In The News

Once Again Divided

Mohamed Darwish October 20, 2003
It's not only the western media's portrayal of the Iraqi war that has Arab journalists up in arms – some are not so happy at the perceived inaccuracies in other Arab sources. At the Third Arab Media Forum last week in Dubai, discussions disintegrated into shouting matches as journalists struggled to make sense out the role the media should play in wartime. Some journalists accused...

Courageous Arab Thinkers

Thomas L. Friedman October 19, 2003
Can the Arab countries – long dependent on their abundant oil resources for their incomes – be convinced that development and growth is actually dependent on democracy and open societies? A group of Arab scholars are aiming to do just that by publishing their second "Arab Development Report", which analyzes the economic stagnation of the Middle East in light of the UN's "...

Privatization vs. Democracy

Salah Hemeid October 13, 2003
The chief US Administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, recently announced that Iraq's state-owned industries will be sold off to private investors in an effort to boost the country's struggling economy. The new policy also allows for 100 percent foreign ownership of all industries except for oil, which will remain under government control for the time being. Iraqis view their oil reserves as...

Der Speigel: Israel Preparing Strike to Take Out Iranian Nuclear Sites

Ellis Shuman October 12, 2003
The German newspaper Der Speigel recently reported that the Israeli Military has developed a detailed plan to destroy Iranian nuclear sites with a preemptive air attack. In addition to the possible airstrike, Israel has enhanced its submarine capabilities in order to be able to launch nuclear warheads by sea, complementing its pre-existing ability to deploy nuclear weapons by air and land. Senior...

A Bird With Just One Wing

Mustafa El-Labbad October 10, 2003
Iran's enrichment of depleted uranium has been the subject of increasing concern in the international community recently, particularly by the US. This article in Egypt's Al-Ahram Weekly argues that by using the UN's nuclear inspection arm, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to put pressure on Tehran, Washington is not only seeking to force Iran to reveal its nuclear...

Iranian Lawyer Awarded Nobel Peace Prize

Christopher Brown-Humes October 10, 2003
Amidst international tension over Iran's nuclear program and debates on the role of Islamic extremists in promoting international terrorism, the Nobel Committee chose an Iranian lawyer as the recipient of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize. Citing Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian lawyer, for her brave advocacy of human rights and democracy, the Committee said it hoped her example would inspire democratic...

Where Did Iraq's Weapons Go?

Michael O'Hanlon October 6, 2003
It is now official that American inspectors have been unable to find any weapons of mass destruction within Iraq, contradicting pre-war claims by the Bush and Blair administrations about imminent threat from Saddam Hussein's possession of chemical and biological weapons. The lack of evidence has made the public doubt the original justifications for the Iraqi invasion. Michael O'Hanlon...