The Middle East articles from May 2009

The Middle East archives from May 2009

Comment.
May 1, 2009... In May 1974 the first issue of The Middle East magazine was launched in London by IC Publications. Looking at our archive copy today, it looks dated and a somewhat lacklustre affair but it must be remembered that 35 years ago the new technology...

The view from Kabul.(Emails & Letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I was greatly disturbed by your recent 'attempt' to highlight the region celebrating International Women's Day 2009. What a HUGE disappointment. First, your COMMENT page started out okay and, then, switched over to...

Marsh Arabs.(Compass: News and views from around the world)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fears increase that the marshes of southern Iraq, first devastated by Saddam Hussein in the 1970s, are once again under threat. The former president saw the reed beds and marshlands as the perfect hideout for bandits...

Cleopatra found?(Compass: News and views from around the world)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... The head of Egypt's Supreme Council, Zahi Hawass, believes he might have located the final resting place of the famous ancient Egyptian Queen Cleopatra and Mark Anthony, the Roman general with whom she had three children. Although work on the...

This month in history.(Compass: News and views from around the world)
May 1, 2009... 1948 On May 14 1948 the state of Israel declared its independence following the end of the British Mandate for Palestine. The United States was the first country from the international community to offer its congratulations to the new...

Omani explorer.(Compass: News and views from around the world)(Nabil Al Busaidi)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Nabil Al Busaidi, after eight long months of preparations, finally set out on his mission to conquer the North Pole in April. Dragging 50kg of equipment and supplies, including food, water and a tent on his sledge,...

People.(Compass: News and views from around the world)(Carrie Das)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Hats off to 30-year-old Carrie Das, the Interior Design Manager on the massive Ibn Batutta Gate Hotel project being undertaken in Dubai. The hotel is part of the Movenpick chain and will eventually include accommodation for several hundred...

Recreating Afghanistan.(Compass: News and views from around the world)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In a bid to recreate the conditions US soldiers will live under when serving in Afghanistan, the United States government has constructed a "mock Afghan village" in Louisiana. Known as Khewa, the fake village is...

1%.(NUMBERS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The amount by which the size of Dubai's economy increased in the first quarter of this year compared to 2008. Not much perhaps but a step in the right direction.

4.2m.(NUMBERS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The proposed daily decrease in the number of barrels of oil set by OPEC, which will take supplies from the organisation to the lowest levels since just after the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

$251m.(NUMBERS)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The estimated worth of the Lebanese information technology (IT) sector last year (2008).

$16m.(NUMBERS)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The amount Bahrain's Islamic Bank announced as profits for the first quarter of 2009.

550m.(NUMBERS)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The number of euros the contract for work on the new Cairo metro is worth to France's Vinci.

5.(NUMBERS)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The number of runways at Dubai's new A1 Maktoum International Airport, now scheduled for completion in 2010.

Dubai: one of the world's top shopping destinations.(Compass: News and views from around the world)(Dubai, United Arab Emirates)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... CB Richard Ellis surveyed 280 retailers from 67 countries and 46% of them have stores in Dubai. This international retail mix is just behind New York (47%) and Paris (50%). International retailers have been lured to the UAE by the consistent...

Camel capers.(Compass: News and views from around the world)(camel portraits)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The facial expressions of 40 camels will be exhibited as life-sized portraits at the UAE's Camelicious Camel Farm, home to more than 3,000 of these majestic beasts. The exhibition is the work of 48-year-old German...

Weaving a new silk road: "power is moving from West to East," says a top Gulf investor as the Arab world, distrustful of the US, builds wide-ranging commercial links with Asia.(Cover story)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For more than 1,000 years, the Silk Road that ran for 11,000km from the Mediterranean across Asia to China brought east and west together and helped lay the foundations of the modern world. The fabled network circled...

The Doha summit.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)(League of Arab Nations summit)(Conference notes)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The 21st League of Arab Nations summit in Doha was billed as a two-day assembly of conciliation, dealing with the world financial crisis; possible routes to Israeli-Palestinian settlement; and Palestinian/...

A matter of time? European politicians are waking up to the idea that the isolation of Hamas has backfired. A change of wind from Washington could break the deadlock.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
May 1, 2009... Without Hamas there will be no peace between the Palestinians and Israel." It seems self-evident, a matter of logic: Hamas is the party elected to government by a plurality of the Palestinian people, and one of the main armed parties in the...

