MENA Insight

By Alexandra Brzozowski, for EURACTIV (*) EU foreign ministers agreed on Monday (17 February), after Austria lifted its veto, to deploy a combined aerial and naval mission, with a terrestrial component, and enforce a porous UN arms embargo in and …

Two leaders promise to work strenuously to spread the culture of tolerance and bring an end to wars, conflicts During his visit to the United Arab Emirates Pope Francis and Sheik Ahmad el-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar and chair …

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday announced measures to end a programme that allowed foreign countries to send imams and teachers to France in a bid to crack down on what he called the risk of “separatism”. During a visit …

As the world marks Arabic Language Day, it is only fair to pay tribute to this rich dialect that has inspired many western languages. Many younger Arab generations are constantly accused of abandoning Arabic for the sake of learning western …

Global democracy has had another bad year, but popular protests show the potential for democratic renewal, The Economist Intelligence Unit reports. After showing stagnation in 2018, the EIU’s Democracy Index – which assesses the global state of democracy – deteriorated …

From Salvini to Orbán, ethno-nationalists are hijacking religious themes to fuel their agenda. Progressives need to fight back By Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins and Anton Jäger, for The Guardian (*) Why are so many religious citizens drawn to the rhetoric of authoritarian …

By Khalid Al-Jaber and Giorgio Cafiero, for LobeLog (*) Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain’s football associations recently announced that they would participate in the Arabian Gulf Cup football tournament, which begins tomorrow. As many experts have …

New survey data shows that demonstrators feel more important, and prouder to be Iraqi, than before ! By Munqith Dagher, for The Washington Post (*) Iraq’s recent demonstrations are among the bloodiest protests in its modern history. Nearly 500 Iraqis …

As the government relaxes restrictions on men and women working and socializing together, coffeehouses are on the front lines of change. By Vivian Yee, for The New York Times (*) RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—For insight into these head-spinning times in Saudi …

By Agnes Helou, Journalist and writer, for Defense News (*) The so-called Arab NATO, a U.S.-led initiative, has the potential to address threats to the Gulf and the Middle East. So what is delaying the creation of such an alliance? An …