The Middle East articles from November 2005

The Middle East archives from November 2005

Comment.
November 1, 2005... The trial of Saddam Hussein coming, as it did, in the wake of the Iraqi constitutional referendum, provoked some strong emotions on the streets of Baghdad. Saddam was a tyrant but under the protracted rule of the despised dictator, the majority...

Iran adds fuel to Iraqi inferno: Iran's involvement in the Iraqi imbroglio, once denied by some western powers, is now beyond doubt. Adel Darwish reports on the relentless spread of Iranian dominance in Southern Iraq and what the Islamic Republic hopes to achieve there.(CURRENT AFFAIRS)
November 1, 2005... UNLIKE THEIR AMERICAN counterparts, British diplomats are not in the habit of formulating strategy based on wishful thinking. However, they seem to have made a costly exception with Iran. For most of the past two years, the Foreign Office has...

Israel continues to set the agenda: Mariam Shahin reports from the Occupied Territories.(PALESTINE/ISRAEL)
November 1, 2005... AS THE SITUATION IN GAZA APPEARED to edge closer to crisis point, the relationship between the old Fatah and the new, juxtaposed with the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, took centre stage of the Palestinian political arena. Almost relegated...

Flashpoint Jerusalem: the Wall is just part of Israel's plan to isolate Palestinian lands. Now, the holy city's status represents a further incendiary issue as Israelis seal it off with an arc of Jewish settlements.(PALESTINE)
November 1, 2005... ISRAEL HAS ALMOST COMPLETED A PLAN to consolidate its grip on Jerusalem, systematically seizing Palestinian land and property in and around the holy city for Jewish settlers, and in the last couple of years building its so called "security...

EU negotiations run true to form: the October negotiations between Turkey and the EU offered few surprises, indeed, as Jon Gorvett reports from Istanbul, many veteran observers describe the latest fiasco as being "a classic offering".(TURKEY)
November 1, 2005... TURKEY'S EUROPEAN UNION (EU) negotiations have long been characterised by cliff hanging moments and nail biting finales. Planes have regularly had to stand waiting on the tarmac while ministers engaged in last minute negotiations in the...

A new dawn for the Shi'ite faithful: the Arab world's Sunni governments have registered alarm at the Shi'ites' rise to power in Iraq.(REGIONAL)
November 1, 2005... THE EMERGENCE OF A SHI'ITE-DOMINATED government in Iraq, even if it is only within a breakaway oil-rich south, is causing deep unease in the Arab world, which for centuries has been ruled by the majority Sunnis. They fear a "Shi'ite crescent"...

Afghan elections do little to soothe international concerns: the outcome of Afghanistan's general elections, the first after more than a quarter century of war, was awaited as TME went to press. The results will affect regional stability throughout the Middle East and Central Asia and the omens are not good.(The Middle East)
November 1, 2005... AFGHAN OPIUM PRODUCTION HAS at last declined, for the first time in recent years. But the warlords and traffickers, who took an active part in the 18 September elections, are exploiting the chaos prevailing in the region to strengthen their...

Abu Dhabi takes the property plunge: while its louder, flashier neighbour Dubai was experiencing a real estate boom, Abu Dhabi was content to stay in the background--until now. Jon Gorvett reports from the UAE.(BUSINESS & FINANCE)
November 1, 2005... A QUICK GLANCE DOWN THE LIST of the largest and most actively traded companies among Abu Dhabi's capital markets reveals a singular fact these days: almost all of the high fliers are involved one way or another in real estate. Go to any of...

WSIS poised for take-off in Tunis: as Tunisia puts the finishing touches to plans to host the second part of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) later this month, the country's Minister of Communications Technologies, Montasser Ouaili.(BUSINESS & FINANCE)(Interview)
November 1, 2005... LIKE IT OR NOT, INFORMATION technology (IT) systems are here to stay and, in only a relatively few years, have revolutionised international communications, becoming vital to the way in which 21st Century business is conducted. The Middle...

The rise and rise of an equity culture: another buoyant year for the Saudi Arabian economy in 2005 is reflected in robust investor confidence and a booming stock market riding high on the back of the hydrocarbons boom, increasing optimism and the continued growth of industrial and infrastructural investments.(SAUDI ARABIA)
November 1, 2005... THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE Capital Market Law in July 2004, economic liberalisation efforts, a vastly improved foreign direct investment (FDI) regime, and the reduction of corporate taxes from 45% to 20%, as well as a string of private sector...