Unfinished business: Hizbullah grapples with internal rifts and digs in for a new combat war against Israel with a military force that is better trained and better armed than some Arab militaries.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Israelis call it the "Dahiyeh Doctrine"--all-out, no-holds-barred warfare intended to demolish Hizbullah and, if necessary, devastate Lebanon as well. The concept is named after the Dahiyeh, the teeming...

Voters fire a shot across Ankara's bows; at the Turkish elections, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost some ground, although it continued to be the country's largest party by a significant majority.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
May 1, 2009... It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. First, the best--in the lead-up to Turkey's nationwide local elections in late March, the country's political parties unlocked some significant war chests, showering gifts on a sometimes...

UAE's record 42 million date palm trees.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)(United Arab Emirates)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With 42 million trees--a world record--the UAE has been officially recognised, with a Guinness World Records' stamp, as the 'global most green' when it comes to date palms. Guinness records manager Jenny Karampoiki...

Saudi Arabia's $127 billion spending spree: the Kingdom has enacted a massive $127bn fiscal stimulus package to help combat the effects of global recession in the domestic market.(BUSINESS: SAUDI ARABIAN BUDGET)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Kingdom's budget this year, which calls for public expenditure of $127bn, is a sign of how determined Saudi Arabia's officials are to combat both global economic recession and slower growth at home. The figure...

Egypt: painting by numbers: the economic picture in Egypt is changing. While tourism and expatriate remittances are down, trade with China increased by 44% last year, to reach $5.3bn. Government initiatives are helping some sectors colour in the gaps, although how the final image will look is anybody's guess.(BUSINESS: EGYPT)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The contrast between rich and poor has always been stark in Egypt, but never have so many millions belonged to the latter category. However, blaming Egypt's economic problems--high inflation, low salaries and surging...

The Abu Dhabi Booker prize.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
May 1, 2009... People will always disagree--at one level or another--with the results of almost every competition, particularly when the subject is intellectually and individually challenging, and the recent International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) in...

The world's 50 most influential Arabs: it is no easy task in a region raising its profile on an almost daily basis to select the 50 most influential people and, of course, unlike the richest or even the most powerful, such a list must by its very nature remain fairly subjective. How does one quantify "most influential"? The short answer might be "with difficulty".(Cover story)
May 1, 2009... The world's 50 most influential Arabs First of all, we asked a selected number of people from within the region and a variety of what might be termed "movers and shakers" living elsewhere for their opinions, to give us a global, rather...

A man for all seasons: the most-voted-for person our 'World's 50 most influential Arabs' poll was Prince Alwaleed of Saudi Arabia, who talks here to Pat Lancaster.(50 THE WORLD'S 50 MOST INFLUENTIAL ARABS)(Interview)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Since returning to Saudi Arabia in 1979 after completing your studies in California, you have been instrumental in helping change the face of Saudi Arabia. What are the major developments you have witnessed, or been...

The real cost of the war in Iraq: as western countries prepare to bring their troops home from Iraq, the indigenous population must pick up their lives in a new system which, they will find, does not always work to their advantage.(BUSINESS: IRAQ)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] War is an expensive business; estimates of the cost of the Iraqi conflict vary, but it certainly amounts to hundreds of billions of dollars. By the time the last western soldier leaves, close to a trillion dollars...

Youssef A. Nasr: chairman of HSBC Bank Middle East talks to Pamela Ann Smith.(BUSINESS: THE MIDDLE EAST INTERVIEW)(Interview)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The actions taken by US President Barack Obama and other world leaders at the G20 Summit in London last month will have huge implications for the international financial system, including banks in the Middle East,...

Dubai--getting by with a little help from its friends.(Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "It had to be shored up otherwise the Federation would seem meaningless", a long time veteran observer of developments in the Gulf in general and the UAE in particular, told The Middle East. He was commenting on the...

Abu Dhabi's drive towards a green future; in terms of target and timing, Aabar's huge investment in one of the world's biggest automotive manufacturers was as shrewd as it was bold.(BUSINESS: ABU DHABI)
May 1, 2009... When Aabar, the Abu Dhabi state-backed fund, announced a $2.65bn investment in Daimler, the manufacturer of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, it stunned the world's financial markets. While Daimler may have a more robust balance sheet than many of its...

Syria comes in from the cold: new reforms from Damascus point to improved hopes for a brighter economic future for Syria.(BUSINESS)
May 1, 2009... US President Barack Obama's new dialogue with Damascus heralds the prospect of economic prosperity for Syria, as well as an end to its political isolation. While the global economic downturn is currently reducing export revenues, the government...

