The Middle East articles from March 2008

The Middle East archives from March 2008

Comment.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] OF COURSE IT CAUSED ALL KINDS OF PROBLEMS, LOGISTICAL AND POLITICAL, BUT DIDN'T YOUR HEART SOAR AS THE PEOPLE or Gaza teemed through the hole in that border fence with Egypt? As Adel Darwish indicates in his...

An Al Qaeda rolodex: a vast treasure trove of captured documents and records provides a unique insight into the foreign jihadis fighting in Iraq, prompting the US military to reassess how it views Al Qaeda.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE US COMMANDOS, acting on a tip-off, struck just before dawn on 11 September, 2007, shooting their way into a tent camp outside Sinjar, a small dusty town in northwestern Iraq about 16km from the border with Syria....

How will the US choices play out in the Middle East? Bruce Macphail reports on the run-up to the US presidential elections in November and what changes might take place when there is a new occupant of the White House.(US ELECTIONS)
March 1, 2008... THE RESULT OF the US presidential election, which will be held on 4 November, is very difficult to predict as the three remaining candidates all perform well in national polls. The latest head-to-head polls suggest Republican John McCain versus...

Iran expands its nuclear aspirations.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] RUSSIA HAS DELIVERED all 82 tons of nuclear reactor fuel promised for Iran's nearly completed controversial Bushehr power plant on the Gulf coast. Irina Yesipova, spokeswoman for Atomstroiexport Co, the Russian...

Gazan breakout causes consternation in Cairo.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IN A "GREAT ESCAPE" scenario--smashing down the border fence that kept them in what they described as "a large prison camp"--little Gazans wrong-footed a Samson to the west and a Goliath to the east, causing...

Down but not out: now the dust has settled on President George Bush's visit to the region in January, the Palestinian people are left wondering what--if anything--has changed. Now all the national anthem playing and flag waving is over, are the prospects for peace any better than they were before? Mel Frykberg reports from the Occupied Territories.(PALESTINE)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IN AN INTERVIEW with The Middle East, the spokesman from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction, and former peace negotiator, Ahmed Abed-Rahman stated bluntly, "There is no peace process, it is dead. ...

Has Turkish tide turned against European unity? Few expected that Turkey's path to European Union membership would be a smooth one. Yet the current dismal state of relations is worse than even the most pessimistic of Turco and Euro-sceptics could have imagined when the EU agreed to start accession talks back in 2004. Jon Gorvett reports from Istanbul.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
March 1, 2008... MORE THAN THREE years down the line, many in Ankara and Brussels say there is very little to show for a process that at one point seemed to carry such global weight. The accession of 99% Muslim Turkey was supposed to see the end of the Islamic/...

Women moving in the right direction: Saudi Arabia has been opening itself up to international scrutiny on its women's rights record, while liberals and conservatives debate the status quo at home. Jeff Black reports from Riyadh.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE ARRIVAL OF Dr. Yakin Erturk, UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women in Saudi Arabia on 4 February was not especially remarkable in the general workings of international human rights machinery. Ms. Erturk...

Egypt negotiates nuclear deal with Moscow.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AHMED ABU EL Gheit, the Egyptian foreign minister, has negotiated a nuclear power cooperation treaty with Russia. The agreement may well set the pace of the intensifying global competition for the lucrative civilian...

Remembering Halabja: twenty years ago this month, the Iraqi massacre at Halabja took place. Pat Lancaster looks at the distance the Kurds have travelled in the intervening two decades.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THIS MONTH MARKS the 20th anniversary of the attacks on Halabja, where on 17th March 1988, Saddam Hussein launched a series of genocidal chemical attacks on the Iraqi town of Halabja, some 250km or so north-east of...

Gulf airlines to lead the world: a variety of factors, not least its "near perfect" geographical location as a hub will project the Gulf region to the forefront of international aviation. Massive expansion programmes are already underway, involving new multibillion dollar orders from the world's leading aircraft manufacturers, with further expansion into the next decade and beyond, very much on the cards.(BUSINESS AND FINANCE)
March 1, 2008... THE GULF REGION is set to outstrip the US and Europe to become the world's leading centre of aviation within the next decade, new analysis by industry experts indicates. Carriers based in the region, such as Emirates, Etihad Airways, Qatar...

NCB Capital expresses bullish outlook.(BUSINESS AND FINANCE)(National Commercial Bank )
March 1, 2008... NCB CAPITAL (NCBC) has released a detailed investment strategy report highlighting how the GCC economies are capitalising on their petrodollar windfalls (estimated to be in excess of $2 trillion over this decade) to drive their efforts to...

Syria moves to accelerate pace of Islamic banking: John Dagge reports from Damascus on the new drive to stimulate Syria's Islamic banking sector, which opened locally back in 2005 but has, so far, failed to establish a credible niche.(BUSINESS AND FINANCE)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A NEW BREED OF financial institution is emerging in Syria; one that complies with Islamic law. In the past six months the country's first two Islamic banks opened for business, while another six have received...

PNA's optimistic plan for reform: Mel Frykberg reports from the Occupied Territories.(BUSINESS AND FINANCE)(Palestinian National Authority)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE PALESTINIAN ECONOMY is facing a multitude of difficulties, not least recovery from the punitive restrictions that followed the success of Hamas in the 2006 elections. Political uncertainty and deteriorating...

