In The News

New Prison Images Emerge

New Prison Images Emerge May 6, 2004
The shocking images that have emerged from Iraqi prisons, showing American and British soldiers abusing and humiliating prisoners, have created a "combustible international scandal". The photos, taken with the digital cameras that soldiers brought with them to communicate with families back home, mimic tourist snapshots – except in their horrific content. Without this sort of...

Iraqi Prison Scandal Hits US in a Big Way

Ilnur Cevic May 5, 2004
The recent uproar in the US over the torture and abuse of Iraqi prisoners in US custody is really not big 'news' in the Arab world, says this editorial in the Turkish Daily News. Although the humiliating photos circulating the globe may have "devastating consequences" for the US, writes Ilnur Cevic, the problems are seen by many in Iraq and the Middle East as just another...

US Cannot Tune Out Its Iraq Crisis

Ghida Fakhry May 2, 2004
As the violence in Iraq continues, the Bush administration is faced with a more difficult challenge, says news anchor Ghida Fakhry of Al-Hayat/LBC television network. In addition to the war on the ground, America must also fight its negative media image in the Arab world, which grows by the day thanks to broadcasts by independent Arabic news channels. Stations such as Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya...

Learning From Europe

Nader Fergany April 30, 2004
In a time of tremendous scrutiny upon the Arab world, many interpreted the March collapse of the Arab League summit in Tunisia as a sign of Arab impotence. Nader Fergany, the director of Almishkat Centre for Research, and the lead author of the Arab Human Development Report, argues that rather than being discouraged by the failure of the summit, Arabs should push to reform the Arab League itself...

Ambassadors' Letter to Blair

April 26, 2004
More than fifty former British ambassadors and senior government officials signed a letter criticizing Prime Minister Tony Blair for his unflinching support of the Bush administration's policies in the Middle East. The signatories included former ambassadors to Israel, Iraq, and other Middle Eastern countries, as well as senior British envoys to the United Nations. The letter asserted that...

Terrorists and Their Tools - Part I

Riaz Hassan April 23, 2004
The weapon of mass destruction that seems to be favored most by terrorists is their own lives. But, though most suicide bombers are Islamic youths, sociologist Riaz Hassan argues that there is no direct link between suicide attacks and Islamic fanaticism. Suicide attacks, Hassan says, are motivated more by politics than religion. Many terrorist groups, such as the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka,...

An Ominous Moment in Middle East Turmoil

Roger Cohen April 23, 2004
Despite numerous efforts to curry the favor of the Arab world – such as the establishment of the pro-American Al Hurra satellite network – the Bush administration has instead, according to some critics, stoked the fires of Arab resentment through the occupation of Iraq and support for Ariel Sharon and Israel. Some believe the vested interests of pro-Israeli and Evangelical Christian lobbies are...