' EYES Edited by Marius Kociejowski published By Eland A carefully chosen selection of extracts capturing the culture and history of Syria ISBN 0 907871 844 2 price 12.99 [pounds sterling] The historical wealth of...

Iran and the Bomb: The Abdication of International Responsibility.(BOOKS IN BRIEF)(Brief article)(Book review)
July 1, 2007... IRAN AND THE BOMB THE ABDICATION OF INTERNATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY By Therese Delpech published by Hurst & Co ISBN 1 85065 844 7 price 25.00 [pounds sterling] hardback The Iranian regime is in the midst of a dangerous nuclear poker game with...

Broken Promises, Broken Dreams: Stories of Jewish and Palestinian Trauma and Resilience.(BOOKS IN BRIEF)(Brief article)(Book review)
July 1, 2007... BROKEN PROMISES, BROKEN DREAMS STORIES OF JEWISH AND PALESTINIAN TRAUMA AND RESILIENCE By Alice Rothchild published by Pluto Press ISBN 0 7453 2596 5 price 14.99 [pounds sterling] paperback The tragedies of the conflict between Israelis and...

The last word.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
July 1, 2007... Loving thy neighbour includes taking their sensitivities into account when expressing yourself, but, unlike in the past when the phrase might quite simply have involved the lady next door, today a person in another continent can easily infringe...