In The News

Domestics Dump Sponsors while on Holiday in London

Sanaa Maadad July 23, 2004
During the hot summer months, wealthy residents of the United Arab Emirates often go on holiday to cooler destinations, such as England. Recently, however, some have found that the foreign domestic workers they take with them when they travel 'run away' in hopes of pursuing a life in Europe. Many of these maids and servants are Sri Lankans, Filipinos, Indonesians, Ethiopians, or...

Breaking for the Border

Salah Hemeid July 16, 2004
Some blame for the violence pervading war-torn Iraq rests in the hands of its neighbors, Iraqi officials claim. By facilitating or simply turning a blind eye to the religious militants who infiltrate Iraq in order to attack coalition and Iraqi forces, neighboring countries are undermining stabilization efforts. Iraq plans to step up pressure on its neighbors at an upcoming July 21 meeting in...

The Meat Politics is Made Of

Gamal Nkrumah July 9, 2004
Amid the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Sudan is making headlines in Egypt for another reason: beef exports. Recently the prices of Egyptian meat have been increasing due to a combination of a weak Egyptian pound in relation to the American dollar and the fact that fodder used to feed Egyptian livestock is purchased from the US. Sudanese livestock, however, is cheaper because it is grass-fed...

U.S. Is seen Losing Its Moral Authority

Thomas Fuller July 5, 2004
Many diplomats, academics, and human rights groups claim that recent American policies and blunders have “eroded the moral leadership that Washington has pursued without embarrassment for years.” Citing the Iraq war, prisoner detention at Guantánamo Bay, the promulgation of the Patriot Act, and the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, critics charge that America’s newly tarnished image has harmed its...

Gulf Security in a Globalizing World: Going beyond US Hegemony

Michael Kraig June 29, 2004
War and domestic political uncertainty have reigned in the Middle East during the past three decades. But one strategic reality has steadfastly evolved: the rise of the United States as an external guarantor of Gulf security. The continued presence of 138,000 US troops in Iraq after the formal handover of sovereignty is the latest reminder. However, while US military dominance may be...

Handover Advanced but Problems Remain

Paul Reynolds June 28, 2004
The unexpected early handover of sovereignty in Iraq may be a public relations coup for the US and the UK, but realities on the ground indicate that the road ahead is not easy. Although members of the new Iraqi government are claiming they are "ready", says this BBC article, they are in fact ill-prepared to deal with the challenges of government and the security threats that continue...

Can of Worms?

Gamal Nkrumah June 25, 2004
Al-Qaeda may have penetrated deep into the Saudi security apparatus, says this article in Egypt's Al-Ahram Weekly. Officials deny that there is a problem and are working hard to contain the terrorists, even killing Al-Qaeda’s reputed leader in Saudi Arabia last Friday. But the rapid replacement of this man by Al-Oufi, a former policeman and war veteran of Afghanistan, suggests both the...