Gulf poised for heady surge into 2008 & beyond: the oil boom experienced over recent years shows no immediate signs of abating. Economic analyst Moin Siddiqi looks at the future of the Gulf producers, who stand to earn $5 trillion in potential windfalls over the next 25 years if strong prices and demand are maintained.
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE SIX MEMBER states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are witnessing breathtaking growth thanks largely to the quadrupling of oil prices since 2002. In...

World economic forum: Davos update.(BUSINESS AND FINANCE)
March 1, 2008... THERE IS AN atmosphere at meetings of the World Economic Forum, an undeniable buzz in the air as the great and the good stride the corridors in Davos, gather together, along with lesser mortals, to discuss ways of giving globalisation a more...

Gulf funds: shoring up the US economy: as talk of a US recession escalates and as some of the largest American banks face yet more financial losses, Gulf investors are coming to the rescue and, in the process, picking up some prestigious shares and good values along the way.(BUSINESS AND FINANCE)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE US BUSH administration has softened its stance on investments made by foreign government-owned funds, and although it still wants to impose codes of conduct for such investments, it now appears willing to...

Damascus seeks to turn the tide of dwindling oil revenues.(BUSINESS AND FINANCE)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DECLINING OIL PRODUCTION threatens to turn Syria into a net oil importer within just a few years. Although the country is not known as one of the region's oil powers, hydrocarbons provide Damascus with most of its...

The Phoenicians from Tyre to Carthage: to celebrate its 20th anniversary, the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris chose to explore the Phoenician enigma.
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ACCOMPLISHED SAILORS AND renowned traders, the Phoenicians criss-crossed the Mediterranean for centuries. Living on the Levant Coast, present day Lebanon, they established--during the first Millennium BC--trading...

Luxor gets a facelift: Maria Golia reports from Luxor on the city's attempt to accommodate a growing number of tourists without sacrificing the future of the ancient monuments that attract them to the area.(MOSAIC)
March 1, 2008... LIKE ANXIOUS HOSTS everywhere, the Egyptian authorities are apt to set certain needs aside in order to better serve their guests. Affordable housing is scarce on the ground for the average Egyptian, but there are plenty of five-star hotels and...

The Iranian benefactor of Beverly Hills.(MOSAIC)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE UMMA FREE clinic in South Central Los Angeles is a nationally recognised icon of what a non-profit healthcare institution can be and its fundraising chairman, Hoori Sadler, is a one-of-a-kind volunteer. Over...

The man and the mission.(MOSAIC)(Abdulaziz Saud Al Babtain )
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PERHAPS BETTER KNOWN as a captain of Kuwaiti industry rather than as a patron of the poetic arts, Abdulaziz Saud Al Babtain is the founder, creator and chairperson of the Foundation of Abdulaziz Saud Al Babtain Prize...

In the footsteps of "Parliamentarians for Peace".(MOSAIC)
March 1, 2008... AFTER THE HUGE expectations of the Oslo years, which were meant to lead Jews and Arabs towards peace, scepticism and distrust have in recent years reoccupied the minds of the peoples of the region. This is a real regression, because all the...

Arab Television Today.(Brief article)(Book review)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ARAB TELEVISION TODAY By Naomi Sakr published by I.B.Tauris ISBN 978 1 84511 564 7 price 15.99 [pounds sterling] paperback Arab Television Today looks at what is at stake for everyone in the future...

Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army.(Brief article)(Book review)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BLACKWATER THE RISE OF THE WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL MERCENARY ARMY By Jeremy Scahill published by Serpent's Tail ISBN 978 1 84668 630 6 price 12.99 [pound sterling] paperback Blackwater raises...

Blood of the Earth: The Global Battle for Vanishing Oil Resources.(Brief article)(Book review)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BLOOD OF THE EARTH THE GLOBAL BATTLE FOR VANISHING OIL RESOURCES By Dilip Hiro published by Politico's ISBN 978 1842751954 price 12.99 [pounds sterling] paperback Blood of the Earth is about...

Islam in Europe: Diversity, Identity and Influence.(Brief article)(Book review)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ISLAM IN EUROPE DIVERSITY, IDENTITY AND INFLUENCE Edited by Aziz Al Azmeh and Effie Fokas published by Cambridge University Press ISBN 978 0 521 167751 3 price 17.99 [pounds sterling] paperback...

Leaving Beirut.(Brief article)(Book review)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] LEAVING BEIRUT By Mai Ghoussoub published by Saqi Books ISBN 978 0 86356 676 9 price 8.99 [pounds sterling] paperback Reflecting on the Lebanese civil war, the late lamented Mai Ghoussoub...

Tender Spot: Selected Poems.(Brief article)(Book review)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] TENDER SPOT SELECTED POEMS By Naomi Shihab Nye published by Bloodaxe Books ISBN 978 1 85224 791 1 price 8.95 [pounds sterling] paperback Tender Spot is a collection of poems by wandering...

The last word.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A report titled Islam and the West: Annual Report on the State of Dialogue, emerged at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. The report, a collaboration with Georgetown University in the US, was intended to reveal...