World Bank's Doing Business in 2006 Report.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... World Bank's Doing Business in 2006 Report: * The International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group, has issued its annual report, Doing Business in 2006; it evaluates commercial transactions in 155 countries. Saudi Arabia was...

Dubai ups the ante: the opening of a new financial exchange in Dubai's International Financial Centre is attracting enthusiastic international attention.(UAE)
November 1, 2005... DESPITE THE PRESENCE OF several stock exchanges in the Gulf, the lack of access to international investment remains a major obstacle to the growth of the non-oil economy in the region. Now, however, the developers of the Dubai International...

DIC launches Dh1bn investment to target Jordan's booming economy.
November 1, 2005... * Dubai International capital (DIC), the investment arm of Dubai Holding, has announced it will launch a Dh1bn ($272m) investment fund that will target opportunities in the Jordanian economy. Jordan offers a wealth of investment opportunities,...

The Keeper: the Legend of Omar Khayyam.(movie)
November 1, 2005... IT WILL BE A RED LETTER DAY for Britain's Iranian community on 6 November when The Keeper: the Legend of Omar Khayyam has its London premiere at The Vue Cinema in Leicester Square. The screening and charity auction to follow will be under the...

The Other Side of Israel.(MOSAIC)(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... SUSAN NATHAN'S PIONEERING work, The Other Side of Israel, published this summer in the US and Europe, is above all a heartfelt story of love... love for Israel's "Arabs" as well as love for her Jewish forefathers and compatriots. But it is...

A1: off to a racing start: the A1 Grand Prix racing calendar will see 25 nations and their respective drivers racing in a dozen countries and five continents. But will Sheikh Maktoum's new motorsport series capture the public's imagination?(MOSAIC)(Calendar)
November 1, 2005... THE INAUGURAL A1 RACE WAS held at the UK's Brands Hatch circuit in late September, followed last month by races in Germany and Portugal. A1 Grand Prix has been described as the World Cup of motor racing and the most important development in...

The Gulf: Challenges of the Future.(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... THE GULF Challenges of the Future Edited and published by the ECSSR ISBN 9948 00704-2 price 24.50 [pounds sterling] paperback Throughout history, the Gulf has commanded a strategic and positive significance, whether as a hub of world trade...

The Number: How America's Balance Sheet Lies Rocked the World's Financial Markets.
November 1, 2005... THE NUMBER How America's Balance Sheet Lies Rocked the World's Financial Markets By Alex Berenson published by Pocket Books ISBN 0 7434 6809 0 price 7.99 [pounds sterling] paperback In this big-picture analysis of what went wrong in...

Peace Process: American Diplomacy and the Arab-Israeli Conflict since 1967.
November 1, 2005... PEACE PROCESS American Diplomacy and the Arab-Israeli Conflict since 1967 By William B. Quandt published by Brookings Institution Press ISBN 0 520 24631 4 price 14.99 [pounds sterling] paperback In this timely new edition of Peace Process,...

Myth and Reality in the Contemporary Islamist Movement.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... MYTH AND REALITY IN THE CONTEMPORARY ISLAMIST MOVEMENT By Fouad Zakariyya published by Pluto Press ISBN 07453 2246 8 price 15.99 [pounds sterling] paperback This classic book explores the intellectual, political and social foundations of...

The Shi'a of Lebanon.(The Shi'a of Lebanon: Clans, Parties and Clerics)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... THE SHI'A OF LEBANON Clans, Parties and Clerics By Rodger Shanahan published by IB TAURIS ISBN 1 85043 766 1 price 42.50 [pounds sterling] hardback The Shi'a of Lebanon have emerged in the last 20 years to become a major force in Lebanese...

Lyrics of the Sands.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... LYRICS OF THE SANDS By Gloria Kifayeh published by Stacey International ISBN 1 900988 89 5 price 18.50 [pounds sterling] hardback "Many a dusty desert, long a wilderness across whose hot stones the thirsty camels hasten, Have I crossed,...

Charity begins ...(THE LAST WORD)
November 1, 2005... THE POOR ALWAYS COME OUT WORSE OFF THAN THE rich when natural disasters strike and the devastating earthquake in Pakistan proved no exception. How can we turn the momentum created by a wave of human sympathy into generous donations to relief...