In The News

Saudis Cite Market Forces for Lower Crude Output

Bhushan Bahree June 12, 2006
At a June 1, 2006, meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in Caracas, cartel members attested to having trouble finding buyers for their crude oil exports. While such oil-producing countries as Saudi Arabia and Iran accumulate a massive inventory of crude, reports suggest that demand for oil is actually going up, according to the New York Mercantile Exchange. Some cartel...

Islam and the West

June 8, 2006
Such a dichotomous opposition of terms as the “West” and “Islam” will inevitably be loaded with misunderstanding and contention. If words alone perpetuate misconceptions, then political, strategic and cultural relations between the two entities can be expected to be more complex. In discussing the current crises of understanding between countries like Iran and Iraq, and the US and Great Britain...

Arabs Split Over Zarqawi – Hero or Ruthless Killer?

June 8, 2006
The death of Al Qaeda’s commander in Iraq, Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, gives US president Bush something to crow over, but what are its true implications? Arabs themselves show conflicting opinions on Zarqawi and his legacy. For some, he was a freedom fighter, for others he tarnished the name of Islam. When one extremist leader dies, it is worth remembering, another just as bad or worse can take his...

The Persian Complex

Abbas Amanat June 7, 2006
Nation-states exist in the context of collective memory. In the case of Iran, this includes a history of “at least two centuries of military aggression, domestic meddling, skullduggery, and, not least, technological denial by the West.” Such a milieu colors all relations between Iran and the rest of the world, and must be kept in mind if countries such as the US and UK hope to deter that country...

Muslims Craft Their Own Video Games

Rhonda Roumani June 7, 2006
Syrian video-game pioneer Afkar Media is committed to a positive portrayal of Islam through new video games that feature Muslims and Arabs as heroes instead of villains. Their most recent release, named “Al-Quraysh” for the tribe of the Prophet Muhammad, is a strategy video game that follows the history of Islam from the viewpoint of the Bedouins, Arabs, Persians, or Romans. Instead of being...

Gulf States: Educational Reform's Real Goals

Ebtisam Al Kitbi June 1, 2006
The Arab Gulf states – Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman – are not known for eagerly incorporating reforms suggested by other countries. Education is an exception, however. Young students attending universities are products of a system that owes much – and some would say too much – to foreign influence. English has become the language of higher education in the Gulf...

The Arabs and Africa: A Topic for Discussion

Mustafa el-Fikky Al-Hayat June 1, 2006
The current rift in Arab-African relations can be traced to a historical residue of opposition and colonialism, which must be understood in order to be mended. Egyptian Author Mustafa el-Fikky Al-Hayat offers 10 points for understanding the Arab-Africa relationship. From myths concerning the Arab role as African slave traders during the colonial era to the split of the Organization of African...