WEF 2009 global problems, local solutions: more than 1,000 participants from around the globe will gather together at the Dead Sea in Jordan this month for the World Economic Forum (WEF) Middle East, which this year takes as its core theme the global economic crisis and its implications for the region.(BUSINESS: WEF)(Conference news)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Long considered the stellar engine of the world economy, financial markets have set in motion the biggest global crisis since World War II. Caused by inherent weaknesses in risk management practices, the current...

When money's no object: no more endless queues, lengthy check-in procedures or heaving departure lounges. Private jet travel--it's the only way to fly.(DETAILS)(NetJets's Summer Card program)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IN THESE DAYS OF NECESSARY--BUT STILL FRUSTRATING--heightened security, airports have become a veritable nightmare. The reported decrease in passenger traffic seems to have made no...

Sotheby's Doha sale tops $18m.(DETAILS: Islamic Antiquities)(Doha, Qatar)
May 1, 2009... A REMARKABLE 19TH CENTURY CARPET WITH strong historic antecedents achieved a record sale price of $5.48m at Sotheby's first ever international auction series in the Middle East region, staged in Doha, in March. An unidentified Arab buyer...

Americans discover the delights of Lebanon.(DETAILS: Travel)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Just as officials from President Obama's new administration are opening up talks with Syria, its neighbour Lebanon is enjoying unprecedented popularity in the American media. And, for once, the news is good. ...

Eating your way to a healthy heart.(DETAILS: Good health and good living)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IN TERMS OF HEART DISEASE, cholesterol is often seen as the dietary "bad guy". High blood cholesterol has been linked to the development of coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and strokes. Foods high in...

Age cannot wither her.(MOSAIC: Nawal El Saadawi)(Interview)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 'Age cannot wither her nor custom stale her infinite variety'--so said William Shakespeare of Queen Cleopatra who ruled both Upper and Lower Egypt more than 2,000 years ago. But the words of the bard are equally true...

British Museum showcases Iranian heritage: the rich history of 15th century Iran is explored in London.(MOSAIC: Iranian heritage)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "He is equally at home on the dervish's mat and the royal throne." These two preoccupations of Shah 'Abbas, a leading figure in the creation of modern Iran, described by biographer Iskandar Munsti Bey in 1629, are...

Free Gaza: Gazans called Greta Berlin "the blonde Sinbad" when she and 43 human rights activists sailed through Israel's naval blockade.(MOSAIC)(Free Gaza Movement )
May 1, 2009... "If you think President Obama is going to stop the outrageous Israeli blockade of food, medicine and fuel to Gaza, you're wrong. We have to take these necessities of life to Gaza ourselves," said Greta Berlin, a co-founder of the Free Gaza...

Tribeswomen of Iran.(Brief article)(Book review)
May 1, 2009... 1 TRIBESWOMEN OF IRAN By Julia Huang Published by I.B. Tauris ISBN 9781845118327 Price 52.50 [pounds sterling] hardback [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Since the revolution in 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran has permitted...

The Failure of Political Islam.(Brief article)(Book review)
May 1, 2009... 2 THE FAILURE OF POLITICAL ISLAM By Olivier Roy Published by I.B. Tauris ISBN 9781850438809 Price 15.99 [pounds sterling] paperback [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For many westerners, the 1990s seemed the era of Islamic...

The Last Chance.(Brief article)(Book review)
May 1, 2009... 3 THE LAST CHANCE By David Gardner Published by I.B. Tauris ISBN 9781848850415 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Price 18.99 [pounds sterling] hardback David Gardner outlines what must be done now in the Middle East, regardless of...

The Grand Turk.(Brief article)(Book review)
May 1, 2009... 4 THE GRAND TURK B v John Freely Published by I.B. Tauris ISBN 9781845117047 Price 18.99 [pounds sterling] hardback [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This biography of Sultan Mehmet II, the conqueror, is focused on the historic...

Beirut I Love You.(Brief article)(Book review)
May 1, 2009... 5 BEIRUT I LOVE YOU By Zena El Khalil Published by Saqi Books ISBN 9780863564154 Price 8.99 [pounds sterling] paperback [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Zena El Khalil paints a picture of a city that is often on the brink of...

The Uncultured Wars.(Brief article)(Book review)
May 1, 2009... 6 THE UNCULTURED WARS By Steven Salaita Published by Zed Books ISBN 9781848132351 Price 14.99 [pounds sterling] paperback [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Uncultured Wars indicts American liberal-left discourse. In these...

The last word.(Column)
May 1, 2009... Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad found himself in hot water again at the United Nations anti-racism conference held in Geneva in April, which came as no surprise to anyone--least of all him. When they learned the leader of Iran, who...