In The News

Egyptian Group Wants to Censor Arabic Classic

Amro Hassan , Jeffrey Fleishman July 14, 2010
The collection of folktales known in English as “The Arabian Nights” are a classic work of globalization. For centuries, starting with the 9th, multiple storytellers traveled, spinning and elaborating the tales with themes and settings spanning ancient Mesopotamia, India, medieval Persia and Egypt. Arabic translators preserved the tales into book format, which later influenced modern writers of...

The World Still Looks to Obama for Leadership

Bruce Stokes June 17, 2010
Respect and admiration around the globe for US President Barack Obama has not faded 18 months after the historic election, reports an April-May survey of 22 nations, released today by the Pew Research Center ’s Global Attitudes Project. Exceptions were five of six predominantly Muslim nations, where more than half the respondents expressed a lack of confidence in Obama’s leadership, adding to...

Ahmadinejad’s Sugar Daddy

Gal Luft June 10, 2010
The Brazilian government is developing closer ties to Iran, even as Iran faces stringent economic sanctions for its nuclear program. By exporting ethanol, President Lula da Silva’s government seeks to help Iran, a major oil exporter that lacks refinery capacity, lessen its dependence on foreign gasoline. Assisting Iran complicates Brazil's relationship with the United States, one of the...

The Middle East at the Crossroads – Part II

Dilip Hiro June 10, 2010
Democracy in rising powers like Turkey – along with economic and military distractions for the West, Israel’s obstinacy in resolving conflict with the Palestinians and convoluted US policies that urge free elections but punish results – prompts governments to strengthen ties with regional neighbors. As a result, countries like Turkey, a longtime member of NATO, no longer follow the West in...

The Middle East at the Crossroads – Part I

Fawaz A. Gerges June 8, 2010
The attack by Israel’s naval forces on a group of six vessels carrying 700 activists and aid for blockaded Gaza left nine civilians dead and unleashed a torrent of condemnation. This episode and other developments in the Middle East point to a new turning point. In the first of this two-part YaleGlobal series, Middle East scholar Fawaz Gerges examines how the latest development has brought out...

Turkish Funds Helped Group Test Blockade

Sabrina Tavernise, Michael Slackman June 7, 2010
After winning a majority of Palestinian parliamentary seats in 2006, Hamas took control of Gaza in June 2007, using the position to launch rockets at Israel. Since 2007, Israel and Egypt isolated Gaza with blockades by land and sea. But supporters of Palestinians from around the globe have also worked to test the blockade, collecting donations, including large funds from opponents to Israel based...

US Is a Top Villain in Pakistan’s Conspiracy Talk

Sabrina Tavernise May 27, 2010
Pakistan and the US are allies in a war against extremism in Afghanistan, with the US providing more than $1 billion in annual aid, but mutual trust remains low. A US citizen originally from Pakistan was accused of placing a failed car bomb in New York’s Times Square. But many in Pakistan are convinced that his plan was devised inside the US. “Conspiracy theory is a national sport in Pakistan,...