by ADEEL MALIK and BASSEM AWADALLAH for PROJECT SYNDICATE on MAY 8, 2013: OXFORD – The wave of revolts that swept across the Arab world two years ago were fueled by demands for freedom, bread, and social justice. But, although the revolutions toppled dictators and transformed societies, these core objectives remain as distant as ever. [...]
by miriam cooke for BOUNDARY 2 (International Journal of Literature and Culture/Duke University Press) on MAY 17, 2013: The tiny peninsula state of Qatar is building an empire. Ever since the current emir Shaykh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani wrested power from his father in 1995, he has worked ceaselessly to place his tribal shaikhdom on the [...]
by AZEEM IBRAHIM for INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL POLICY AND UNDERSTANDING on MAY 8, 2013: (Summary Excerpt) Leaders in Tunisia and Egypt have acknowledged Turkey as a potential model for their emerging democracies due to its ability to balance Islam and democracy. Rashid Ghannouchi, leader of Tunisia’s Ennahda Party, views Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party [...]
via PEW FORUM ON RELIGION & PUBLIC LIFE on APRIL 30, 2013: (Executive Summary excerpt) A new Pew Research Center survey of Muslims around the globe finds that most adherents of the world’s second-largest religion are deeply committed to their faith and want its teachings to shape not only their personal lives but also their societies [...]
by ANDREW HAMMOND for OPEN DEMOCRACY on APRIL 25, 2013: Tension with its Gulf neighbours began to rise from 2006 when Qatar and Al Jazeera stood with Lebanese Shi’ite group Hizbullah during its war with Israel, while western allied states clearly hoped to see the Iranian-backed militia wiped out. Secular activists and politicians in Egypt [...]
